View the 2014 WGU Gallup-Purdue Alumni

GREAT JOBS
GREAT LIVES
The 2014 Western Governors University
Alumni Report
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Introduction
For years, the value of a college degree has been determined
not by the most important outcomes of a college education,
but by the easiest outcomes to measure, namely, job and
graduate school placement rates and alumni salaries (usually
only from their first job out of college). While these metrics
have some merit, they do not provide a holistic view of college
graduates’ lives. These outcomes do not reflect the missions of
higher education institutions, and they do not reflect the myriad
reasons why students go to college.
Together, Gallup and Purdue created an index that examines
the long-term success of graduates as they pursue a good
job and a better life. This index — the Gallup-Purdue Index
— provides insight into the relationship between the college
experience and whether college graduates have great jobs and
great lives.
1
Great Jobs.
Great Lives.
Great Experiences.
Great Jobs: Workplace Engagement
30
ONLY
%
OF AMERICANS ARE
ENGAGED IN THEIR JOBS
2
Engagement is more than job satisfaction. It involves employees being
intellectually and emotionally connected with their organizations and
work teams because they are able to do what they’re best at, they like
what they do at work, and they have someone who cares about their
development at work.
Gallup’s expertise on engagement in the workplace is rooted in
more than 30 years of research on the 12 elements that best predict
employee and workgroup performance. Gallup’s employee engagement
index, based on responses to the 12 elements, categorizes workers as
engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged. People who are engaged
at work are involved in and enthusiastic about their work. They are
loyal and productive. Those who are not engaged may be productive
and satisfied with their workplaces, but they are not intellectually and
emotionally connected to them. Workers who are actively disengaged
are physically present but intellectually and emotionally disconnected.
They are unhappy with their work, share their unhappiness with their
colleagues, and are likely to jeopardize the performance of their teams.
Recent Gallup research shows that only 30% of Americans are engaged
in their jobs, meaning that the U.S. workplace is missing out on
staggering amounts of economic benefit that comes from workforces
that are more engaged. If higher education does not lead graduates to
an engaging job, then it has fallen down on a central expectation of
students and their families who support them through college.
Great Lives: Well-Being
Well-being is not only about being happy or wealthy, nor is it
only synonymous with physical health. Rather, it is about the
interaction and interdependency between many aspects of life such
as finding fulfillment in daily work and interactions, having strong
social relationships and access to the resources people need, feeling
financially secure, being physically healthy, and taking part in a
true community.
Gallup and Healthways developed the Gallup-Healthways WellBeing 5 View to measure these important aspects. This survey, based
on findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and
years of joint research, asks 10 questions that gauge well-being in
five elements:
Purpose Well-Being: Liking what you do each day and
being motivated to achieve your goals
Social Well-Being: Having strong and supportive
relationships and love in your life
Financial Well-Being: Effectively managing your
economic life to reduce stress and increase security
Community Well-Being: The sense of engagement you
have with the areas where you live, liking where you live,
and feeling safe and having pride in your community
Physical Well-Being: Having good health and enough
energy to get things done on a daily basis
Gallup categorizes people’s
well-being in each of the
elements as “thriving,”
“struggling,” and “suffering,”
based on their responses.
Those who are thriving
are strong, consistent, and
progressing, while those who
are struggling are moderate or
inconsistent. Those who are
suffering are at high risk.
Understanding how people
think about and experience
their lives is one of the first
steps in determining the
appropriate interventions that
organizations, communities,
and higher education need
to take to solve their biggest
challenges. This research has
the ability to provide colleges
and universities with insight
on how to improve the lives
of current undergraduates
in these key areas, which
are within their control.
While there is no one way
to achieve high well-being,
except through work and
accountability — institutions
can help provide their
students with goals that are
ultimately more fulfilling
than income alone.
3
Great Experiences: Alumni Attachment
The Gallup-Purdue Index
uncovers which college
experiences and perceptions are
related to greater gains in the
workplace and in well-being.
Gallup’s research across hundreds of organizations in many industries
shows that fully engaged customers buy more, stay with you longer,
and are more profitable than average customers — in good economic
times and in bad.
The Gallup-Purdue Index measures graduates’ current emotional
attachment to their alma mater by adapting Gallup’s research on
customer engagement to assess graduates’ perceptions of their colleges
both in retrospect to their undergraduate experiences and their views
as current alumni.
