First Day of the WGU Indiana Contest

**Contest on hold until there are more participants**


Last week I talked about doing a contest here on the blog and after a bit of technical difficulties, here it is!

First off, it occurred to me that you all might find it odd that I would run a contest offering WGU Indiana swag as the prize because, well...who am I? Really, I'm no one important, just someone who is in the master program and graduated from WGU Indiana. I love this school and until they give me a reason not to, I'll promote it. If you want to know more about me or why I have a blog at all, feel free to visit Student of Motherhood.

WGU Indiana swag prizes

Since I have Lose the Wait swag and WGU Indiana has put a lot of effort into promoting the Lose the Wait concept, which is basically a "what are you waiting for?" kind of push to help people get started  in school and even includes the Lose the Wait scholarship, this contest is going to involve a lot of numbers.

Here are the contest rules:
Wednesday, Friday, and Monday there will be questions asked, starting today, Wednesday, February 19, 2014. Answer the questions in the comments. I will record the answers you give. On the day of the new questions, I'll give the answers once the entry time is over, at 5 o'clock CST on the day following the questions. For example, the entry time ends for today's question at 5 P.M. CST Friday.

The person with the most correct answers wins the top prize, the next in line wins the second place prize, and the third in line wins the third place prize. If there is a tie at any point, the winner will be selected via random drawing and the person who loses the draw will go on to the next slot.

I'll announce the winners next Wednesday, here on the blog.

Today's questions:
What year was WGU Indiana established?
and...
How much is the Lose the Wait scholarship worth?

As for the prizes, they include a lightbulb clock that glows in the dark, pen with digital clock embedded, and a Lose the Wait t-shirt...at least. WGU Indiana was kind enough to donate these prizes and I happen to have a bit of swag around here myself that I will probably throw in.

Cool fun fact: Some prizes that you win through this contest and the WGU Facebook contests can only be obtained through winning them; you cannot purchase them.

Have fun and good luck!

Disclaimer: If the blog owner determines that there are not enough participants, the contest is cancelled and the prizes will be used later for another contest.

How Many Attempts Does Taskstream Give You?

As a student of WGU, WGU Indiana, or any WGU state college, you need to become very familiar with Taskstream. Not only is Taskstream the place where you will take all of your performance assessments as opposed to your objective assessments, it is also the place where you will develop and house your professional portfolio.

Navigating Taskstream is simple enough and you can find some great Taskstream tips on this blog, but you need to understand how it works for your particular program. While WGU Indiana does not have a GPA, they do have scoring standards. Those scoring standards change with your level in the program.

• You have 4 total attempts for each task. You will have your original submission and then 3 attempts to complete any revisions with the required scores.
• If you are completing a task with a 3 level rubric, you need to score a "2" or "satisfactory" on each portion of the task. Even if you score a "3" in every portion but one, you will not pass. These are competency based courses that are aimed at developing your understanding of individual elements, rather than being aimed at cultivating an average score. Success in all portions is mandatory.
• If you are completing a task with a 5 level rubric and you are taking a lower level course that will be marked with an asterisk you will again need to score a "2" in each portion, indicating that the level of performance is minimally competent. These will be the courses that may not be a part of your core program, such as general education courses.
• If you are completing a task with a 5 level rubric and it is part of your core area of study or you are working on the graduate program, you need to succeed with a score of "3" or higher.

Taskstream is not difficult to navigate if you take it sept by step and use it along with your course resources to complete each portion of the assignment. You can also  speak with your class mentor or community if you need more help understanding specific tasks.

Citation Tips

When you are creating a research paper for Taskstream, you are going to need to cite your work from time to time. There are a few things you need to keep in mind so that your references page and your in text citations are done correctly.

• All of the citations I've done for WGU Indiana are in APA format. If you aren't in the Teachers College then you may need to use a different format. Your Taskstream instructions will always note at the bottom what type of format you need to use when citing text. Purdue OWL is a great place to start since it offers detailed information about how to accurately cite work, as well as samples so you can see how it should look on the paper.
• The picture here is for fun and irony. Wikipedia is not a quality source to cite. However, it is a great place to start. You can get an idea of what you need to know through Wikipedia and you can even find some great sources there. Click on the number by the word or phrase you want to source if there is one next to it. You can also simply scroll to the bottom for the list of references that are usually viable sources. Assess the source yourself to determine if it is a quality source, but never cite Wikipedia.
• No more than 30% of your work can be from another source. That's almost a third of your paper. No, you can't create the majority of your paper out of citations. 
• You don't always need citations, but you will never get flagged for using them. Your Taskstream instructions will tell you if you need to include citations. Not all papers require them. However, no one is going to complain if you use them when you don't have to. On some occasions students have had their work sent back because they didn't use citation, even though the instructions did not require them. You can avoid this issue by including in the paper or as a note to the reviewer the words "No references were used. All information was obtained through my own experience." This can be included in the pop-up window that opens as you submit your work.

