Spotlight: Western Governors University

Western Governors University provides online adjunct instructors with a steady supply of job opportunities, offering us several job listings a week.  We thought it would be beneficial to the AdjunctWorld community to offer some information on this University as well as some clarification on some of the specific terminology they use to describe their various positions.  In other words, what is an Evaluator?  What is a Course Mentor?  How does a Course Mentor differ from a Student Mentor?

Who is Western Governors University?

Western Governors University is a non-profit, completely online University based in Salt Lake City, Utah.  They are accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.  Online classes offered at WGU fall under four different colleges:  The College of Business, The College of Information Technology, The Teachers College, and the College of Health Professions (under which their popular Nursing Program falls).  Classes are conducted in 6-week, asynchronous terms and students are often “cohorted”, meaning they tend to progress through their programs together, fostering a community among the students.  Although the school aims to keep cohorts together when possible, students are still able to proceed through their coursework at their own pace.

Undergraduate students at WGU are required to have a high school diploma or GED and must pass WGU’s College Readiness Assessment as well as an interview with an enrollment counselor.  The purpose of that interview is to determine if the school’s competency-based approach will suit the student’s needs.  Some programs require students to have an associate’s degree and documented work experience in the area they wish to study.  The school also serves a large military student population.

Tuition ranges from $2,890 to $3250 a term depending on the degree program.  The school boasts that they have not raised tuition since 2008 and tuition is a flat rate, meaning that regardless of how many classes a student takes during a term, the dollar amount is still the same.  This works in favor of dedicated students who take the maximum courses per term.

WGU employs over 2,000 full-time and 600 part-time faculty members.   Nearly all of their faculty have graduate degrees (94%-100% depending on degree program).  Most of their Course Mentors have doctoral degrees.

Competency-Based Approach

Western Governors University adheres to the competency-based model and is the first accredited school to use such an approach.  Because of their success with it, many schools are now adopting this model as well.  WGU tells their students, “You earn your degree through demonstration of skills and knowledge in required subject areas through a series of carefully designed assessments. You’ll take tests, write papers, and complete assignments. But rather than focus on seat time or credit hours, we make sure you graduate as a highly competent professional.”

The school has a “prove it” mentality, meaning students don’t pass based on sitting in class and accruing hours, they pass when they are able to demonstrate competency in the subject area through carefully designed assessments meant to gauge the student’s ability, skills, and knowledge and whether they can apply them to real-world situations.  They report that this model is widely sought-after by many corporations as it is the same model they use to hire, promote, or otherwise assess their employees.  It appears that one of the reasons they have adopted this model is that it allows students to really work at their own pace–if they can prove they have the knowledge, skills, and ability as evidenced by their assessments they do not have to take unnecessary classes or re-take classes they already show proficient competency in.

Faculty Positions

Faculty Positions cluster into several categories, each having their own unique job description.  Here is a brief overview of some of the most often-listed positions:

Student Mentors

Student Mentors follow individual students throughout their tenure at the University.  They are active in the student’s academic career through weekly conversations during which they provide programmatic information, assess the student’s strengths and developmental needs, provide feedback on assessments and offer coaching resources, provide moral support, and recommend other helpful services to the student.  Student mentors are not necessarily experts in any particular class, but do have knowledge in the overall degree area.

Course Mentors

Course Mentors are subject-matter experts who support students in a particular course.  This is more of a traditional “facilitator” role that many of us are used to, although it very much embraces the “guide on the side” approach.  In particular, Course Mentors, “Bring WGU courses of study to life with students via one-to-many or one-to-one forums, provide instructional help (proactively and retroactively) and facilitate learning communities, and provide content expertise for students who are struggling with course material.”

Program Managers

Program Managers oversee Course and Student Mentors to facilitate student learning and success and are responsible for the overall quality of of the degree program.

Evaluators

Evaluators are subject-matter experts who are responsible for determining student competency based on their review of the student’s work.  The separation of teaching from evaluation is meant to result in an unbiased, fair assessment of a student’s competency.

We at AdjunctWorld do not have a personal relationship with Western Governors University, but are working to create one in hopes of alerting this school to our community of able and willing adjuncts.  However, I will do your best to answer any questions you have or will be happy to engage in a dialogue about this school and the opportunities it provides.  Have you had an experience working for WGU?  We’d be particularly interested in hearing from  you.  Please comment below!

And, as always, we wish you the best in your job search.

Source:  Western Goverors University Website