Although WGU Tennessee officially launched in July 2013, “The University of You” has a history of offering targeted, competency-based, online curriculum that dates back 15 years.
Western Governors University was the brainchild of 19 governors who met regularly to discuss common concerns. “Their vision for WGU, when they initially founded it, was a university that would focus on workforce areas where they needed more graduates … areas of workforce shortages,” explained WGU Tennessee Chancellor Kimberly Estep, PhD. Those four areas, she continued, were information technology, nursing, business and teacher education (particularly STEM and special education).
With a focus on working adults, the curriculum had to accessible at the student’s convenience. The university had to be affordable, and it had to truly provide a return on investment for students by teaching them the hands-on skills required in the real world to move their careers forward.
The result was a private, non-profit, online, accredited university focused on mastering concepts rather than requiring a set amount of time in a classroom. “We’re really pioneers in competency-based learning,” Estep said. While the concept is beginning to spread, she added, “We’re the only competency-based university at scale.”
Estep said the average age of their students is 37 with most working full time. “It’s very difficult for them to access traditional higher education,” she pointed out. Nationally, WGU has 50,000 students. In Tennessee, Estep said that number is about 1,500 but growing monthly.
For undergraduate programs, prospective students do not have to have completed an associate’s degree to start any field of study with the exception of nursing, which is an RN to BSN program. However, every student must complete an entrance interview and take a readiness assessment if they don’t have their two-year degree. A number of undergraduate programs have a healthcare emphasis including health informatics and healthcare business management. For those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, master’s programming is also available including an MBA in healthcare management and MS in nursing education and nursing leadership and management.
Mastering Concepts
Estep said the beauty of competency-based learning is “it’s really designed to honor the knowledge students bring to the table.” For those studying in their field of work, they can leverage that practical knowledge to move more quickly through the program.
“You can go as fast as you want … but you can’t go as slow as you want,” she added with a laugh. “You need to make satisfactory progress.”
Students can, however, spend more time in areas that prove to be challenging. Online lectures allow students to pause, rewind, and hear material as often as needed. Once the concept is learned, the student demonstrates mastery. Estep said WGU doesn’t give letter grades, per se, but the pass rate is generally set at what would be comparable to a B or higher.
“All of our students have to reach the same level of competency before moving forward in the program,” Estep said. Setting the bar high gives employers the comfort of knowing the WGU graduate has demonstrated strong capability throughout their program. “It provides transparency and consistency,” she added.
Although WGU students must be independent learners, Estep was quick to say they certainly aren’t alone on their journey. All students have a faculty mentor who works with them throughout their degree program. Additionally, students have a number of course mentors, faculty members with terminal degrees in their field, who are there to help provide course-specific expertise.
Cost & Timing
Unlike most universities that base rates on course credits, WGU tuition is set at a flat rate for a six-month term. Basic tuition is $2890 for most degree programs and $3,250 for nursing and MBA programs. Additionally, there are fees that apply to specific programs. “We have not raised tuition at WGU since, I believe, 2008,” Estep said of the affordability factor.
Another difference is the timing of ‘semesters.’ The six-month term doesn’t have a set start date. Instead, Estep explained, “We start new students every month. Every student has their own six-month term beginning when they do.”
The ending point is largely up to the student. Estep noted that a typical RN candidate finishes their WGU degree in 18 months. “Because it’s competency-based, some may take two years. Some may do it in as little as a year. It really puts the student in the driver’s seat in a way traditional programs can’t do.”
Drive to 55
“We want to do everything we can to help Gov. Haslam reach his goal of Drive to 55,” Estep said of the statewide initiative to have 55 percent of Tennesseans with an associate degree or higher by 2025.
She added the governor’s office estimates 940,000 Tennesseans have some college but haven’t finished a degree program. “We’re trying to give them a good way to come back and complete a degree,” she concluded.
Expanding Horizons
A Recent WGU Grad’s Experience
When Shannon Tucker began working on her MBA at WGU, she already held an undergraduate degree from Trevecca Nazarene University and a master’s in Communication Disorders from Tennessee State University.
In fact, she had a successful career with TriStar Skyline where she had been employed since 2001. For many years, Tucker worked as a speech language pathologist focusing primarily on stroke patients. It was a promotion to director of Rehabilitation Services at the hospital that made her begin thinking about a second master’s degree.
In her very first meeting with Dustin Greene, COO of TriStar Skyline, Tucker recalled he told her she was the ‘CEO’ of Rehabilitation Services. “I didn’t feel like my clinical training really prepared me to be the CEO,” Tucker said. “I would go to talk to hospital administrators, and I sometimes felt like I was speaking a different language. I could say why we needed XYZ clinically, but I couldn’t make the business case for it.”
Wishing to boost her business acumen, and with the encouragement of TriStar colleagues, she embarked on her MBA program. “I was a weekend warrior,” she said of her WGU schedule. “I’d go to school Friday evening, and I needed to pretty much wrap up on Sunday.” Then, she continued, “I could take what I learned and apply it on Monday … and I did.”
Like many students, Tucker cited cost and timing as two appealing factors in selecting the online, competency-based program. “I could make WGU fit into my life instead of making my life fit into WGU’s schedule,” she said. Tucker completed her MBA in two years using primarily weekends. Some areas she mastered quickly, others took more time. “Financial management took me like eight weeks. That was my shortcoming, but I knew that going in.”
However, it isn’t a shortcoming anymore. Her studies gave her the confidence and tools to balance both sides of her job. “I could connect the dots between the clinical needs of the unit and the business case,” she said of her enhanced skill set.
In fact, she now has a new job at the corporate level. After graduating from WGU in May, Tucker was promoted the following month to assistant vice president for Rehabilitation Services at HCA, TriStar’s parent company.
“It wasn’t that the MBA was required for this position … I already had my master’s,” Tucker said. “But it made me more well rounded, and it made me more successful. I started making great strides at Skyline and in my department, and that caught the attention of corporate.”
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