WGU Offers Unique Opportunities to Students Over 40

Whether the change in the economy has made you want to change careers or you are just looking to develop your skills for the profession you always dreamed of, if you are over 40, you can actually make money while you go to college without the stress of a student loan.

WGU has recently implemented a scholarship for the over 40 crowd. The scholarship is a maximum of $2000 per student, awarded in increments of $500 over four terms. If you qualify for a full PELL grant, which will be in the amount of $2775 per term, you will actually get money back after your $3035 tuition is covered. Of course you can always seek out other scholarships and grants as well, like the state grants that always so helpful.

Now that the financial end of things is covered, it's time to look at other elements of WGU that serve the over 40 college student.

WGU is a competency based program. That means you don't have to sit through a lot of lectures on topics you are already well-versed in. There is no limit to the amount of classes you can take in a given session and you don't have to pay anything extra to take those classes. For students over 40 who have enough experience and knowledge to navigate the courses they are already familiar with, this means that a degree can be obtained in a relatively short period of time. Some students have earned as many as 80-100 credits in one session!

You've seen all the things you don't like about 40. You've debated with the younger generation on subjects you didn't just read about, but lived through. Maybe you thought 40 was too old to start college, but WGU makes 40 the perfect age to start. If the technology end of things scares you, just know that your mentor and the support staff at WGU are amazing at helping you deal with any questions you may have.

Taskstream Tips

If you go to WGU, WGU Indiana, or another school that used Taskstream, you have no doubt found that some days it just doesn't make sense. If you don't go to any of these schools, I suggest you check them out and don't forget to use the code IND1 for waiving the WGU Indiana application fee. You're welcome. Now on to some tips...

Directions
First of all, it seems to work best if you actually print out the task instructions. Then you can take notes, check off the elements as you complete them, and have a ceremonially burning when it gets accepted. The directions don't always seem clear, so be sure to make use of your mentor for that class. While they don't grade the tasks, they are well versed in exactly what is expected. Also be sure to use the course details where you can get step by step explanation of what is expected from the task.

Submission
Submit your work in .rtf format to avoid issues. In some cases you are asked to use multi-media as the format. You might assume you have to use a slideshow or video, but you can also use things like a blog. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. I'm a freelance writer so working with a blog takes away the element of anxiety that other formats create for me.

References
Many tasks ask you to indicate your references in APA format. Yet you may be using knowledge you gained through your own experience. If you don't have any references, indicate that at the bottom of your page or in the message box that appears before the work is actually submitted. A simple "No references were used as the resource was my own experience" can go a long way toward avoiding losing points because you didn't provide a reference page.

Revisions
You have as many revisions as there are elements of the task. So if there are 3 elements, you can have up to 3 revisions. There are a few things to keep in mind when you do revisions. These things will help you get them back faster and may promote a higher quality of work.

• When you first do your task, do it as you understand it best. Skip over the intimidation of the task by reminding yourself that you will have a chance to revise it if needed and the errors will be pointed out in detail.
• Highlight the  changes. The process seems to go faster if you highlight the changes that you made. I imagine that the graders have access to past reports and may just look for the changes if you let them know the changes are highlighted. Otherwise they have to comb through the entire thing all over again. When you resubmit, use the message box that pops up right before you resubmit to let the grader know the changes are highlighted.
• Resubmit all documents. It doesn't matter if you didn't have to revise all the documents. Resubmit all of them. They may not go to the same person for review, which means that a document which has already been reviewed might get reviewed again and not submitting it could mean you will have to go through the process all over again.

Are Online Teaching Degrees Respected?

In the year 2013 with gas prices out of control, federal funds for education being more tightly regulated than ever, and so many families working more than one job, I am amazed that people still question online schooling. Some people are even startled that you can earn a degree in education online. Head up people, I did not just get mt BA online; I'm now working on my Master. So I thought I would share some of the advantages of getting an online degree in education as seen through the eyes of the professionals that matter.

