I set out on a quest to obtain an MBA as efficiently as I could. This is the story of how that endeavor unfolded. In a period of five months I added an MBA to my resume and changed the level of jobs for which I could apply. This is a fully accredited degree and an evolution in education. The old rules of the antiquated education system are being overturned. Competency based learning is a higher form of education. Would you like to finish school and get on with work and life? Here's a solution I highly recommend and a true Pareto type solution. I've received 100% of the benefits of an MBA on my resume and spent far less money and time than traditional students. The posts are in reverse chronological order, so to start at the beginning you'll have to scroll a bit.
Bonus: Summary of how I passed each course directly below
C200 – Managing Organizations and Leading People
Resources used: prior experience, public records, sections of textbook “Management”, an article “The Eight Major Theories of Leadership”, management book from personal collection, dictionary, Task templates for papers, grading rubrics
Time spent (in hours): planning 6, study 7, performance assessment 25.5, total 38.5
Approach: Planning consisted of reading Task instructions. This was my starting point in approaching the course. I read an article I found on the WGU site about 15 steps to accelerate the program. Conversations with my student mentor, goal setting, and formulation of my approach filled the rest of the time.
My study time began by listening to chapter 15 of Management. The online textbook can read to you. Speed up the computer narrator to save your tired eyes and keep up momentum. Less than two hours of study went in to reviewing SWOT definitions and chapter 8 of the text. I also reviewed a personal management book to obtain a relevant quote and a specific behavioral leadership theory suggested by the course mentor.
I started drafting the required papers as I covered the relevant material. I dropped over 2 hours into rewriting sections of Task 1 as I changed the company I was focusing on after drafting a portion of the paper. Some of the time recorded as working on the performance assessment included reviews of material to support the writing.
C211 – Global Economics for Managers
Resources used: prior experience, textbooks “Global Business” and “Principles of Economics”, Kanban board
Time spent (in hours): planning 1, study 19, assessment 1.5, total 21
Approach:
Planning – revised target completion timelines; Kanban board setup (online tool used to track learning progress); reviewed Pre-Assessment results
Study – read or listened to most of the chapters from both textbooks; reviewed all flashcards and vocabulary; attempted some homework problems only to feel they required a large amount of time to finish without adding significantly to my understanding (never bothered with textbook homework again)
Assessment – I spent almost twice as much time on the pre-assessment as the actual Objective Assessment
C202 – Managing Human Capital
Resources used: prior experience, textbook “Human Resources Management”, Kanban board
Time spent (in hours): planning 1, study 13, assessment 1.4, total 15.5
Approach:
Planning – Kanban board setup
Study – scanned most chapters of textbook for vocabulary, key concepts, and diagrams; completed some multiple choice sample quizzes; summary side notes in chapters made for efficient consumption of concepts; used pre-assessment coaching report to focus review prior to Objective Assessment
Assessment – multiple choice tests
C204 – Management Communication
Resources used: prior experience, textbook, grading rubric
Time spent (in hours): planning 2, study 0, assessment 12, total 14
Approach:
Planning – reviewed task requirements, considered most efficient approach, discussed some questions with student mentor
Study – None! I recorded no time for study on this course. I make PowerPoint presentations and send communications at work every day. I’ve been studying this topic for years.
Assessment – As this was a Performance Assessment I completed a PowerPoint presentation and a number of business communications. I referenced the textbook to include some 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.
