Academics- Wright Curricular Model

The learning model utilized by the Wright Graduate Institute is based on principles of adult learning and designed to accommodate the needs, requirements, and learning styles of midlife and mid-career professionals. Programs at Wright Graduate Institute combine theory with practice in a learning model that emphasizes academic understanding, research and writing skills, performative learning, and application.

Learners in each degree program learn through a mix of mentoring and independent study based on learning objectives for each course unit. Faculty assistance is provided using a range of media including face-to-face contact, telephone, and electronic media. WGI's programs employ contract-based and competency-based assessment, learner-to-learner peer feedback, project and portfolio reviews, and traditional doctoral evaluation methods such as the Comprehensive Assessment, Dissertation, and Oral Review. This flexibility comes into play in several areas: for example, in the selection of elective elements of the program, based on the learner's interests and aspirations; and in the choice of in-depth focus of study for each course unit; and in the learner's choice of domains to which to formally apply the learning.

The basic course unit at WGI is the "Area of Competence" (AC), a system modeled after the "Knowledge Areas" (KAs) employed by Fielding University and "Knowledge Area Modules" (KAMs) of Walden University.

Each eight-credit AC is composed of four components, worth two credits each:

• Academic overview
• In-depth academic study of an area
• Performative learning analysis and assessment
• Leadership and coaching application

The Area of Competence system reflects in name and in content our conviction that learning is evidenced not just by what one knows but also by what one does with knowledge. Together, its four components require Wright Graduate Institute learners to read and analyze original source material, review specific chosen subjects in depth and engage in performative and applied learning in a particular area of study-all with the purpose of developing graduate-level competencies that enhance their leadership in, understanding of, and impact on their career and the world around them. Important to the integrity of the WGI curricular model is the requirement that learners demonstrate first-hand experience and competence in the transformational training techniques underlying each non-research Area of Competence. The performative component of each Area of Competence requires the successful completion of a performative paper demonstrating learning, growth, and competence in the area.

Learners who have not completed an appropriate training experience prior to enrollment at WGI have the opportunity, through a cooperative agreement with the Wright Leadership Institute, to participate in a performative training experience specifically coordinated with each non-research AC offered at Wright Graduate Institute.