The Value of a Degree from Western Governors University

I am close to completing my Bachelor of Science degree in IT, with an emphasis in security.  I am grateful for this opportunity, in part to complete something I started nearly twenty years ago.  Due to the type of degree program, prior work experience, support from my wife, and lots of help from above, I have been able to work through the degree program relatively quickly.


I am also learning a great deal.


However, as a student and a potential employer, I see some problems in the degree program and philosophy of the school.


Many of the classes come down to a single objective assessment, or (generally) industry standard certification exam.  These occur as a single test, are multiple choice and are pass/fail, etc.  This means your students are more likely to be able to cram the knowledge (through the test-prep software you provide) in just enough to pass the test.  This also means that in the end your students will likely graduate with 1) less long-term knowledge and 2) less deep, practical understanding of the subject matter, thus decreasing the value of a WGU education.  Furthermore, there is a real difference in the quality of the education in the student between a 71% student versus a 95% student; pass/fail does not show the difference.  C students are elevated beyond their earning; A students are held down beyond a level of excellence that they have achieved.  It's the "participant trophy syndrome", where everyone gets equal results for unequal effort, skills and performance (how very socialistic).


Selfishly, I like this, because I can leverage my career knowledge and test-taking aptitude to get my degree quickly.  But, objectively, I know that this is not the best thing for the students, and thus, not for the university.  Do we really want people graduating solely by "cram-master" test-prep?  That seems to be the modern equivalent of a school-endorsed "Cliff's Notes"-based degree program.


Each tech course that includes an objective assessment should have at least one performance assessment (a task, lab, or report), preferably two or three.  The performance assessments would be best spent on tasks such as "install, configure, and document a Windows Active Directory domain service that meets requirements X, Y, and Z", or "install, configure and document a simulated network environment that meets requirements X, Y, and Z", or "install, configure and document a Microsoft deployment solution that accomplishes these objectives, and show successful deployment."  These practical tasks, over a somewhat longer period of time, will ensure better understanding of the material (beyond that necessary to achieve a PASS on a single multiple choice exam).


Note that I am not arguing that the performance assessment should necessarily be of immense complexity and duration; only that it ought to be there, should be required, and should figure into the grade.  When the student has a sufficient *practical* grasp on the material, the task will take less than 8 hours.


The students will be stronger, the subject matter will be more tangible to the students (rather than only book-learned), and the value of the degree will increase in industry.