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Working
Adults
in
Detroit
Area
Enrolling
in
Competency-Based
Online
University
Nonprofit
WGU
allows
adult
learners
to
pursue
in-demand
careers
at their
own pace
DETROIT
-
Imagine
earning
credit
toward a
college
degree
by
demonstrating
what you
know,
rather
than how
many
hours
you sit
in the
classroom.
It’s
called
competency-based
education
and it’s
becoming
a
popular
option
for
adult
learners
in the
greater
Detroit
area,
who have
busy
lives
and are
seeking
a new
career
in an
in-demand
field.
Competency-based
education
is not
new but
has
gained
momentum
as
educators
and
students
have
come to
appreciate
its
flexible
structure.
Western
Governors
University
(WGU), a
nonprofit,
online
university
established
in 1997
by 19
U.S.
governors,
uses the
competency-based
model to
help
mature
learners
pursue
degrees
in
health,
nursing,
business,
teaching
and
information
technology.
According
to WGU,
1,828
students
are
enrolled
in
Michigan,
including
611
adult
learners
from
greater
Detroit.
“Our
programs
offer
adult,
contemporary
students
education-to-career
pathways
in
in-demand
fields
with
well-paying
jobs,”
said
Rebecca
Watts,
regional
vice
president
of WGU.
“WGU’s
competency-based
model
enables
students
to
demonstrate
what
they are
learning
as they
progress
through
their
programs
rather
than
spending
time in
class to
accumulate
credit
hours.”
Watts
said the
average
age of a
WGU
student
is 36,
and more
than
three-quarters
of the
university’s
students
work
full
time
while
pursuing
their
studies.
“To
ensure
that the
skills
our
students
learn
are
current
and
relevant,
we
collaborate
with
employers
in the
development
and
ongoing
transformation
of our
curriculum,”
she
said.
WGU
students
earn
credit
by
showing
that
they
have
mastered
the
competencies
required
in each
course,
and they
can
accelerate
through
the
program
in doing
so. They
can take
as many
courses
in a
semester
as they
can
complete—all
for the
same
price.
New
students
begin
every
month,
all
year,
and each
student
gets
intensive
one-on-one
support
from
faculty.
The
average
time it
takes to
obtain a
bachelor’s
degree
from WGU
is about
two
years
and
three
months,
at a
cost of
about
$15,000.
According
to the
university’s
data,
the
average
WGU
graduate
sees an
annual
salary
boost of
nearly
$20,000.
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