Students hoping to visit the grounds of Western Governors University will not find them: WGU operates entirely over the internet. But that is not its only difference from most other colleges and universities in the United States. It does not have classes or professors either, at least not in the traditional sense. WGU is a private, not-for-profit school that offers study programs leading to abachelor’sormaster’s degree. Its programs have been approved by educationalaccreditingagencies. They are accepted through a system known as competency-based education, or CBE. Students in a CBE program, such as the one at Western Governors, choose a central field of study, just as they would at a traditional college or university. Yet instead of attending a series of classes led by professors or teaching assistants, the students direct themselves. CBE programs require students to demonstrate their understanding of a given set of skills. Students must prove theirmasteryof skills that relate to their field of choice through self-study and use of their existing knowledge of the subject. The programs also require them to prove their mastery by taking exams on those skills. Once they have demonstrated all the skills their study program requires, the students earn their degree.
Title: The Rise of Colleges without Classes or Professors
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/5ea13719-7826-4adc-8181-8b8c18d997bf_hq.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='The Rise of Colleges without Classes or Professors' data-article-id='3680'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='12271'>Students hoping to visit the grounds of Western Governors University will not find them: WGU operates entirely over the internet.</span> <span data-start-time='12271' data-end-time='20563'>But that is not its only difference from most other colleges and universities in the United States.</span> <span data-start-time='20563' data-end-time='28313'> It does not have classes or professors either, at least not in the traditional sense.</span> <span data-start-time='28313' data-end-time='38396'>WGU is a private, not-for-profit school that offers study programs leading to abachelor’sormaster’s degree.</span> <span data-start-time='38396' data-end-time='44708'>Its programs have been approved by educationalaccreditingagencies.</span> <span data-start-time='44708' data-end-time='51021'>They are accepted through a system known as competency-based education, or CBE.</span> <span data-start-time='51021' data-end-time='62792'>Students in a CBE program, such as the one at Western Governors, choose a central field of study, just as they would at a traditional college or university.</span> <span data-start-time='62792' data-end-time='71583'>Yet instead of attending a series of classes led by professors or teaching assistants, the students direct themselves.</span> <span data-start-time='71583' data-end-time='78750'>CBE programs require students to demonstrate their understanding of a given set of skills. </span> <span data-start-time='78750' data-end-time='90021'>Students must prove theirmasteryof skills that relate to their field of choice through self-study and use of their existing knowledge of the subject.</span> <span data-start-time='90021' data-end-time='97354'>The programs also require them to prove their mastery by taking exams on those skills.</span> <span data-start-time='97354' data-end-time='105458'>Once they have demonstrated all the skills their study program requires, the students earn their degree.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/FFE29F89-B08B-46EB-A2A2-393B12DBA796_cx0_cy9_cw0_w1023_r1_s.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=12451 data-hint-location='38396' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/what_does_accredit_mean.wav'>What does accredit mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='to say that something is good enough to be given official approval'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/to_talk_loudly.wav'><span>to talk loudly</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/to_ignore_something.wav'><span>to ignore something</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/to_say_that_something_is_good_enough_to_be_given_official_approval.wav'><span>to say that something is good enough to be given official approval</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/to_say_that_something_has_not_met_expectations.wav'><span>to say that something has not met expectations</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=12452 data-hint-location='20563' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/_it_does_not_have_classes_or_what_either.wav'> It does not have classes or what either?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='professors'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/owls.wav'><span>owls</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/letters.wav'><span>letters</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/experiments.wav'><span>experiments</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/professors.wav'><span>professors</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=12453 data-hint-location='62792' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/yet_instead_of_attending_a_series_of_classes_led_by_professors_or_teaching_assistants_the__blank__direct_themselves.wav'>Yet instead of attending a series of classes led by professors or teaching assistants, the <span class='blank'>students</span> direct themselves.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='students'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/trains.wav'><span>trains</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/books.wav'><span>books</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/llamas.wav'><span>llamas</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3198/students.wav'><span>students</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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