WGU Progress Thread - Free for All

So I figured I would open up a WGU progress thread ( another one, I know right?) for those of you who would prefer not to have the visibility or expectation of having an individual one. I'll get the ball rolling.

Major: BS: Network Administration
Transferred: all prerequisites , Net+ and Sec+ (54 CUs)
Completed: 30 CUs
Remaining: 32 CUs

Term 1 : May 1st 2015 - October 31st 2015
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C393 IT Foundations - Completed 5/23
C394 IT Applications - Completed 5/23
C173 Scripting and Programming- Foundations - Completed 6/23
C169 Scripting and Programming- Applications - Completed 8/18
C175 Data Management- Foundations - Completed 9/02
C179 Business of IT - Applications - Completed 9/21
C170 Data Management- Applications - Completed 9/25
C176 Business of IT - Project Management - Completed 10/24

Term 2 : November 1st 2015 - April 31st 2016
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C435 - Technical Writing - Competed 11/09
C436 - IT Capstone Written Project - Completed 11/24
C697 - Operating Systems I - Completed 12/19
C698 - Operating Systems II - Completed 12/19
ABV1 - Operating Systems
C185 - Network Policies and Services Management
C186 - Server Administration
C187 - Network Reliability and Fault Tolerance - waived with 409

I will be out of town from December 25th through January 4 So I went ahead and scheduled both Linux+ ( Operating Systems I and II) for this Saturday. I haven't had much time in the coursework so we will see how it goes.
Hoping to clear the Linux+ tests as that means no more having to leave home for any of the remaining tests (plus free second shots on all the remaining tests).

While looking at the Microsoft site I realized that I will be able to get the MCSA 2012R2 after taking C185 ( Microsoft 410) and C186 ( Microsoft 411) due to Microsoft's substitution rules which allow you to use Microsoft 409 (which you could take free last year) to substitute for Microsoft 412 (C187) which would effectively give me the MCSA after taking C185 and C186 and giving me a requirements met for C187.

I will probably take my time through the remaining Microsoft courses as I won't be starting my Masters until January 2017 so I can pay off my credit card and car. I have paid for the VCP6-DV voucher which I will hit in May and am still thinking about possibly going for the CCNA in November/December.

If anyone has any questions about any of the courses , etc. feel free to post in here or if anybody else also wants to combine/ track their progress here feel free to do so.

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Comments

plopbangcrash

I will give you my example. Started in May.Was notified in October that the 2 courses for Windows 8 MCSA would expire on November 30th and that you would have to complete the courses or switch to the new path. Was sent the new path which was both Linux+ courses and the 70-680 course for windows 7 ( a 2 class for 3 class swap). Accepted the swap late November due to not enough time to complete and not wanting to have a bad mark for unfinished enlisted courses. Complete the 2 linux+ courses start studying for the 410 ( 1st of 3 server 2012R2 exams) and get a notification of completion for ABV1 ( the 70-680 microsoft windows 7 class) from salesforce due to linux+ meeting requirements. Mentor offers a course change and to be able to basically graduate that week . After several calls back and forth over 2 weeks find out that not only will Student records not give transfer ins on any of the new course path but they also have reversed my transfer in of Linux+ for requirements met of ABV1 . Even after showing them the pdf from their site which shows Linux+ as a transfer in for ABV1. After the swap WGU then extended the previous Windows 8 MCSA courseplan until July of this year making the change in the first place meaningless and then offered for me to take the 2 swap back to the old plan and using the Linux+ to cover one of the 2 Widows 8 courses meaning I still wouldn't get the MCSA and would be choosing between 1 of 2 dieing OS one off tests.

As even more of a kick in the teeth I ask records to confirm that since I have already completed 70-409 (which Microsoft lists as a substitute for 412 to receive the 2012R2 MCSA) that after passing the 410 and 411 and receiving my MCSA that the transfer in of the MCSA would waive the 412 and was told that there is no guarantee and I may have to take the class and test anyway.

In other words, nothing is written in stone , the only absolute certainty is they will collect their money from you regardless. My change was made less than a month into the semester I was in and changed an already acknowledged transfer in.

skswitch

Taskstream.

What the hell.
[h=3][/h]Database Management Application Management Project. I heard before its a pain due to the lack of feed back and consistency grading. Well, add this to the pile. I submit my project just to see where it would fall. Few days later I get the score with my teeth kicked in.

First Attempt - 4 Comp's / 3 Improve / 17 Unsat

[2/8/16, 10:00 AM] Jeremiah Miller (jwmiller.it@gmail.c

I wanted to try an experiment see if I would get the same level of grading if I re submit the SAME project (not one change to the pdf).

