Online Masters of Education program at Western Governors University?

January 6, 2005 2:15 PM

My girlfriend would like to become a teacher. She has a BFA degree, and is thinking of enrolling in the online Masters of Education program at Western Governors University. Has anyone here gotten a degree from WGU? What did you think of it? Are there any other online options for graduate studies in education?
posted by split atom to education (13 comments total)

Oh man. I have friends who graduated from so-so brick and mortar colleges and have had a hard time getting jobs. Sure it's supply and demand, but I'd be wary about having her get a teaching degree online.

I know it's not very helpful, sorry. Why isn't she going to go to a traditional university?
posted by taumeson at 2:50 PM on January 6, 2005

At the very least I would check to see whether schools (or state licensing agency) recognize the following accrediting agencies:

- The Commission on Colleges and Universities of the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities (considered WGU's "home" commission)
- The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

If so, I would then contact those agencies and verify WGU's standing with them.

If they passed both of those okay, I would then contact them and ask to speak to several alumni, preferrably in the area.

Do everything you can to make sure the school isn't like this.
posted by Doohickie at 3:11 PM on January 6, 2005

U.S. Senator Bob Bennett from Utah seems to like them...
posted by Doohickie at 3:16 PM on January 6, 2005

Not to deter your friend's ambition, but as I am now going through a teacher training program, I would wonder about how much one can learn from a program that is entirely online.

Your friend should make sure that whatever program she chooses includes enough time actually spent in the classroom, working with students. Not just in the form of a short student-teaching stint, but preferably throughout the program there would be lots of opportunities to observe a number of teachers and work in various capacities in various classrooms.
posted by mai at 4:12 PM on January 6, 2005

Having done the B.Ed. thing, done the teaching thing, and fled the teaching thing, I can only say this:

Run! Run away! Run away!

Honestly. Teaching is a low-paying, unrespected bitch of a job. The kids are great and all, and it's pure joy to see that twinkle of "ah-ha" when they grasp a new concept, but the politics sucks, the parents generally suck, the pay sucks, the hours suck, and the workload sucks. It is a thankless profession.

And my understanding is that it's even worse in the USA.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:37 PM on January 6, 2005

WGU is legitimately accredited now. (Their 'home' commission is not a fly by night fake accreditor. It's the standard regional commission for colleges in the Northwest.) I was accepted in their Masters in Learning and Technology program when it was brand-new and not yet accredited... probably around 1997. I decided not to go forward with it because I didn't want to go that direction in my studies, but I thought it was a good opportunity. Much better now that it's got full accreditation, though.

To answer Mai, the program isn't entirely online. There is student teaching.

Anyway, I would definitely investigate thoroughly, but the regional accreditation is a good sign.
posted by litlnemo at 6:19 PM on January 6, 2005

I teach online and it can be a great experience and every bit as valuable as a classroom education. But it sure doesn't work for everyone. The idea of talking to an alumni of the program is very sound.
posted by LarryC at 6:57 PM on January 6, 2005

Run! Run away! Run away!

five fresh fish, can you write a bit more about your experience as a teacher? I am a Canadian myself considering a teaching career.
posted by ori at 10:51 PM on January 6, 2005

What fff said. Teaching is not for the faint of heart, and the classroom pressures are by far not the worst of it -- fighting shortsightedness, idelogues, and schemers all around. I quit after student teaching. I could have learned to deal with the students; I doubt I could have taken on the system.

Still, I reason to myself, if I could find the right school, probably a private or charter school, one where students are mostly there by choice, and one where the administration is exceptionally together and reasonable, maybe, then, just maybe....

Anyway, I know Arizona State University has postbaccalaureate programs for teacher certification, a route I nearly took rather than trying to get two undergrad degrees (and one which, in retrospect, really seems like the better path). I suspect other universities do too... you might benefit from using Google on that term.
posted by weston at 11:26 PM on January 6, 2005

If she's really serious, have her investigate Teach For America, which will not require an M.Ed. or M.A. degree, and depending on where she's placed-- if she gets accepted, that is-- may indeed help her earn an advanced degree while she's working in a school.

But be forewarned that TFA accepts a very tiny percentage of applicants (it's about as selective as an Ivy League university) and places them in schools that have a hard time recruiting enough excellent teachers. It's phenomenally difficult, but equally as rewarding. I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.
posted by yellowcandy at 2:05 AM on January 7, 2005

I know several educators who have gotten master's and doctoral degrees from Nova Southeastern University. Online education is still seen as second-rate among the snooty academic community, but the reality is that it's not going away and IMO it's a great option for those who don't have the luxury of going back to school full-time.
posted by SashaPT at 6:33 AM on January 7, 2005

ori:

I'm a male that enjoyed teaching kindergarten/primary classes. Working with kids at that age is simply a joy: I find that if you treat them as capable human beings that can think for themselves and are merely naive about the world, they are veritable sponges for learning, participating, and trying new things. If one has confidence in a kid, that kid has confidence in him/herself.

The school district I was in, however, had an unstated policy of not hiring men for primary positions. So I worked on-call, which can be a great way to earn some good money (the on-call rates were about $200/diem), especially when the district allows teachers to specify their substitute (a good sub can get nearly full-time employment in that deal.)

But the occasional unanticipated long-term on-call positions, while financially secure, were hell on earth: no support whatsoever for the on-call teacher to ensure the teaching program was congruent to the regular teachers' plan, no support to ensure that there would be a smooth transition for the children from on-call to regular teaching, and no support for doing report cards.

In the end, two significant things drove me out:

One, the district decided to save money by punishing those on-call teachers who'd been here for years, slowly accumulating seniority and the pay-scale ladder, by using a discriminatory call-out system that placed priority on calling-out the cheapest (ie. fresh from school) teachers;

and two, in one of the kindergartens I regularly taught, I simultaneously received admonishment from the teacher for not being physical enough with the children (ie. giving out hugs, sitting on lap during reading, etc -- all major-danger flags for a male teacher) and from a parent for being too physical with the children!

Can't win for losing. Touching kids gets men in trouble, and not touching them gets a kindergarten-grade teacher in trouble.

I trace a significant part of my clinical depression to the nearly abusive working conditions.

The teachers' federation publishes a monthly newsletter that includes an overview of new disciplinary cases. I don't recall ever seeing a case of a male (or female) teacher being investigated for inappropriate behaviour with kindergarten/primary students. Most of the cases involved highschool kids.

But the bias and paranoia are exactly opposite the facts: male primary teacher = scary, male highschool teach = peachy. Fuck.

Anyway, bottom line is that leaving teaching was the best decision I ever made. Even as an on-call teacher the workload was brutal, the politics frustrating, and the parents frequently unsupportive or outright hostile.

I can not for the life of me imagine why anyone other than a masochist would enter the profession. It truly is an underpaid, under-respected, under-supported, thankless job.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:17 AM on January 7, 2005

(I suppose that the alternative viewpoint is that depression created a situation in which I was incapable of seeking the support needed to do an excellent job of long-term subbing. OTOH, I know that most of my fellow senior on-call teachers quit the district shortly after the new call-out policy was instantiated. And to this day, there are no male kindergarten/primary-grade teachers in the district, despite there being several men interested in those positions.)
posted by five fresh fish at 10:27 AM on January 7, 2005