Because students spend a significant amount of resources preparing for
life outside of college, it is crucial to gauge whether the experiences
they had in college have promoted a well-lived life. This includes
if they perceive that the college was a great fit for them, having
professors who cared and made learning exciting, and, most
importantly, feeling that their school prepared them well for life
outside of college.
The Gallup-Purdue Index uncovers which college experiences
and perceptions are related to greater gains in the workplace and
in well-being.
National Comparisons
For the purposes of this report, data from the Western Governors University alumni cohort (those who graduated
between 2009 and 2014) are compared with data collected from respondents who graduated in those same
years in the national Gallup-Purdue Index. Some differences may exist between the national comparison points
included in this report, and national estimates that Gallup has previously released, because this report focuses
only on recent graduates.
4
Executive Summary
The Western Governors University study interviewed nearly 4,000 adults who received degrees from the
university. The results illustrate how many WGU graduates have great jobs and great lives after college and
whether their great experiences as students translate into emotional attachment to their alma mater.
The study yields important insights for educators, employers, alumni, and prospective students about the
factors that contribute to great jobs, lives, and experiences for WGU graduates. It also identifies the areas
where WGU alumni are outperforming graduates of other universities, and areas of opportunity where
WGU can improve.
Foremost among these insights is that recent WGU graduates lead other graduates in having great jobs.
Seventy-nine percent of WGU alumni work full time for an employer, far outpacing the employment rate of
66% among college graduates nationally. They are also more likely than alumni from other institutions to
find themselves working at “ideal jobs” that keep them deeply interested and give them the opportunity to
do work that interests them.
But simply having a job is not enough; engaged workers are the lifeblood of the organizations they work
for. They are more loyal, more productive, and more profitable than those who are not engaged or are
actively disengaged. WGU graduates are more likely to be engaged in their jobs than the national average.
Nearly half of WGU graduates (46%) who are employed full time for an employer are engaged at work,
compared with 40% of graduates nationally.
WGU graduates are also leading other college graduates in having great lives. The majority are thriving —
strong, consistent, and progressing — in one or more of the five interrelated elements of well-being. And
higher percentages of WGU alumni are thriving in every element than is the case for those who graduated
from other types of institutions nationally. Of all five elements, WGU graduates are most likely to report
thriving in purpose well-being; the majority of WGU alumni like what they do each and every day and are
motivated to achieve their goals.
The great experiences and the lasting ties that WGU alumni feel to their alma mater are evident in that
more WGU alumni are emotionally attached to their university than other graduates to their universities.
More than one in three WGU alumni (35%) are emotionally attached to WGU, which is nearly double the
national average (19%) and easily outdistances other institutions.
Given these findings, it is not surprising that WGU alumni are more likely to report being unable to
imagine a world without their alma mater than graduates of other types of institutions.
Workplace Engagement: Great Jobs
• The employment rate for Western Governors
University alumni who have graduated
from WGU within the past five years easily
outdistances the national average. Seventynine percent of WGU graduates surveyed are
employed full time for an employer, compared
with 66% of graduates nationally.
• WGU graduates are more likely than graduates
of other universities to be working full time for
an employer, and more likely to be engaged in
their jobs. Nearly half of WGU graduates (46%)
who are employed full time for an employer
are engaged at work, compared with 40% of
graduates nationally.
5
• WGU graduates are more likely than alumni
from other institutions to find themselves
working at “ideal jobs” that keep them deeply
interested and give them the opportunity to do
work that interests them. The majority of WGU
alumni (52%) are deeply interested in the work
they do and nearly half (49%) say their work
gives them the opportunity to do interesting
work.
• If graduates recalled having instructors who
cared about them as a person, one instructor
who made them excited about learning, and a
mentor who encouraged them to pursue their
dreams, their odds of being engaged at work
increase. WGU graduates are more likely to
strongly agree that they received support in all
three areas than graduates who attended most
types of institutions.
Well-Being: Great Lives
• WGU alumni are at least
twice as likely as graduates
from other types of
universities to be thriving in
all five elements — purpose,
social, financial, community,
and physical. Nine percent of
WGU alumni are thriving in
all five areas, compared with
4% of graduates nationally.
• Higher percentages of WGU
alumni are thriving in every
element than is the case for
those who graduated from
other types of institutions
nationally.
