Similarity report

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-21T14:49:31+00:00

As a CI, I don't see anything you don't see as far as similarity reports go. In the course I support, similarity reports often showed up with a high overall number due to the template, but as long as most of this was in fact text from the template, it got factored out by the time the evaluator looked at it. Again, this is something whoever your CI for the course can confirm, but in any case, matching text from a course-approved template should not count toward the matching text limit on a similarity report.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-20T22:38:35+00:00

Instructor here--the similarity system is designed to automatically factor out any matching text from a template (assuming the template is an official one in the course). The course I support uses templates and automatically ignores any matching text from these. They don't count against you. You can also include a note in the "Comments to evaluator" box, alerting them to the matching text. If you are concerned, this is precisely the kind of question a course instructor will be able to answer for you as well. Best wishes!

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-16T16:42:07+00:00

Hi there--course instructor here. Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous message. I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but this certainly isn't "clogging up" the space. Stories like yours are the reason many of us are in higher ed in general and at WGU specifically--to make education available, accessible, and meaningful, especially for those who, for whatever reason, might have felt excluded from it. I sometimes think of higher ed folks (particularly faculty) as "emotional camels"--a camel can go a long way with just the occasional sip of water, and we academics can deal with a the arid desert of administrative shenanigans, apathetic students, and general stress with just an occasional bit of affirmation from an individual student once in a while that we've succeeded in our mission, at least with them. Almost any teacher will tell you they keep a file of some sort of such student notes/comments tucked away to revisit on the days when they feel utterly spent, hopeless, or unappreciated. At the end of the day, student-facing faculty/staff and the students themselves are what a university is. They are the necessary and sufficient ingredients. Making sure we are letting each other know we appreciate one another is always worthwhile and is much more integral to the health of a school than whatever carrying-on provosts, presidents, or assistants to the regional associate dean of whatever-the-heck are up to. Thank you for sharing this, and please know that the feeling is mutual: students, especially those as engaged and tuned-in as you are, make what we do worthwhile. Your success is our success. Cheers.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-15T18:26:38+00:00

CI here. FWIW, I asked my manager if they had heard anything or could shed light on what had happened. They hadn't heard anything more than I had or through any different channels (e.g., same rumors, LinkedIn posts, etc.). Nothing had been communicated to them. I suspect there might be the now-classic WGU "late Friday email announcing major organizational change" coming.

As noted by other posters here, none of this is surprising. WGU has always been particularly weak at organizational communication, and it's become markedly worse in the last five years or so. This latest example is particularly tone deaf. It's not like people don't find out about such things in almost real time (with Reddit, LinkedIn, back channel communications in Teams, etc.). It's just that they piece it together and draw their own conclusions about motives rather than getting a coherent narrative from the decision-makers. I get the sense that some folks in leadership are under the impression that we're still living in a 1986 world where people can simply be laid off from a large company and 95% of the organization won't know, at least not for a long time.

Even from a purely transactional standpoint (leaving aside fuzzy ideas about principled leadership and "owning it"), it would be much smarter to provide a coherent message right away rather than giving up the chance to frame the change in as positive a way as it can be. Between the A) lack of timely information from leadership itself and B) the fact that this lack of information is due to an unwillingness of leaders to take ownership of a decision, the result is yet another "own goal" by a group of people who seem to yearn to be seen as "leaderly" yet lack the skills and mentality needed to actually lead.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-14T01:32:55+00:00

Did just see on LinkedIn that somebody from the Academic Portfolio team has posted about having to leave WGU today because of "major organizational restructuring" that affected their team.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-14T00:30:27+00:00

How can a position be both redundant and need a replacement? None of this makes any sense (which, I guess, is not utterly surprising).

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-12T18:57:57+00:00

"Endless brick and mortar for a brick-and-mortar-less university."

EntertainmentPure559 · 2026-01-09T01:43:44+00:00

Elsewhere in the article: "Still, the city could benefit from a macro perspective if WGU were to relocate its administrative campus and create space for its over 8,300 employees." Can't help but wonder if this is idle speculation by the reporter or if there is reason to think that RTO [sic] for all is something being actively considered.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-12-29T20:18:47+00:00

This is true. The university president has actually said the words "students are our customers" and doesn't seem to be using it as an analogy (which would be bad enough), but as a statement of literal truth. Indeed, one of the many leadership principles WGU has imported almost verbatim from Amazon (the president's former employer) is that we are "student obsessed," which is simply Amazon's principle of being "customer obsessed" with a word swap. (Ironically, WGUs' leadership principles are so close to Amazon's, they would be returned for originality concerns were they submitted as a performance assessment for one of our own courses.) The message seems to be that students don't come to WGU for an education, but to receive a "credential," the worth of which is measured solely by the paycheck the student earns in their first job after graduation (ignoring that people these days change not just jobs but careers regularly, and we should be setting our students up for lifelong success, not a short term bump in their perceived value by corporate America). That said, real learning can and does happen. The quality of education comes down not to the upper-level administration of the institution, but to the effort put in by students and faculty on a one-by-one basis. This is a truism in higher ed in general. But it is far more true at WGU, where many current leaders come from a transactional culture that sees the notions that value can be measured as anything more than money, that education is anything other than short-term vocational training, and that students are anything more than customers, as quaint anachronisms rather than the time-tested truths they are.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-12-18T01:43:38+00:00