C212 – Marketing
Resources used: textbook “Marketing”, C212 Frequently Asked Questions, grading rubric
Time spent (in hours): planning 1.5, study 7, assessment 6, total 15
Approach:
Planning – read Task requirements, brainstormed products and approaches to Task
Study – reviewed the vocabulary and summary for most of the chapters in the textbook; watched a couple of the videos and read a couple suggested articles because they seemed interesting to me beyond fulfilling the requirements of the assessment
Assessment – completed a marketing plan based on my planning and study
C213 – Accounting for Decision Makers
Resources used: textbook “Accounting for MBAs”
Time spent (in hours): planning 0, study 2, assessment 2, total 4
Approach:
Planning – none, I’m a CPA
Study – reviewed some key concepts in chapters 6, 9, and 11 while waiting for the grading results on the prior course and reviewed specific concepts after the pre-assessment
Assessment – This Objective Assessment was a multiple-choice test. I completed 69 questions in 65 minutes with a score of 92%
C206 – Ethical Leadership
Resources used: textbook “Managing Business Ethics”, C206 pacing guide, grading rubric, suggested articles, C206 concept summary, Self-Check Questions
Time spent (in hours): planning .5, study 17, assessment 15, total 32
Approach:
Planning – review of task requirements, pacing guide, and rubric
Study – Read the textbook and skimmed where I could. The formatting of the textbook was HORRIBLE. This added hours to my total study time. A summary of laws and regulations that came in the course documents online helped speed up some study and was far more helpful than the textbook. Self-Check Questions were very helpful for studying concepts in a quiz format but such references weren’t available for all the material.
Assessment – This course required two papers for the Performance Assessment and a multiple-choice test for the Objective Assessment. Almost 12 hours went to the papers. I failed the first pre-test by 1%. The second pre-test I passed with a 90% (well above the required passing score). I completed the Objective Assessment in 46 minutes with a similar score. I received an award for one of the papers indicating exemplary work. This means I spent too much time on that piece of the course if efficiency was my prime objective.
C214 – Financial Management
Resources used: HP 12c Platinum (financial calculator), textbook
Time spent (in hours): planning 0, study 11, assessment 2, total 13
Approach:
Planning – none, this is my day job
Study – I took the pre-test cold to assess my capability against the material and passed easily on the first attempt. I used the coaching report and key concept notes I took during the pre-test to focus my review. The biggest learning was the need to obtain a financial calculator. Seriously! This test had far more calculations than any other test in the MBA to this point. The right calculator made some questions quite easy. Without it, manual calculation is brutal and a waste of mental resources and time. Also, this course covers a broad set of financial concepts in detail. If you don’t have familiarity with these concepts previously, add a lot more time to your study expectations.
Assessment – Objective Assessment, 93 minutes to complete 69 questions far above the required passing score. Get a financial calculator and learn how to do the required calculations.
C207 – Data-Driven Decision Making
Resources used: textbook “Data-Driven Decision Making”, flashcards
Time spent (in hours): planning .5, study 14, assessment 14, total 28
Approach:
Planning – reviewed Task details and templates
Study – Because I was expecting math and calculations as part of this statistics course, I reviewed the modules into which the course was divided and completed review quizzes for most of the sections. I also reviewed vocabulary and flashcards that were part of the course materials online.
Assessment – Objective Assessment, 49 minutes for score of 87% on 70 question test with time limit of 2 hours. For the Performance Assessments plotting the course of attack and the appropriate techniques for analysis are critical to quick completion. Task 2 was completely dependent on the Task 1 submission. It was almost necessary to begin with Task 2 in mind to plan Task 1 and complete both in a way that was consistent and appropriate for the selected analytical techniques.
C215 – Operations Management
Resources used: textbook “Operations Management”
Time spent (in hours): planning 0, study 12, assessment 3, total 15
Approach:
Planning – one multiple-choice test to pass and three days to do it
Study – I reviewed chapters 5 and 6 for glossary terms, tables, and key concepts. I reviewed the vocabulary for the other chapters of the text.
Assessment – Objective Assessment, 42 minutes to complete 70 questions with a score of 78%. I did calculate how many questions I could miss and still pass. When I got to the end of the test and saw I marked few enough questions for review that I was almost assured a pass I confidently submitted for grading.
C216 – MBA Capstone
Resources used: CapSim – online resource
Time spent (in hours): planning 5.5, study 23, assessment 48, total 78
Approach:
Planning – Tons of pre-work and configuration to get up and running for the CapSim and following tasks. Some of this time also went to coordinating with teammates.
Study – reading related to CapSim and numerous team meetings where we practiced for the competition rounds
Assessment – CapSim competition rounds and reports with team were handled through team negotiations. One team member had GoToMeeting which made everything easier. We took the advice to spend most of our time in practice to make the competition rounds go fast. For the tasks I limited the client interaction to the most efficient minimum, batching questions and using email when appropriate.