• Of all five elements, WGU
graduates are most likely to
report thriving in purpose
well-being; the majority of
WGU alumni like what they
do each and every day and
are motivated to achieve
their goals.
6
• WGU’s ability to foster mentor-mentee
relationships between instructors and students
sets it apart from other institutions. Sixty-nine
percent of WGU alumni said they had a mentor
at WGU who encouraged them to pursue their
goals and dreams. This is more than double the
national average (32%).
• Graduates’ odds of being engaged at work
increase if they strongly agree that their schools
prepared them well for life outside of college
or that their school was passionate about their
long-term success. WGU graduates have an edge
over most other graduates on both: Nearly half
(48%) strongly agree that WGU was passionate
about their long-term success and about one in
three (31%) strongly agreed that WGU prepared
them well for post-college life.
Alumni Attachment: Great Experiences
• WGU alumni are more
likely to be emotionally
attached to their university
than alumni of other types
of universities — proof that
personal connections are
possible in distance learning.
More than one in three WGU
alumni (35%) are emotionally
attached to WGU, nearly
double the national average
(19%) and easily outpacing
other types of institutions.
• The odds of graduates being
emotionally attached to
their alma maters increase
exponentially if graduates felt
their school prepared them
for life outside of college and
if they felt their college was
passionate about the longterm success of its students.
WGU alumni outperform
graduates of most other
institution types on each of
these measures.
• The odds of graduates being
emotionally attached to
their alma maters also soar if
graduates felt their instructors
cared about them as a person.
And, although WGU alumni
spend most of their four years
“on-campus,” the third who
feel their alma mater had
an emotional attachment to
them is only slightly lower
than the national average
(36%).
• More than one in three WGU
alumni strongly agree that
they can’t imagine a world
without WGU, significantly
higher than the national
average (24%).
Great Jobs: Workplace Engagement
The employment rate for Western Governors University alumni who have graduated from WGU within
the past five years easily outdistances the national average. This may partly reflect that most WGU students
are already working full time while pursuing their degrees. It also may partly reflect their average age: The
typical age of WGU graduates who have completed their degree in the past five years is 42, compared with
29 among those in the national Gallup-Purdue Index study who graduated within the same period.
But age does not explain everything: WGU alumni are only somewhat more likely than these other
graduates to say they held a paid job or an internship while going to school (83% vs. 77%), although it’s
impossible to tell which of these they held or whether they were full or part time.
Employed Full Time (Employer)
Employed Full Time (Self)
Employed Part Time, Do Not Want Full Time
Unemployed
Employed Part Time, Want Full Time
Not in Work Force
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
79%
2%
4%
5%
5%
5%
66%
2%
7%
5%
11%
9%
67%
2%
7%
5%
11%
8%
66%
2%
7%
4%
12%
9%
62%
1%
7%
14%
4%
12%
WGU graduates are not only more likely than graduates of other universities to be working full time for an
employer, but they are also more likely to be engaged in their jobs.
7
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
46%
40%
39%
44%
Western Governors
National GPI
Public University
Private Not-For-Profit
University
27%
Private For-Profit
University
0
10
20
30
40
50
This higher level of engagement among working WGU graduates is
important for employers because engaged workers are the lifeblood of
their organizations. Gallup workplace engagement studies show that
business or work units that score in the top half of their organization
in employee engagement have nearly double the odds of success
(based on a composite of financial, customer, retention, safety, quality,
shrinkage, and absenteeism metrics) compared with those in the
bottom half).
Compared with bottom-quartile units, top-quartile units have:
•
10% higher customer
loyalty/engagement
•
48% fewer safety
incidents
•
22% higher profitability
•
28% less shrinkage
•
21% higher productivity
•
37% lower absenteeism
•
25% lower turnover for
high-turnover companies
(those with 60% or higher
annualized turnover)
•
41% fewer patient safety
incidents
•
41% fewer quality
incidents (defects)
•
8
65% lower turnover for
low-turnover companies
(those with 40% or lower
annualized turnover)
EXPERIENCED SUPPORT
27%
21%
17%
29%
16%
WGU
National GPI
Public
Private
not-for-profit
Private
for-profit
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
In the national study, if graduates recalled having instructors who cared about them as a person, one
instructor who made them excited about learning, and a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their
dreams, their odds of being engaged at work more than doubled.