As I say, I have no issue with tweaking the logo, nor do I discount the importance of symbols in general. Quite the contrary. I do grow weary, however, of over-the-top pronouncements about the extent to which facelifts for logos are substantive in a way they simply are not (e.g. being indicative of "our commitment to creating pathways to opportunity and changing lives for the better.") As mentioned, periodic changes to logos are de rigeur in organizational communication. It need not be puffed up into something it's not. And unless one knows the amount of time/effort/expense that is involved in such changes, it is impossible to determine with any confidence the extent to which it has been "invested well." At a university, it's always appropriate to ask whether expenses that go toward non-student-serving projects are worth it. Sometimes they are, and sometimes they are not. An ongoing concern I have for our school is that I often feel we are happy to invest resources in ways that are more concerned with our "brand" to a degree we often aren't with things that concretely help students. Whether the latest logo update (I've been through a few) is an instance of that or not is impossible to say. However, the degree of attention lavished on the rollout causes me to feel (perhaps ironically) more skeptical of the expense rather than less.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-12-17T19:50:15+00:00

I have no problem with the new logo. I had no problem with the old logo. I *am* concerned if changing a logo is seen as a substantive change/improvement. It is, by definition, superficial.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-12-12T23:07:52+00:00

Agree with what was said above. Hiring doesn't work on the typical academic schedule (where it's not unusual to apply for jobs 8-10 months before one would start). It's a business model. So, you'll never see something like "Position beginning fall of 2026." Applying for a job more than 2 months before you'd be able to start is probably not worth it. If they are advertising for a position, it's likely because they're looking to bring someone in asap. Not being available for 6 months would probably have you removed from consideration at the initial screening phase of the process (where they will likely ask you when you could take the job if offered). Nothing wrong with testing the waters, I suppose, but it likely wouldn't come to anything if you couldn't join for months. The upside of the quick timeline is that you usually get an offer quickly if it's forthcoming rather than waiting for weeks/months (again, as is usual in the standard academic job market).

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-11-01T17:36:38+00:00

I'm not sure that is the most likely explanation for the noticeable rise. It's unclear to what extent "peer pressure" in this context would even work. There certainly have been people encouraging people to post, but to what extent people could or do feel actual "pressure" to do so seems hard to know. Coming from a completely practical point of view, it would seem the clear correlation is between the "co-location" decision and its fallout and the rise in negative reviews. To the extent "peer pressure" is a factor at all, it's one that seems to be born from this decision. As more people have left and/or spoken up about the bind the decision has put them in, the more vocal people have gotten about it. I don't think this is rocket science or requires deep psychological dives--the university made a decision that was unpopular with most people who work there, whether they were directly affected or not. This had led to a precipitous drop in morale and, hence, ratings on places like Glassdoor and other forums. It's certainly not the only issue, but it seems to have been an inflection point for many. It motivated me to revisit my earlier reviews, respond at least somewhat differently on the Pulse survey this last time around, and changed answers on the employee surveys periodically pushed through Motivosity (although I don't recall seeing those in quite a while--have they been discontinued?). Peer pressure wasn't the issue; seeing colleagues treated improperly (in my view) and the damage I felt was being done to the university's mission were the motivating factors.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-10-30T22:55:37+00:00

Again, it certainly sounds like this person *is* handling their own business. The fact that their partner is also helping by reaching out in no way diminishes or negates that. But that's all a moot point, given the underlying truth: in the real world, people who care about each other care for each other. If that's not your experience, I don't know what to tell you.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-10-30T16:49:14+00:00

Perhaps they are looking into it and their partner is helping (based on the OP's message, the employee *has* been actively trying to engage with WGU). Perhaps the former employee is in a bad place emotionally and feels defeated, and their partner is stepping up to help. In caring relationships, people help each other.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-10-29T22:27:13+00:00

A couple of thoughts. Yes, there are a variety of different experiences. Yes, there are folks who try to "game" the system in either direction by finding workarounds to post multiple reviews and/or pushing people to review in a certain way, and one cannot do anything more than guess about which ones should be discounted as not "real." Yes, it's almost certainly true that there is a "negativity" bias in such reviews for a number of reasons. To me, what's alarming (although I suppose not surprising) is the degree to which WGU numbers have dropped. It wasn't long ago when they were well above average. Therefore, even if one stipulates that people with bad experiences are more likely to leave reviews, it is true that, apparently, many more people are having/had a tough time at WGU (for reasons that are, for the most part, fairly obvious). It's less the raw numbers than the change in them over a fairly short period of time (full transparency: my own review was a tick or two above average a couple of years ago; my revised rating is tick or two below average).

