Supportive peers & leadership at the team level but systemic instability and AI-driven downsizing on the horizon - Instructor Western Governors University Employee Review

-I would caution anyone considering an Instructor or Professor role at WGU if you’re seeking long-term, stable employment or the ability to teach in your area of expertise. -It’s increasingly clear that senior leadership is investing heavily in AI and automation, signaling a likely reduction in Instructor roles. For example: -Replacing the student ticketing system with AI that directs decisions and automates communication. -Integrating AI assistants directly into course materials and contracting multiple AI-centric vendors for course development and student support. -Talking about and implementing AI with zero acknowledgement of its impact on the environment at this scale -Leadership frames these changes as “opportunities to work more 1:1 with students,” but in practice, the Instructor role is structured more like a call center or customer service position than a traditional teaching role. - Most Instructor time is spent: - Reaching out to disengaged students every two weeks, with the same email templates over and over, with limited response, and - Attempting to coach students who have failed assessments through repetitive study plan discussions - most of these conversations are met with extreme resistance and often lashing out from the students - Autonomy in developing individualized study plans has been replaced by standardized, top-down templates effective in 2025 - Beginning December 2025, Instructors must cold-call any student who fails an assessment within about four hours — even when dozens fail per day — which is neither inclusive nor sustainable. - This along with leadership's focus on metrics and automation often comes at the expense of DEI and ADA considerations. - Instructors and faculty have no input in creating course content or assessments; those are produced by “product development specialists,” and faculty are not even permitted to see exams. It's obvious that a lot of content is created by AI. - Since 2025, the student population has shifted significantly — many are underprepared for college-level work, and many display hostility toward faculty. Instructors are frequently subject to verbal abuse or dishonesty from students. - The only true teaching opportunities come from optional live sessions — if your course even allows them or if a slot is opened. - Monthly all-staff town halls have a tone of toxic positivity, featuring performative displays of “vulnerability” rather than authentic transparency. - Career advancement has been effectively eliminated. The Senior Instructor role was dissolved, and nearly all advancement opportunities are centralized in Salt Lake City, which lacks diversity and requires relocation. - Roughly 80% of an Instructor’s time is spent copying and pasting standardized emails to manage large student caseloads and daily tickets, and making cold calls. Or calling students who do not answer for their appointments. - Recent policy changes emphasize team-based performance metrics, monitoring of call times and recordings, and a loss of individual performance goals or recognition. - Many exceptional colleagues have left due to the organization’s arbitrary return-to-office mandates for remote employees, justified under the guise of “collaboration.” If you value genuine teaching, academic freedom, and long-term stability, WGU may not be the right fit in its current form. If you’re seeking short-term remote work with flexible hours and supportive direct management, the experience can be positive but go in with eyes wide open about where the institution is heading and ensure you have thick skin to deal with daily insults and student aggression.