Let's begin with the fact that WGU Indiana earned 3 out of 4 stars when evaluated by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). That's out of 1,100 colleges by the way. What were they rated highest in? Student teaching best practices. That is pretty interesting when you consider that WGU Indiana students are not going to a daily class to try to get pointers for their student teaching experience. Do we get assistance? Sure, but we have to make it a point to ask for it. When it is asked for, there is no question that WGU Indiana is top notch at responding to student requests.

Moving right along...

WGU Indiana is not just another online school. Their program is competency based, which means you don't have to listen to lectures on material that you are well versed in. You go at your own pace, so you get time to focus on the areas you need the most instruction in. How do employers see this? How about seeing that you did something like 80 credits in 2 years? That's a pretty significant show of motivation.

Employers today are looking for people who are motivated. In the field of education, it is part of your job to go above and beyond. In fact, one system of measuring teacher competency allows for 15% of your total score to be based on your volunteer activities. If you aren't motivated as a teacher, you aren't going to be employed. Period.

The bottom line is that in the field of education, online degrees are earning respect. In fact, I recently learned that 90% of the employers who hire WGU graduates are pleased with what they got. 99% of them would hire another WGU Indiana graduate. Are online teaching degrees respected? I would say that the answer is a resounding "yes".

Online Nursing Degree Scholarships

Although my degree is in education, I find it amazing that WGU Indiana also offers an online nursing degree. Many of the people I know who want to be in a nursing program simply do not have the time it takes to drive to South Bend on a regular basis or pay the fees that are involved at the only local college. An online nursing degree is exactly what they need to pursue their degree in nursing.

WGU Indiana offers knowledge based learning so that you can use what you already know. If you are someone who wants the degree more than you want the time sitting in a classroom, this might be the program for you.

To top it off, WGU Indiana is now offering $30,000 in nursing scholarships, with  maximum of a $2,000 scholarship for each individual. When you consider the fact that tuition is around $3,000 and includes as many classes as you can handle in 6 months, the scholarship coupled with a PELL grant means you can get your nursing degree without having to resort to student loans.

What is the WGU Indiana Chancellor's Club?

WGU Indiana has recently created a Chancellor's Club. It's a secret group where we build homes with mysterious hidden messages and are not allowed to admit to the existence of the group, much less our own membership.

Just kidding, but membership does come with a very cool to go coffee cup that is exclusive to the members of the WGU Indiana Chancellor's Club. Yes, I got one and as you can see by the picture, it is the coolest every to go coffee mug.

But I am an introvert so why did I join a club that is based on promoting the school I graduated from? Honestly, because I promote it anyhow so why not do it with a cool mug in hand?

The Chancellor's Club really boils down to a group of graduates who have seen first hand how awesome WGU Indiana is and want to share that with people who simply don't know. There are tons of online schools and some are even referred to as "diploma mills", so the main question is what makes WGU or WGU Indiana any different than those?

Knowledge and motivation is the best answer I can give.

I don't want to sit and listen to lectures filled with material I already know. I don't want to pay astronomical tuition fees just to visit a discussion board every week that is really nothing more than an attendance method. Because of WGU Indiana, I don't have to do any of that. I learn what  I have to do and then I supplement my exiting knowledge with new knowledge to complete the tasks. In other words, I am actually learning something. Why am I talking in present tense if I am a graduate? Because I was so motivated by my undergrad experience that I chose to move on to my Masters.

Organize for Success

There is one thing that tends to get in the way of student progress whether they use knowledge based learning or more traditional formats. That one thing is organization. I am a single mother of one, living in a remodeling project while working as a freelance writer and trying to grow a full garden. You could say it is a bit overwhelming at times.

When I graduated from WGU Indiana with a BA in Special Ed/ Elem Ed, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders...until I entered the Master program. I assume that most people have more than they can handle, even if they don't have kids or they work a "normal" job. So I assume in turn, that they could use a few tips to get organized.

• Create a physical and virtual folder for every class you are enrolled in.
• Print out all tasks from Taskstream.
• Create a schedule that includes a bit of work on one task at a time for set amount of days a week. (Personally, my son goes to his dad's every other week during the summer, so my goal is to complete a task a day while he is gone and then only do revisions as needed while he is here. Otherwise I am trying to work around him and one or two of his friends.)
• Use the tools WGU Indiana gave you. My absolute favorite tool from the Success Package is the door hanger. Everyone knows to only open the door it is hanging on if there is a fire or a significant amount of blood. (If you don't go to WGU or WGU Indiana, create your own door hanger for your doorknob that says "Studying" or something similar. After you have to point it out to a couple of people in your house as you are under obvious stress, they will take it seriously.)
• Reward yourself. Short term goals make the world go round. Not one invention would have been complete if it didn't go beyond the first step of thinking about it. Set a goal you can achieve for the day/week/month and reward yourself. For instance I finished my work and my homework for the day and I plan to give myself some quiet pleasure reading time or a good movie. I was tempted to do more work, but am hoping to avoid burnt out by just keeping a steady pace.