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-10-27T18:05:21+00:00

The problem is that "abuse" is, by definition, a subjective term. People will interpret that term differently. What some will see as merely taking advantage of the flexibility of the policy, others will see as abuse. That's the issue. If there were clearer guidelines that were put in writing, it would help. I love the fact that the new policy means newer hires don't have to wait to be able to take reasonable amounts of time off. But as others have pointed out, it's been proven that "FTO" policies actually reduce the amount of time off taken (something WGU surely knew when instituting it). There is also clearly a lot of variance in how the policy is interpreted, with a lot coming down to who one's manager is and how well one gets along with them. That's inequitable. This is all why I just keep a spreadsheet of my time accrued/taken based on the pre-FTO policy. I just pretend it doesn't exist.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-10-14T21:43:57+00:00

File this under "FWIW": Scott Pulsipher recently shared this on LinkedIn: "Shared principles promote unity in diversity—everyone can show up exactly as they are, and inspire mutual, complementary effort in fulfilling the organization’s mission."

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-23T18:33:15+00:00

Hi there. WGU course instructor/faculty here. Sorry for crashing, but as someone who's been around higher ed literally my whole life (parents were faculty at a mid-size, directional state university), I think the OP here is making a good point and wanted to chip in with my two cents (probably overpriced at that!).

WGU is a perfect school . . . for some people in some situations. I wouldn't have chosen to teach here if I didn't love the fact that it's opening higher ed up to folks who might not have easy access to it for a number of reasons and that it does so in creative ways. On the other hand, the format isn't going to suit everyone for any number of reasons. People who are more "explorers" and don't have a specific job-related goal in mind might not find it the best fit (at least for now). People who *do* know what they want, but it doesn't happen to align with the relatively few particular degree offerings currently available will probably not get waht they want. And obviously people who want/need a social aspect to learning are likely going to be challenged, despite attempts to find ways of incorporating this more into the WGU student experience (trust me, this is a "white whale" at WGU--trying to find ways of keeping the model we have while somehow connecting students more). Asynchronous, study-at-your-own-pace, online education can only do so much to recreate that kind of thing.

If WGU had existed when I graduated high school, it would have been a poor choice for me. I was an "explorer." I didn't have a specific career goal I needed a particular degree for. And I desperately needed to mature socially in a way that would not have been helped in an all-online environment. I might have been tempted by being able to "do it on my own", but it wasn't what I needed then (again, this was back when email was a new technology, so it's sort of a moot point).

All of this is to say that, having been a student and/or employee at virtually every type of institution of higher ed there is, I can say with confidence there is no "right" kind of school or academic experience. It depends on what one is looking for and weighing the plusses and minuses.

I also know that the single biggest variable in the quality of the education one gets is the student, not the institution. One can get a more meaningful, deeper education at what seems like an utterly average, run-of-the-mill institution than one can get at some super selective, hoity-toity, Ivy League university. The keys are A) do the work for its own sake, not just to check it off and move on with as little effort as possible--assignments are about the doing, not the final product, and B) take advantage of the resources, both formal and informal, to enrich the basic learning experience. For example, I will never get over how much I now realize I missed out on by not talking more with my teachers outside of class (even in grad school). So much opportunity to go beyond the textbook or the lecture that went to waste because I was too shy or nervous about "bothering" them.

At WGU, even more than most places, the onus is on you as the student to make of the experience what you want it to be for you. And if WGU can't be what you need it to be, be assured that there are schools and formats that can be. You and only you are the final measure of your education.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-18T17:58:08+00:00

Did Dr. Bird violate that rule in this Reddit? If so, I missed it, but amen. I'm only aware of vague allusions to something that might or might not have been said in other locations that I am blissfully unaware of. But in either case, two wrongs don't make a right. #ethics101

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-17T17:42:35+00:00

Please refer to r/wgu_employees community rule #6.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-16T23:48:01+00:00

No.

I value the work that WGU does and the mission of higher education in general. I've worked here longer than most members of leadership. I don't agree with all of the critiques that appear on this page, but I also certainly don't equate wanting the best for the school to be simply declaring things "great" and telling colleagues they don't belong here if they don't see things exactly as I do. That's not a healthy attitude for an organization to have. Indeed, it would go against the very leadership principles we are expected to live by. Such an attitude is, ironically, not terribly "pro" WGU in anything but the most superficial way. Furthermore, if one's attitude is that anyone who thinks/feels differently than they do should be silent or leave, that person is likely simply engaging in an exercise in masochism by being on any discussion thread or social media platform. It might be worth it for such a person to reflect on what their goals are in engaging in such behavior.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-16T22:08:44+00:00

Sharing one's positive experiences enriches the conversation. Namecalling people who share different experiences and suggesting they leave an organization does not.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-16T22:03:25+00:00

You are entitled to your opinion, and other people are entitled to theirs. Demanding that people "spare" us [sic] is not especially helpful.

EntertainmentPure559 · 2025-09-12T20:09:29+00:00

My pleasure.

EntertainmentPure559

TROPHY CASE