Although WGU graduates
typically did not physically spend
any time in the classroom with
faculty as students, they are more
likely to strongly agree that they
received support in all three areas
than graduates who attended
most types of institutions.
69%
Strongly agreed they had
a mentor who encouraged
them to pursue their goals
and dreams while attending
Western Governors University.
9
Although WGU is an online university, its ability to foster mentor-mentee relationships between instructors
and students sets it apart from other institutions. WGU’s remarkable scores may be attributable to WGU’s
practice of pairing each student with a mentor, who serves as an academic adviser and coach for the
duration of a student’s degree program.
WHILE ATTENDING WESTERN GOVERNORS
UNIVERSITY, I HAD A MENTOR WHO ENCOURAGED
ME TO PURSUE MY GOALS AND DREAMS.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
69%
2%
32%
15%
30%
16%
36%
11%
24%
23%
In the national study, if graduates strongly agree that their schools prepared them well for life outside of
college, their odds of being engaged at work nearly tripled, and if they strongly agree that their school was
passionate about the long-term success of their students, their odds more than doubled. WGU’s focus on
providing education for life, basing its online degrees on real-world competencies, likely gives it an edge
over most other types of institutions in these areas.
WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY PREPARED
ME WELL FOR LIFE OUTSIDE OF COLLEGE.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
31%
3%
29%
6%
26%
7%
33%
4%
27%
7%
WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY IS
PASSIONATE ABOUT THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF
ITS STUDENTS.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
10
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
48%
2%
31%
7%
25%
8%
43%
5%
29%
9%
WGU graduates may be reflecting on their own success when they answer questions about WGU’s passion
for long-term student success. Working WGU graduates are more likely than alumni from other institutions
to find themselves working at “ideal jobs” that keep them deeply interested and give them the opportunity
to do work that interests them.
I AM DEEPLY INTERESTED IN THE WORK THAT I DO.
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
52%
3%
35%
9%
33%
10%
38%
8%
42%
5%
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
Among employed graduates.
MY JOB GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO WORK THAT INTERESTS ME.
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
49%
4%
34%
8%
33%
9%
34%
8%
42%
7%
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
Among employed graduates.
I HAVE THE IDEAL JOB FOR ME.
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
32%
9%
18%
18%
17%
19%
19%
17%
25%
13%
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
Among employed graduates.
11
GRADUATE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT BY ITEM RESPONSE
3%
69%
27%
1%
72%
26%
I AM
DEEPLY INTERESTED
IN THE WORK
THAT I DO.
MY JOB GIVES ME
THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO WORK THAT
INTERESTS ME.
(STRONGLY AGREE)
(STRONGLY AGREE)
1%
82%
17%
I HAVE THE
IDEAL JOB
FOR ME.
(STRONGLY AGREE)
ENGAGED NOT ENGAGED ACTIVELY DISENGAGED
WGU graduates’ relatively high level of agreement with each of these statements is important because each
of these factors into their engagement in the workplace.
In the national study, if graduates had internships or jobs where they were able to apply what they were
learning in the classroom, were actively involved in extracurricular activities and organizations, and
worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete, their odds of being engaged at work more
than doubled.
Of the three experiences, WGU graduates are most likely to strongly agree that they had an internship or
job, and they are significantly more likely than other graduates to say so. This is at least partly attributable
to the fact that most WGU students are working adults and may have had more opportunities than
traditional students have to apply what they are learning in a job setting.
WHILE ATTENDING WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY, I HAD
AN INTERNSHIP OR JOB THAT ALLOWED ME TO APPLY WHAT I
WAS LEARNING IN MY COURSES.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
12
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOT-FORPROFIT UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
47%
13%
35%
19%
33%
21%
41%
13%
22%
35%
Great Lives: Well-Being
WGU alumni are more likely than graduates from other types of universities to have achieved the hardto-reach pinnacle of well-being by thriving in all five elements — purpose, social, financial, community,
and physical. Some of this achievement may be related to WGU graduates’ age, as thriving percentages in
some elements, such as financial well-being, tend to be higher among older populations. However, higher
percentages of WGU alumni are thriving in every element than is the case for those who graduated from
other types of institutions nationally. Of all five elements, WGU graduates are most likely to report thriving
in purpose well-being, meaning the majority of WGU alumni like what they do each and every day and are
motivated to achieve their goals.
