Are WGU courses easier/faster than SL/SDC?

[AW84]

Title explains it: are WGU courses faster to get through than Straighterline and Study.com? I've read all this advice to take WGU's test exams first, study specifically what's in them, and then take the final, making the WGU courses very streamlined if you know what to study.

I have only taken SL courses and they absolutely required that you read every inch of all 400-500 pages of the textbook, which was then so much information, that you had to go back through the book again 1-2 more times as a refresher to take the final (yes I know that theirs are often open book, but if you don't know the answer to 1/2 the questions, you won't make the time cut).

My intent has been to take as many courses on SDC/SL as possible to save money, but with a whopping 24 classes left to complete, I am willing to pay more to make progress faster. I'm caught in a mental block where 24 courses sounds so insurmountable that I don't do it at all, so some semblance of acceleration would help my motivation to do this.

[MNomadic]

are WGU courses faster to get through than Straighterline and Study.com?

For some people and some classes, yes. For some people and some classes, no. Some people at WGU get stuck on a single hard class and keep failing the final despite months of dedicated study. 

24 courses sounds so insurmountable

Remember, 24 classes are roughly 2.5 years worth of full-time college so yeah it makes sense that it would seem like a lot but you just have to tackle it 1 class at a time, 1 test at a time, 1 paper at a time. Yes accelerating through a lot of material rapidly can help get you there quicker but it can also lead to burnout. Think of the long-term goal of having a degree whether it takes you 1 term or several years isn't as important as finishing.

[jsd]

In general WGU is going to be harder, imo, at least when it comes to WGU vs SDC, anyway (I've never taken an SL course). but this is going to vary course by course and student by student. It would be really hard to make the comparison, especially since no one has really taken both the WGU and alt credit equivalent, there'd be no need to. We've done one or the other.

[origamishuttle]

It varies widely. Some WGU courses are easier, some much more difficult.

For example, there is CS 109 at SDC, which has over 600 (!) quiz questions and a final exam:
https://study.com/academy/course/compute...mming.html

Compare that to the very easy WGU objective assessment (final exam):
https://www.edx.org/course/scripting-and...oundations
Much faster, easier, cheaper at WGU by any measure.


On the other hand, there is CS 113 at SDC, which has 250 quiz questions, an easy assignment, and easy final exam:
https://study.com/academy/course/compute...ython.html
I completed the entire course in less than 5 hours, and while I am a software dev, I don't really know Python.

WGU only has the OA, BUT it takes most people a month or two to pass it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/WGU/comments/ra...thon_c859/

[rachel83az]

Sophia hasn't been mentioned, but I remember it being brought up in an earlier thread that C779 is not an easy WGU class to pass. You can take the equivalent course at Sophia (Intro to Web Development) in 1-2 hours.

[origamishuttle]

Sophia hasn't been mentioned, but I remember it being brought up in an earlier thread that C779 is not an easy WGU class to pass. You can take the equivalent course at Sophia (Intro to Web Development) in 1-2 hours.

That's a great point! Virtually any class at Sophia will be a better value than WGU, and most are easier. Even something like English Comp, which typically takes longer and is more difficult with Sophia than WGU, may be cheaper, depending on guestimation of how many WGU terms you'll need to complete everything. Always keep in mind that one month at Sophia is about $80, while one month at WGU is about $600 - $700. If you're worried about cost, you'll do everything you can to transfer more credits, and Sophia is a great way to do that.

[rachel83az]

Right, English Comp I isn't TOO bad at Sophia (not great) and WGU doesn't require English Comp II for many of its degrees. I would guess that, under current conditions, English Comp I probably adds an extra month to a Sophia membership. English Comp II may add 2-3 months, though, so it'd probably be faster and easier to transfer that course in from ONU if you happen to be seeking a degree that DOES require English Comp II.

I also think I remember that Sophia's DB course is longer and more difficult than WGU's corresponding course. But spending an extra 3-4 weeks on that is still going to be cheaper than having to tack on an extra WGU term.

Otherwise, yes, Sophia is going to be the best value for your money for most courses they offer that WGU accepts.

I would prioritize Sophia (you should get 24-36 credits or so, depending on exactly which degree you're after), then add in Study.com courses. Don't forget about WGU Academy: https://academy.wgu.edu/ If you have any transfer room left, SL can fill in the gaps. This should get you pretty close to the 90 credit transfer limit.

[ss20ts]

There's really no answer to the question. For some people WGU will be easier and faster. For others SDC will be easier and faster. Also some classes are going to be easier than others. Stick me in a calculus class and I would struggle and take months to complete it. Stick me in a project management class and I'll be done in a few days.

[jsd]

C779 is not an easy WGU class to pass.

I was confused about this when I saw people complaining about it, as when I took it it was ridiculously easy. Anyone who had a basic/superficial familiarity with HTML could nail it cold. Then I found out this was one of the courses where they moved away from the worthless CIW cert OA and replaced it with an inhouse assessment while refreshing the course. Made a lot more sense to me finally -- current students are taking a much different C779 than I had to.

[MNomadic]

C779 is not an easy WGU class to pass.

I was confused about this when I saw people complaining about it, as when I took it it was ridiculously easy. Anyone who had a basic/superficial familiarity with HTML could nail it cold. Then I found out this was one of the courses where they moved away from the worthless CIW cert OA and replaced it with an inhouse assessment while refreshing the course. Made a lot more sense to me finally -- current students are taking a much different C779 than I had to.

I didn't find it that hard either. Took it in December. Immediately afterward I took the Preassessment for C777(web dev applications) and passed so I scheduled the OA for the next day and passed just fine with some review. To be honest, I was disappointed with the web dev classes I took at WGU. Both were in house WGU exams.