Purdue and Praxis: FAIL

Last Saturday I went to take my Special Ed Praxis exams at Purdue University-Calumet. I was stressed to the point of feeling ill because, well these exams are not about classes. They're about professional licensing. And, to be honest, tests just stress me out. Going to Purdue to take them didn't help either just because of the reputation of the school. I'm not sure what I was expecting but if a high level of professionalism was one of the things I thought I would find, I was sadly mistaken.

No, I won't talk about the tests themselves because, well I would actually like to work in the profession that I'm studying in and sharing info about the details of a Praxis exam is a big no-no. What I will talk about is the fact that the very method for handling the Praxis will no doubt lead to many students failing the test out of sheer test center induced anxiety at Purdue University-Calumet.

The Praxis ticket states that you need to be checked in by specific time. Assuming we're all adults working toward a profession, showing up on time for a test you actually had to pay for seems like a simple thing. Wrong again. As we all waited for the test to start, we were informed that we would wait an extra 15 minutes to make sure any late comers could get in. Lose one point for professionalism right there.

The fact that the person administering the test made everyone clean off any study materials while we were waiting for the these late arrivals seemed a bit redundant as well. Of course, the best part of the process was waiting for her to read through the post test materials which instructed us to get forms from her...that she didn't even have. Nice. And this was just the first test of the day. Was this supposed to be a living example of how not to be a professional? If so, great job Purdue!

Fast forward to test 2.

Picture, if you will a hall full of student who rushed back from a snack, break or bathroom time to adhere to the "be here on time or forfeit your fee and test" mindset that the Praxis ticket indicates, all anxiously awaiting the start of the second test.

Wait for it....wait for it....and...continue to wait for it for no less than 45 minutes!

Of course, since we weren't already anxious enough, a student from one testing room over assures us that this hour long test will turn into an episode of Gilligan's Island as we all take a 3 hour tour of the inside of this classroom. She continues to spew her negativity (apparently the anxiety level wasn't already high enough for her) until I mention that we should just think positive because submerging ourselves in mass hysteria isn't going to do a damned thing to raise our test scores.

Of course, to those of us who love psychology and sociology, this created an opportune moment to explore the possibility that this was really just some sick sociology test about group anxiety about waiting in line. We were waiting for a "Lord of the Flies" incident, which thankfully didn't happen.

Let's get to the point. The way the testing center handles the testing process is every but as influential and important as your study habits prior to the actual test. Take that to heart. Avoid Purdue University-Calumet for your Praxis test at all costs. I sincerely think I would have had less anxiety had I taken the test centered in the middle of an over-populated daycare.

Note: This is no reflection on WGU or WGU Indiana itself as they have nothing to do with these details and I continue to experience good things from this institute of higher learning.

My Vote for the WGU Mascot Name

I want to see if other people think like me, but in this day of unusual names, I'm not so sure that the name I chose will be the one that gets picked. No matter! This is some WGU fun anyhow for me. It's still cool to be a part of these developments though.

So the name I picked was...

Newton!

Why? Well first off, Sir Isaac Newton simply rocks. But, in his time, he was something of an oddity. Some people were impressed by his concepts while others just shook their heads. The things we think of now as fact and some even as common sense weren't thought of in that way when Newton expressed them. (And let's be honest, we still don't know the details of gravity no matter how you slice it).

To me, knowledge based learning is similar to gravity. A concept so brilliant as to be simplicity itself. The idea uses alot of common sense and the methods used are like formulas. Instead of sitting in classrooms listening to a teacher drone on, we have specific tasks to be accomplished and are guided in the direction that helps us to build on existing knowledge. In point of fact, Newton is the perfect name, though I won't cringe if another name is chosen.

WGU Mascot Naming

This is my first year taking summer classes. I dread it as much as anyone else who likes to spend their time at the beach or camping out. But, we have to do what we have to do, right?

At any rate, WGU threw a bit of fun our way this summer. We have a mascot and he needs a name. I like the way that they came up with the mascot. He's the owl guy at the top of the page, but he doesn't have a name. They chose an owl because they understand that many of us are up all night (night owls) doing classes or other things that we didn't get to do during the day. I love it!

