I received my results for C204 Task 2. I passed with high praise from the grader. I received the highest scores in all but three subsections. If I do some rough math and add up the points it comes to a 96% of the total available points. Add that to my perfect scores on Task 1 and I can argue an A+ in Management Communication (depending on the grading scale). Since this is competency based education that system is the wrong context for discussing performance. On both performance assessments I demonstrated competency which means I passed the course. Task 1 had a rubric where I was scored as ‘Competent’ in all criteria. This is the highest score and was worth 2 points per criterion. Task 2 was a 4 point max which translated on the rubric as ‘Highly Competent.’ As an interesting note, I scored well above the minimum for competency. The rubric for Task 2 contains 5 scores possible 0 through 4. Based on this grading scale a C would be a 2 and demonstrate competency while the 1 would be equivalent to a D and require revisions. See below screenshot.
Even as I write this I’m struggling to not use traditional terminology. I wanted to say 1 point is failing. In this case, a rewrite of this specific section would be required and not a failing result. To truly fail on this course would require repeatedly being unable to pass and never finishing the course. With a limit of three attempts prior to incurring extra fees for each additional attempt, I’m not sure whether failing in the traditional sense is even possible. If willing to pay, a student could rewrite until they had no money. Or perhaps after a number of paid attempts WGU would kick the student out of the program? In all fairness, with the amount of mentoring and guidance WGU provides, a student would have to question their general capabilities in the subject or whether they are even trying if they could not rewrite sufficiently within three attempts. I found all requirements of the Tasks in this course to be easy to complete. I did put more time in to my responses than I would a normal work email or preparing for a small presentation. This effort reflects my desire to complete each assessment on the first attempt. A desire, I might add, that has so far been fulfilled on every assessment. The most challenging part of this course was making the time to do the work. My wife planned an entire weekend of activities and kept me far busier than I expected to be recently. Even though I’ve been crushed by work responsibilities for the last two months and working on this MBA, I’ve been picking up more slack on the family front over the last two weeks. This is worth considering because it is the real life that gets in the way of this accelerated program I’m working on. My initial goal for finishing courses was every 16 days. My revised estimate for this course just prior to starting it was 9 days. Based on actual WGU credit, I completed the course in 12 days. I did complete and submit all work in 10 days. While it may seem like I estimated very well, I thought I could finish the course the first weekend or within 5 days.
Interesting note on the WGU website tracking: I received credit for completion of this course based on the day I submitted the last Task for the Performance Assessment as opposed to the day my final Task was passed and my account was updated showing a Pass in the course.
Life intervened. Keeping the family happy and getting sleep myself so I can perform at my day job are two things which really can’t be ignored. I’m looking forward to my vacation time coming this month because it will allow me to complete school work quickly and also spend some time with family which should reduce the overall burden for a week. With four courses complete and only seven courses left in the program I’m getting excited about earning my MBA.
Let me add a little more on the course. I did reference the textbook for a couple of items based on suggestions from the Course Mentor videos. He suggested having a touch of theory in part of the Task 2 responses. I also referred to the six elements of informal proposals to set the framework for my persuasive letter. Other than that I basically ignored the vast majority of resources included in MindTap or the Course of Study. I’ve completed multiple communications or English courses and workshops in my life and I’ve been reading and studying the company announcements at work for two years. I pay attention to how and when things are communicated so my expertise probably comes from simply paying attention. I also enjoy writing, if the length of this blog hasn’t given that away already. I’m sure I could still learn more about writing and communicating better, but unless I have a strong interest on a specific topic, I’m more concerned with finishing the MBA quickly. My experience with this course may be one of the stronger arguments for competency based education. We as a society are wasting time and resources having people sit through instruction they don’t need. If someone is competent enough to perform in an area or at a task, they should be learning in the areas where they are not competent enough to perform necessary tasks. Please take that as a broad generalization and not a specific guideline advocating that people never surpass the minimal effort or expertise. Rather, this is a demonstration of focus on a goal. My goal is not to spend significant time studying individual subjects. My goal is to receive an accredited MBA. Tonight, based on competency units earned, I’m 35% of the way to reaching that goal.