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOT-FORPROFIT UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
40%
46%
14%
38%
47%
15%
43%
44%
13%
37%
43%
20%
44%
43%
12%
44%
43%
13%
46%
43%
10%
39%
44%
18%
23%
42%
35%
28%
39%
34%
22%
32%
45%
33%
42%
24%
37%
43%
20%
30%
41%
29%
PURPOSE WELL-BEING
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering
57%
36%
6%
SOCIAL WELL-BEING
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering
47%
44%
9%
FINANCIAL WELL-BEING
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering
36%
44%
21%
25%
41%
35%
COMMUNITY WELL-BEING
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering
42%
42%
15%
34%
43%
23%
13
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering
31%
61%
8%
26%
61%
13%
26%
61%
13%
27%
61%
12%
16%
68%
16%
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOT-FORPROFIT UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
9%
14%
18%
19%
20%
20%
4%
8%
17%
20%
26%
25%
4%
6%
18%
20%
26%
26%
4%
11%
15%
20%
27%
22%
1%
6%
17%
17%
31%
28%
WELL-BEING ELEMENTS
THRIVING IN
Five Elements
Four Elements
Three Elements
Two Elements
One Element
Zero Elements
14
Great Experiences: Alumni Attachment
As an online university, WGU faces special challenges in ensuring its students feel supported and
connected to the university and to each other. Despite these challenges, WGU alumni are more likely to
be emotionally attached to their university than alumni of other types of universities are — proof that
personal connections are possible in distance learning.
ALUMNI ATTACHMENT
Emotionally Attached
Emotionally Unattached
Others
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
35%
2%
63%
19%
13%
69%
18%
13%
69%
22%
13%
65%
14%
7%
79%
In the national study, the odds of graduates being emotionally attached to their alma maters are nearly
nine times higher if graduates felt their school prepared them for life outside of college, and are more than
eight times higher if they felt their college was passionate about the long-term success of its students. WGU
alumni outperform graduates of most other institution types on each of these measures.
WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY PREPARED ME WELL
FOR LIFE OUTSIDE OF COLLEGE.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
31%
3%
29%
6%
26%
7%
33%
4%
27%
7%
WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY IS PASSIONATE
ABOUT THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF ITS STUDENTS.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
48%
2%
31%
7%
25%
8%
43%
5%
29%
9%
What’s more, WGU is able to make this impression on their graduates’ lives in a short amount of time.
WGU alumni are far more likely to graduate within four years than alumni from other types of universities.
15
YEARS TO GRADUATE
up to 4 years
4.5 to 5 years
5.5 or more years
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
92%
5%
3%
68%
22%
11%
59%
28%
13%
79%
12%
8%
86%
10%
4%
In the national study, the odds of graduates being emotionally attached to their alma maters are six times
higher if graduates felt their instructors cared about them as a person. And, although WGU alumni spend
most of their four years “on-campus,” they feel their alma mater had an emotional attachment to them.
MY INSTRUCTORS AT WESTERN GOVERNORS
UNIVERSITY CARED ABOUT ME AS A PERSON.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
WESTERN
GOVERNORS
NATIONAL
GPI
PUBLIC
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE NOTFOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
PRIVATE
FOR-PROFIT
UNIVERSITY
33%
3%
36%
4%
29%
5%
48%
2%
30%
7%
Final Thoughts
Despite being an all-online university, WGU has excelled in making their students feel the support that
they need to be successful in life. Through their mentorship program, WGU ensures from Day 1 that
students have the human element that many students in traditional universities also crave. Gallup’s initial
findings from the 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index demonstrate the importance of these elements, and WGU
alumni rate the university highly across these metrics.
Given these findings, it is not surprising that so many WGU alumni are more likely to report being unable
to imagine a world without their alma mater.
Percentage of Graduates Who Strongly Agree They Cannot Imagine a World Without Their College
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
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Western
Governors
National
GPI
Public
University
Private Not-ForProfit University
Private ForProfit University
About
About Western Governors University
Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors, WGU is the only accredited, not-for-profit university in the
country offering online, competency-based degree programs at scale.
WGU is unique in higher education in two important ways, resulting in increased productivity, a higher
level of student support, and shorter times to graduation. First, WGU uses competency-based learning,
which allows students to earn their degrees by demonstrating what they know and can do rather than
spending time in class to accumulate credit hours.