So, WGU has offered us the chance to pick his name from a list they offer. I've picked mine and voted. And no, I'm not going to tell you which one I picked! Secret ballot and all that. Okay, wait, I can't resist. As soon as this publishes I'm going to write another post and predate it to publish the day after voting ends. Since it ends on June 13, 2011, my post will publish on June 14th at midnight. Sound good?

Stop by and cast your vote. I mean, how cool is it to just be a part of something like this. Who says online schooling doesn't offer social opportunities?

Applying for Supervised Teaching in Indiana

This month I'm wrapping up all the requirements to be met to submit my application to do my supervised teaching. I love it that student teaching is the only portion of the online education degree from WGU Indiana that I have to leave the house for. But, for me it's a grueling experience simply because I want to get through it a little faster than the original plan calls for.

I think that many people are under the impression that an online education degree or getting a license to teach online is an easy thing to do. Let me clear that up right now. If anything, getting a degree to teach online is more difficult than it would be if I actually attended a school. That's because there is no teacher to tell me when an assignment due or anything like that. It's a trial of self motivation. With that being said, know that WGU Indiana does a fantastic job of guiding students through the process. I don't talk to automated systems. I don't wait days for a call back, if I even have to leave a message. I get my answers the same day every time.

Just so you know basically what has to be done to apply to do the supervised teaching in Indiana, let me give you a general breakdown. Note that this is just to apply and does not include what you have to get done before you actually do the supervised teaching through WGU Indiana in an Indiana school.

Complete Praxis I and Praxis II, as well as having any other Praxis exams scheduled by the date set: For instance, I'm doubling up and becoming licensed for Special Ed. as well as Elementary Ed., so I have to take content exams for both of those. If I want to do supervised teaching in January, I have to have those exams scheduled to be taken by July 31.

Meet Basic education requirements: Basically this means that you have to have all the general ed classes done. These are classes that pretty much every student has to take, regardless of their major.

Professional documents turned in: You'll need to have submitted a resume, professional photo, thumbnail photo and your teaching philosophy. Note that the photo you submit to be approved is not necessarily the one you have to use when you apply to schools.

Specific Exams: These are exams that assess your general knowledge of the legalities and responsibilities of the education system.

Submit background check: You'll have to get a background check done and submit it to WGU Indiana. You can get your Indiana background check online for less than $20.

Pass at least one specific task: Once you get into the program, you'll be dealing with a program that lists tasks for you to do. Once you get beyond the general studies, there are specific tasks that need to be done to how your understanding not o subjects, but how to teach subjects. One of those tasks need to be done to be able to apply for the supervised teaching.

Submit application for supervised teaching: Once all of the requirements have been met, you submit your application for student teaching by the date specified. For me, it has to be done by May 31 if I want to do supervised teaching in January.

So there you have it. An education degree online isn't easy, but Indiana needs good teachers if we're going to move forward.

Crunch Time

This month is crunch time for me. So far I had to get a new laptop, new router, reconfigure everything and hung out with a friend n ICU. These things do not go well with making serious progress toward my online teaching degree at WGU Indiana.

Deadlines hover over me this month. In fact, if I want to meet the early application deadline, I have to finish an unholy amount of tasks. Yesterday I tested out of one of my core classes and today I hope to complete 2 more classes; one by test and one by task.

I'm here to tell you that people seriously underestimate the amount of education that elementary teachers work through, not to mention the special education portion of my particular degree. Of course, it makes sense because elementary teachers teach in every subject.

If you think it's any easier to earn an online elementary education degree just because the classes are online, you're sadly mistaken. It takes a certain level self motivation that I don't always have. WGU Indiana does make the process go smoother by offering tons of things in the way of motivational tools and the tasks to be completed are organized in such a way as to make the process easy to navigate.

BUT...yea, you knew that was coming...

But, it's hard work and you have to be careful not to fall into your own personal pitfalls. After all, if you go to a traditional school, you know you have to be in class at a certain time and so forth. Earning your elementary education degree online means that you determine when you go to class. In turn, that means you have to put personal distractions out of the way and at the same time convince people that there are certain times when you simply can't be bothered because you have schoolwork to do.

I have every intention of meeting my educational goal in the time limit I've set for myself. Failure is not an option. I've also got to say that my mentor, Melissa is fabulous. She's done her best to encourage me and keep me on task, even when that means dealing with me 8 cups of coffee into a personal crisis!

