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"MA 5-12 Mathematics Education"

I would give WGU 3.5 stars out of 5. I recommend WGU mostly because of price. Many private colleges are not worth the price and other colleges will put professors part time or have graduate students teach you. WGU is a financially sound decision if you accelerate during the program. It can be a double edge sword financially if you fall behind, and take longer to finish your degree. WGU's Business and IT program has won awards from the US Distance Learning Association. The Education school has not. If you choose to study Mathematics Education at WGU there are some pros and cons. Pro or Con- You will have to teach yourself. WGU will give you a textbook to read and a Math mentor who may point you to useful resources that you will have to self learn. Con- Doesn't offer a discrete math course Con- doesn't offer educational psychology class (Needed on some state teacher tests) Con- You will write math essays that are scrutinized by an examiner meticulously and possibly repeatedly con- There are more effective online learning models than Pearson, which WGU uses. Example: Coursera and edX math classes. Con- On your course of study guide to learning math, more resources should be provided or should supplement already existing programs. Example abstract algebra is already offered online for free at Harvard. Linear algebra is offered online for free at MIT. WGU should redesign the COS so WGU students could reach the level of learning by Harvard and MIT. Con- Math essay assignments are mostly boring pure math stuff. Comparing it to Georgia's online Math Teaching Programing, WGU's essay assignments are things "You will not need when teaching". Con- Courses should be designed to for math teaching pedagogy, not Pure Math. I still recommend WGU for the price, and perhaps its other programs. For those who work, this is the most flexible in terms of fitting your schedule and convenience. It gives you a lot of freedom and control in pacing of the class. And we all have the friend and family member who's been raped financially and brainwashed by other institutions. You can afford risk at WGU. Pro- If you have a math background or was a math major this program should be a breeze Con- If you don't have a math background this program will not make your math learning any easier as your learning comes primarily from textbook reading or whatever sources you find by yourself WGU has a lot of potential to be even better. I hope WGU's courses start to emulate Coursera or edX models. Or take advantage of Harvard and MIT's free course offerings to make WGU's math program stronger. I hope WGU redesign's its course syllabii to offer more resource links to students who need more than to help them learn. I hope WGU to choose better math textbooks for it's math program as well. Thomas' Calculus sucks, Larson's is better--> Pennywise is better. Blitzer's Pre-algebra is very dry. Triola's Stats are too basic and repetitive. Can anyone tell me the reason why WGU's IT and Business schools have won awards but not the education school?