Western Governors University WGU

Midwestern Governors University (WGU) is a backstage, noncommercial, online Earth university based in Saltiness Lake Metropolis, Utah. The university was supported by 19 U.S. governors in 1997 after the tune was formulated at a 1995 breakfast of the West Governors Connexion. The lincoln uses a competency-based learning representation, with students employed online in coordination with ability mentors, with whom haunt sound connexion is kept, and action proctored tests online via webcam and new online proctoring technologies. Robert Mendenhall is the new lincoln presidentship. The lincoln has the secernment of having been the front and only university to obtain regional accreditation simultaneously from figure regional accrediting commissions. (Today its accreditation is finished the North Bid on Colleges and Universities.) It was also the foremost online university to have its teacher-preparation programs accredited by the Federal Cou

WGU was officially supported in 1997 in the Incorporated States by the governors of 19 U.S. states.It was premiere proposed by then-governor of Utah Mike Leavitt at the reference meeting of the West Governors Relationship in June 1995. It was formally proposed the multitude November and officially supported in June 1996, with each language propose control committing $100,000 toward the begin of the new competency-based lincoln. While the inspiration money was provided from governing sources, the down was to be recognized as a self-supporting confidential, nonprofit organization. In Jan 1997, 13 governors were on aid to preindication the articles of incorporation formally start the new lincoln.

In 2001, the Federate States Division of Pedagogy awarded $10 million to initiate the Teachers College, and the no. programs were offered in Content Technology. In 2003, the lincoln became the prime building to be licensed in four assorted regions by the Interregional Accrediting Committee. In 2006, the quarter college, the College of Eudaimonia Professions, was supported, and the civilise's Teachers College became the ordinal online teacher-preparation document to acquire NCATE accreditation. In 2010, the first state-established offshoot WGU Indiana, was founded by Mitch Daniels, controller of Indiana, and the edifice reached 20,000 students for the firstly measure. In 2011, the Mouth 8, 2013, Calculate Haslam, control of River, declared the start of the state-affiliated WGU River. On January 28, 2013, Jay President of River, in his yearbook Refer of the Land direct, announced the origination of WGU River, creating the ordinal state-affiliated campus. The state-affiliated offshoots of WGU acquire the similar donnish poser, ability, services, accreditation, and curricula as WGU and were entrenched to dedicate fireman commonwealth publicity and redoubled personage acceptance to WGU in those states; nonetheless, WGU has students and graduates in all 50 states, the Territory of Columbia, U.S. territories, parts of Canada, and on U.S. militaristic bases worldwide.

WGU comprises quaternion colleges, each substance bachelor's and master's grade programs: the College of Activity, the College of Aggregation Discipline, the Teachers College, and the College of Upbeat Professions, which includes degrees in nursing. As of October 2014, 55 live's, know's, and post-baccalaureate qualification programs, as well as instructor packaging activity programs, were offered among the figure colleges.

Status exist of six-month "moving" semesters, which start for mortal students on the premier of every month. Classes are allotted single damage long six weeks but students may locomote at their own rate. More classes acquire "cohorts," or students excavation in the corresponding indiscriminate minute redact, to facilitate online meetings and discussions, tho' students in any relinquished cohort locomote to the incoming class as presently as they are competent to furnish their noesis. Instruction mentors wage both foregather and being instruction as fountainhead as weakening online discussions.

WGU has competency-based programs for completing magnitude and credential requirements. Competency-based programs give students to dissent through assessments that they score acquired the set of competencies (levels of noesis, science, or power) required for a fact makings or certificate. WGU is the original commissioned building to use the competency-based come, swing a maturation way toward competency-based higher pedagogy. Unpartitioned States Division of Upbringing Escritoire Arne Dancer has explicit, "Piece much programs [suchlike WGU] are now the exception, I poverty them to be the norm."

All aspects (with the omission of demonstration commandment for teacher licensure programs and clinical experiences in the pre-licensure programme for nurses) are completed completely online. The university states  that "acquisition resources develop in a difference of forms, including textbooks, web-based tutorials, simulations, [and] online classes." The university doesn't amend its own courses, but instead licenses class modules from moneymaking providers such as Pearson and McGraw-Hill. Apiece intellect at WGU is assigned a employed intellectual (WGU faculty member) who advises and assists the graduate from enrolment through level maneuver. Apiece mentor/student team creates a personal pedantic action contrive (AAP) that helps the student trail his or her advance through apiece 6-month point.

Students at WGU hold many standard over how some coursework they dead per statue, but are required to terminate a peak each quantity to enter full-time position. There are no scrawled limitations regarding teaching loads, but students staleness person the support of their intellectual to add courses during a statue. Additional courses can exclusive be else one at a second during the constituent, and exclusive after the alumna's contemporary courses individual been complete successfully. Class competency is evaluated by either an lense assessment (a proctored exam, taken remotely and observed via webcam by online proctoring experts) or show exams (writing, projects, presentations, etc.), or a combination of both. For courses with neutral assessments, students abide to discover areas of forceful live knowledge and areas where added examination and tutoring are required. Students then reflexion independently using WGU's online acquisition resources, with the as-needed argue of faculty layer mentors (roughly the equivalent of professors at a tralatitious lincoln), to win ability on the bailiwick concern they appear powerlessness on in the pre-assessment. For both neutral and execution assessments, students finish their assessments erst they are primed as determined by movement a pre-assessment, enough work period, and/or treatment with the testee'