FAFSA Facts

As I was working on my FAFSA this morning, it occurred to me that putting some information out there about the FAFSA might just be a good idea, especially since sometimes it's hard to find the school code for the school you're looking for. I also thought that I could clear up some confusion about the FAFSA. So, here goes...

Does every school require a FAFSA? Yes. The FAFSA is like the mother of all financial aid documents. There may be other documents that you need to fill out for your college, but the FAFSA is a must!

What is WGU Indiana's school code? As far as I can tell, WGU Indiana is still listed under WGU for coding purposes. The school code for WGU and WGU Indiana is 033394.

Do I need to file my taxes before I file my FAFSA? No, you do not. When you go to file your FAFSA, the form will ask you if you have filed your taxes. Simply check the correct answer. Remember that you need to submit the FAFSA by March 10, 2011, but you can always go back and correct it later.

What's the big deal with the FAFSA deadline and state grants? Anyone can file a FAFSA at any given time during the year. The problem is that if you file after the deadline, you lose eligibility for state grants. So, even if you don't have all the right information, just make sure that you file your FAFSA on time. As I stated earlier, you can always go back later and correct any mistakes.

What is the timeline of the FAFSA? Many people are confused about how the FAFSA works for their school year. The FAFSA that you file in the spring applies to your financial aid for the fall of that same year. When you think of the FAFSA timeline, think of the normal school year. It starts in the fall and ends in late spring. The FAFSA actually goes through the summer as well, but since the summer pell program is over, you don't really need to worry about that.

How are the budget cuts going to impact my financial aid? There was no reduction to the financial aid for the regular school year. For a brief time, there was a summer program that allowed students access to summer funds to pay for summer classes. The Pell grant now only runs through the normal school year as part of this year's federal budget cuts.

Don't sweat the small stuff. The FAFSA is fairly easy to fill out. It literally guides you step by step. If you don't have all the information you need, that's okay too. Just fill it out as best you can and submit it. The main thing is to have it submitted by the March 10, 2011 deadline. Changes can be made to the FAFSA anytime during the year without penalty.

Scheduling at WGU Indiana

Lately I've had a couple of people ask me about WGU Indiana. Some of them are concerned about having to wait to enroll until the summer or fall session. They're also concerned about being overwhelmed with classes as they make their way back to school. Because of these questions, I wanted to clear a few things up.

WGU Indiana starts a new session every month. Yep, every single month. If you get your info in before the 15th, you'll likely start classes the next month. So, for those of you that missed the January deadline or got the shaft from Ivy Tech because they just now realized they didn't have your FAFSA, you can get busy enrolling in WGU so that you can start on whatever month meets your schedule.

Now, as far as being overwhelmed with classes..not gonna happen. WGU lets you officially work on 2 classes at a time. You are able to access the other classes, so you can work ahead if you like, but your main focus is going to be on those 2 classes at a time. Your personal WGU Indiana mentor is going to contact you every week to help you set goals and answer any questions you might have. BUT...you still also have a mentor available for every class as well. That means you can get help from them if you wish, but you are not obligated to.

Really, it doesn't get any easier than this. They guide you through everything. All you really have to do is complete the course work.

Introducing WGU Indiana

In the summer of 2010, Mitch Daniels signed in WGU Indiana as another state college of Indiana. WGU Indiana is actually a part of Western Governors University, a knowledge based online university that has a focus on what the student learns rather than how many hours the student spends in class. It's also one of the very few schools that offer an online teaching degree that leads to licensure as well as an online nursing degree that leads to licensure.

WGU Indiana runs on 6 month terms rather than semesters. New terms start every month so students can sign up at their convenience and complete their courses according to their schedules rather than the traditional school schedules. Generally there are no breaks in between terms, but students can request time off if needed.

Since WGU Indiana is located in Indiana, it is able to accept Indiana state grants, something online students have had to be concerned about when searching for an online school that meets their financial needs as well as their educational needs.

I'm coming to the end of my first term with WGU Indiana and I have to say that it has been a rather pleasant term. In fact, I'm sorry that I put off this blog for so long as it should have been active all through my first term. But, since I did put it off, I was able to acquire knowledge that may be helpful to students who are entering or considering entering their first term at WGU Indiana.

If you're a student now seeking transfer or you're a student who is considering enrolling in a university, I would urge you to consider WGU Indiana. I hope you enjoy this blog and that it helps you to find your way through the various aspects of WGU Indiana. Welcome to knowledge based learning.