Since Western Governors University Indiana was established in June 2010, it has grown to an enrollment of 2,000 students scattered from across each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Thursday, WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber stopped in Warsaw to speak to local employers and their employees about the benefits offered by the online university.
During an interview at Ivy Tech Community College, Barber said WGU Indiana is really excited about the growth it has seen in its first 18 months. It now reaches every corner of the state.
Part of the reason for her visit, she said, is that there are 840,000 Hoosiers with some college and no degree. They want to make everyone in the state is aware of the educational opportunities available through WGU Indiana.
Several traditional colleges will have some phone lines and put up some online videos and call themselves an online school, she said. WGU Indiana truly is. WGU students move at their own pace. Enrollment takes place every month, and its market is adults. The average age of a WGU student is 37, according to information provided.
What makes the difference between WGU Indiana and other schools is that not only is all course work online, but each student is partnered with a faculty member who calls their students every week for collaboration and support.
Since there are 840,000 Hoosiers with some college, Barber said WGU Indiana doesn’t feel it is competing with other schools, it is just another option.
WGU Indiana hired more than 100 folks in Indiana for its faculty. The faculty have master’s or higher degrees and years of experience in their respective fields. WGU covers all of the United States, with staff from all over, but more than 100 come from Indiana.
WGU Indiana was created through a partnership with nationally and regionally accredited Western Governors University.
Technology is used to deliver instruction and content, changing the role of the faculty from that of an instructor to that of a mentor. Each student has a course mentor.
Through technology, Barber said, students are not tied to a professor’s schedule.
WGU, like most universities, did a survey. In that survey, WGU found it scores higher in terms of campus support than traditional colleges, Barber said. Students say if not for the mentors, they wouldn’t have graduated.
WGU Indiana has four colleges – information technology, business, health and education. It offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, which can be completed in less than 2-1/2 years.
Credits transfer easily to and from WGU Indiana. Most adults will try traditional schools, sometimes two to three times, but then come to WGU because they need something different, Barber said.
“That’s why our Ivy Tech partnership is important. You can get an associate’s degree here and then transfer to WGU,” Barber said.
WGU has advisory councils that help the university develop its curriculum.
“We are competency based. We adapt our curriculum every year,” Barber said.
In fields like information technology that are constantly changing, she said, WGU must continually change its curriculum to stay relevant.
Having a competency-based curriculum, she said WGU respects adults and knows adults have certain knowledge and want to go at their own pace.
“We don’t teach you what you already know,” Barber said.
She said WGU is available for the working adult. With tuition for the non-profit university at around $6,000, WGU is affordable.
“We don’t compete with your schedule, we fit into it,” Barber said.
She said WGU Indiana offers six-month terms, is competency based, affordable and is a quality education.
The spring 2011 survey found that 98 percent of its students are satisfied with their WGU experience, and 56 percent are very satisfied. An employers’ survey found that 98 percent agreed that WGU graduates meet or exceed their expectations, and 100 percent would not hesitate to hire another WGU graduate.
WGU Indiana students are eligible for Indiana state grants and scholarships offered through the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana, according to information provided.
For more information about WGU Indiana, visit its website at indiana.wgu.edu