Second Attempt - 11 Comps / 3 Improves / 10 Unsat

Again... I did nothing to change my project! And I gained 7 more Comps. I gained roughly ~30% more completed just by having a different person (assuming) or maybe they were in a better mood that day. This is extremely frustrating.

plopbangcrash

Taskstream can be very frustrating. To speed through the process here is the things I found to work

* Use the template located at http://www.rbradyfrost.com/blog/template-how-to-complete-wgu-taskstream-assignments/ whenever possible
* Label and bullet point everything.
* Use leading terms tied to the rubric such as " The reason I choose SDLC as the methodology for my is..." so that they have no choice but to recognize what you are addressing
* When submitting a re-grade state " I am resubmitting to correct the following rubic points ( rubric section EX: 1a. ) . I have added additional supporting details explaining the rationale for why I leveraged the longer/ more expensive initial costs of SDLC to lower the time/cost for the maintenance phases". Doing this basically tells the grader the previous rubric points are already graded as sufficient and focuses them only on the ones needing approval and helps identify the additional changes as opposed to them re-reading the whole assignment and grading. This method usually passed me through the 2nd submission of any PA I had submitted that didn't make the first cut.

Taskstream is a bear and almost a deterrent for the Masters as it basically makes it a roll of the dice most of the time but the above methods at least help to tip the odds more to your favor.

colemic

If I understand you correctly: you need 30 credits, blasted through them in one semester... yes?

I honestly can't say I fault them for charging you a full term, because that's what you agreed to. Now, had you had multiple semesters, this wouldn't have been an issue: when I finished, all I needed was my capstone, and they prorated the tuition amount for my final semester.

plopbangcrash wrote: »

After a long frustrating series of phone calls last night I retract my statement. Usman is correct and I was incorrect, an additional caveat is that they will never do a refund for the final semester even if the CUs are below 12 and 60% through the semester. I was passed bad information from a mentor as well as the initial person who signed me into WGU....

With the above caveats if you have anytime available at the end of the degree there is no point in not taking up to 3 of the masters courses if you plan on taking the Masters directly after getting the BS( to do so you have to go directly into the masters ,. no semester/term break after the finish of the BS term with the 3 added on). Would be interested in determining whether they can prevent you from taking the CHFI and CEH as 2 of the first 3 courses , I haven't seen anything yet that forces you to take the 3 courses in a specific order.

plopbangcrash

You understood me incorrectly, they didn't prorate my final semester.

I had 2 semesters, it was my second semester and I was cleaning up the remainder of my courses. Regardless, accredited courses have a strict standard meaning that once a transfer is excepted for a course it must always be accepted for that course unless the course number and curriculum have changed enough to warrant a new course to replace it.I speed through the second and dropped the one with Microsoft certs as I was lead to believe I would receive a refund for early completion and that the degree changes in place for my current degree plan ( and coming) would continue to push back my graduation. Had they not misrepresented the refund and explained it would have been the same amount regardless of my course load I would have taken my time and received an MCSA or transferred over to the Security emphasis to pick up the CCNA courses , instead I was pushed into a degree path that doesn't fulfill their Masters requirement ( which they also didn't state during their push to move everyone off of the Network Administration path). If I wanted to continue their Masters I would have to achieve additional certs or have a resume review.

Had they made any of that clear during the time when they were pushing me for a degree change I would have stuck with my degree path instead of paying out of pocket for the additional certs as I am now.

gouano

I know that feels bro, I too am currently trying to complete Database Management Application/C170. I passed the obj assessment. I'm at my 5th attempt now for the performance assessment needing to fix 2 things: 1st normal form and Complex Join Query. After the 4th attempt, you can't send it your work through task stream, you gotta get Course Mentor approval, which is what I'm currently waiting for.

6 More classes to go for me til graduation after C170:

Scripting and Programming - Foundations - C173
Business of IT - Project Management - C176
Business of IT - Applications - C179
Designing Customized Security - C299
Technical Writing - C435
IT Capstone Written Project - C436

I can and will do this!

flashoverride

gespenstern wrote: »

Yep it still goes on, at least yesterday's night I wasn't able to get to my courses. And all I need from WGU right now is to perform an SSO to ucertify portal which works just fine. But, alas, sometimes I close my browser, travel between devices or session expires -- and I have to get back to WGU which doesn't work 9 out 10.

Yep, that's the one. Talk about constant change. I got the CCNA which apparently they've done away with, and then had to plow through both Windows 8 exams. I had originally skirted that req with an XP cert, but apparently they just change stuff willy-nilly.