Task 1 is entirely based upon the simulation, of which I understood nothing. I had done all of the readings before I submitted Task 1, and I still understand nothing about the concepts that are in the tasks. I've tried looking them up in other resources, and I just don't get it. I just don't. When I spoke with the course mentor, he didn't seem able to explain the concepts either. Never have I felt so alone in this program before.
I've felt like throwing in the towel and quitting before, but I never felt as strongly about it as I do now. I'm so frustrated by feeling so alone and isolated with these classes.
Before I started, Jay (my enrollment counselor) assured me that I'd have more support at WGU than I would at a traditional school. He told me that my student mentor would call me each week to cheer me on and help direct me. He said that the course mentors would always be there to answer any questions and give feedback. With the exception of the human resource class, where the mentor really seemed to empathize and understand my frustration, I've felt none of this support. Kelley, my student mentor is a flake. She calls early or late, is distracted when she's on the phone with me, and doesn't follow through when she says she'll do things for me.
The course mentors for ECommerce and Supply Chain (my most recent previous class and my current class) do not seem to want to answer any direct questions because the answers are in their videos. While I'm certain that it's frustrating, being asked the same question time and time again, my belief is that it is their job to answer those questions and to do it in a way that makes the student feel as if it is the very first time they've heard the question.
For example, when I worked in human resources at a large, bureaucratic state agency, I received questions all day about the job application process. I recognized that the person asking the question might be the best candidate for the job, so I'd better not piss them off, despite my wanting to groan and tell them to look at the FAQs on the website and to read under the heading that (in my mind) clearly said, "Instructions for applying". No, it was my job to assist them, just as it is the course mentors' job to assist students.
I'm fed up by being told to re-watch a video that may be boring, is vague, and that don't make it clear where certain subjects begin and end. I don't care if you have a Ph.D. it does not make you necessarily qualified to work with students. I'd much rather work with someone who has "just" a masters, but who is willing to work with me and help me through a problem.
Is this why WGU is so cheap? They don't pay enough to the course mentors to make them actually care? Certainly I can't be alone in my frustration. I just looked at the WGU-Austin Facebook page, the last post was a month and a half ago. People in Austin just don't seem to care about networking or helping each other out.
It's been nearly 3 months that I began at WGU and it seems that with each class, I get frustrated. As a result my husband and I argue. He wants to help, but I'm determined to make this my degree and not his. He's already got a masters. I want to feel that I've earned this degree, not that it was given to me, or that someone else did the work for me. I'm just not sure that it's worth the stress and frustration that I feel to continue.
As it stands, I need to revise Task 1 before re-submitting it. This would be easy, except for the fact that I feel like the simulation, which it is based upon, is written in Greek. I'm not fluent in Greek; though I'm sure it's a wonderful language. I do not know where to turn for help. Tasks 2 and 3 are sitting on my computer, and only need minimal revisions before I turn them in. I just don't know where to find the answers I need, and I'm not sure I want to cause this much stress between my husband and I over the next year and a half.
For now, I think that all I can do is think and ponder.
Forward.