Required competencies for each degree program are defined in collaboration with external program
councils, ensuring that students graduate with the knowledge and skills employers need. Designed for adult
learners, competency-based education lets students move quickly through material they already know so
they can focus on what they still need to learn. Competency-based learning dramatically shortens the time
to graduations — the average time to complete a bachelor’s degree is 29 months.
The second unique attribute of WGU is the use of technology-based learning. While most online
universities simply use technology to distribute classroom education — classes led by a professor with a
fixed schedule and syllabus — WGU actually uses technology to content and facilitate instruction. This
changes the role of the faculty from that of a “sage on the stage” to a “guide on the side.” WGU faculty
members, all full-time, serve as mentors, providing individualized support and guidance to students.
The university offers more than 50 bachelor’s, master’s, and post-baccalaureate degree programs in the
key workforce areas of business, information technology, K-12 teacher education (including initial teacher
licensure) and health professions, including nursing. WGU’s 47,000 students and 36,000 graduates reside in
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and at military installations worldwide.
About Gallup
Gallup delivers forward-thinking research, analytics, and advice to help leaders solve their most pressing
problems. Combining more than 75 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more
about the attitudes and behaviors of the world’s constituents, employees, and customers than any other
organization. Gallup consultants help private and public sector organizations boost organic growth through
measurement tools, strategic advice, and education. Gallup’s 2,000 professionals deliver services at client
organizations, through the Web, and in nearly 40 offices around the world.
About Healthways
Healthways is an independent, global well-being company that provides comprehensive improvement
solutions to increase performance and lower healthcare costs in its client populations. Dedicated to creating
a healthier world one person at a time, Healthways uses the science of well-being and behavior change to
produce and measure well-being improvement for its customers. Healthways provides personalized support
to individuals to optimize each participant’s health and productivity and to reduce health related costs, and
also advises leaders on how to maximize well-being across an organization.
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Methodology
Results for the Western Governors University study are based on Web surveys conducted June 24-July
15 with a sample of 3,727 Western Governors University undergraduate alumni. The sample of alumni
email addresses was provided by Western Governors University. Alumni were included in the study if the
institution had an email address on file. For the purpose of this analysis, only alumni who graduated since
2009 are included (3,525).
Results for the Gallup-Purdue Index, the study used for comparison purposes, are based on Web surveys
conducted Feb. 4-March 7, 2014, with a random sample of 29,560 respondents with a bachelor’s degree
or higher, aged 18 and older, with Internet access, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia,
and 5,137 fraternity and sorority members. To create a direct comparison, only the 3,895 respondents who
graduated since 2009 are included in this analysis.
The Gallup-Purdue Index sample was compiled from two sources; the Gallup Panel and the Gallup Daily
Tracking survey. The Gallup Panel is a proprietary, probability-based longitudinal panel of U.S. adults that
are selected using random-digit-dial (RDD) and address-based sampling methods. The Gallup Panel is not
an opt-in panel. The Gallup Panel includes 60,000 individuals, Panel members can be surveyed by phone,
mail, or Web. Gallup Panel members with a college degree, with access to the Internet were invited to take
the Gallup-Purdue Index survey online. The Gallup Daily tracking survey sample includes national adults
with a minimum quota of 50 percent cellphone respondents and 50 percent landline respondents, with
additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are
selected using RDD methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the
basis of which member had the most recent birthday. Gallup Daily tracking respondents with a college
degree, who agreed to future contact, were invited to take the Gallup-Purdue Index survey online.
Gallup-Purdue Index interviews are conducted via the Web, in English only. Samples are weighted to correct
for unequal selection probability and nonresponse. The data are weighted to match national demographics
of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, and region. Demographic weighting targets are based
on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. bachelor’s degree or
higher population.
All reported margins of sampling error for the Gallup-Purdue Index of all college graduates include the
computed design effects for weighting.
For results based on the total sample of bachelor’s degree or higher respondents, the margin of
sampling error is ±0.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
For results based on employee engagement of bachelor’s degree or higher respondents, the margin
of sampling error is ±1.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
For complete Gallup-Purdue index results,
visit http://products.gallup.com/168857/gallup-purdue-index-inaugural-national-report.aspx.
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