WGU C962: Current and Emerging Technology

What C962 really is (and what it isn't)

WGU C962: Current and Emerging Technology is a graduate-level course that sits inside WGU's technology-management path, most commonly the Master of Science in Information Technology Management. It is not a coding course or a hardware course. Instead, it asks a more strategic question: when a new technology or a wave of disruption arrives, how does a thoughtful leader read it, evaluate it, and decide what it means for their organization? You engage with that question by reading current nonfiction on leadership and technology change, then writing about what you learned.

Direct answer: C962 is passed with a written performance assessment, not a proctored multiple-choice test. To pass, choose your assigned books carefully, read them closely enough to draw your own connections, and write a synthesis paper that follows the task rubric point by point in your own words. Do that and submit through the evaluation process, and you clear the course.

Because this is a performance assessment rather than an objective assessment, "studying" here means reading and writing rather than memorizing facts for a timed exam. That reframes everything about how you should prepare. If you are used to WGU's multiple-choice OAs, the shift can feel unfamiliar at first, but most students find the workload predictable once they understand what the evaluators are actually looking for.

What the performance assessment covers

The course is organized around a handful of themes tied to how leaders steer organizations through technological change. For each theme you are pointed to a curated list of current nonfiction books, and you select one book per theme to read and write about. The exact themes and reading lists are refreshed over time, so treat the list inside your own course of study as the authoritative set rather than any list you find secondhand online. Common threads include:

• Evaluating emerging technology trends — recognizing which developments are genuinely significant versus hype, and why.
• Leadership through disruption and change — how leaders and organizations respond when technology reshapes their industry.
• Applying ideas to organizational practice — connecting what you read to real decisions about strategy, people, and implementation.

Your deliverable is a single written task with clearly labeled sections — typically a critical analysis of each book you chose, plus synthesis that pulls the ideas across your readings into a coherent, original argument. The evaluators score each section against the rubric, so the structure of your paper matters as much as the ideas inside it.

How hard is it, and how long does it take?

Difficulty here is less about technical complexity and more about reading and writing discipline. Many students report that C962 is one of the more approachable courses in their program in terms of concepts, but that it still demands real time because you have to actually read the material and produce polished writing. If you enjoy reading and can write clearly at a graduate level, you will likely find it manageable.

Timelines vary widely with your reading speed and how much writing you do in a sitting. Many students describe finishing in one to a few weeks of focused effort, though anyone juggling a demanding job should plan generously and not assume a single weekend will do it. Give yourself enough runway to read thoughtfully, draft, and revise. Rushing a synthesis paper is the fastest route to a "revision needed" return from evaluation.

A study plan that fits a writing course

The learning-science tactics that help on multiple-choice exams still apply here, just aimed at a paper instead of a test bank. Adapt them like this:

• Read actively, not passively. As you read each book, keep a running note of the author's central claims and the examples that support them. Summarizing a chapter in your own words from memory is a form of active recall, and it gives you raw material you can quote or paraphrase later with a citation.
• Choose books you can actually engage with. Skim the options for each theme and pick titles whose arguments you find interesting or debatable. A book you have opinions about is far easier to write a synthesis around than one you slog through.
• Reverse-engineer the rubric. Before you write a word, read the task prompt and its scoring rubric and turn each requirement into a heading in your outline. Space that reading out across a few days so the requirements sink in rather than being crammed the night before you draft.
• Draft against the rubric, then revise. Write to cover every prompt point first, then revise for clarity, flow, and original voice. Reading your draft aloud catches sentences that wander.
• Cite as you go. Note page numbers while reading so you never have to hunt for a quote later, and format your references in the style your course specifies.

If you want to strengthen the leadership lens the course rewards, the reasoning skills from D370 IT Leadership Foundations and the trend-and-ethics thinking in D333 Ethics in Technology pair naturally with C962's themes.

Common mistakes students make in C962

• Treating it like an exam. Some students search for a "test" and waste time memorizing definitions. There is no proctored multiple-choice exam here; the deliverable is your writing.
• Summarizing instead of synthesizing. Retelling what each book says is not enough. The higher-scoring papers connect ideas, compare perspectives, and apply them to organizational decisions.
• Skipping the rubric. Missing even one required section is the most common reason a task comes back for revision. Map every rubric line to your paper before submitting.
• Weak or missing citations. Because you are drawing on published books, you must attribute ideas properly. Uncited paraphrasing risks an academic-integrity flag.
• Leaning on borrowed papers. "Template" and "solution" documents float around online. Submitting or closely echoing them is a serious integrity violation and defeats the point of a synthesis you are supposed to author yourself.

C962 Readiness Checklist

• Can you name each theme the course is built around and what it asks you to think about?
• Have you selected one book per theme from your course's current reading lists?
• Can you state each book's central argument in a sentence or two from memory?
• Have you turned every rubric requirement into a section or heading in your outline?
• Can you draw at least one concrete connection across your chosen readings?
• Have you linked the ideas to a realistic organizational decision or scenario?
• Are your quotes and paraphrases captured with page numbers and formatted citations?
• Have you revised a full draft for clarity and read it aloud at least once?
• Does your paper answer every prompt in your own voice, with no borrowed text?

FAQ

Is WGU C962 an OA or a PA?

C962 is assessed by a performance assessment, meaning you submit a written task rather than sit a proctored multiple-choice exam. Older study notes that describe it as an "OA" are inaccurate for the current course.

What do I actually have to do to pass?

You read nonfiction books tied to the course themes, choosing one book per theme, and then write a synthesis paper that meets every requirement in the task rubric. Evaluators score your submission, and you may be asked to revise before it passes.

How many books do I have to read?

You select one book for each course theme, so the total tracks the number of themes in your course. Use the reading lists inside your own course of study, since WGU updates the titles periodically.

How long does C962 take?

It depends heavily on your reading speed and writing habits. Many students report finishing within one to a few weeks of focused effort, but plan extra time if you have limited hours each week, since reading and revising cannot be safely rushed.

Is C962 hard?

Most students find the concepts approachable and describe the challenge as one of time and writing discipline rather than technical difficulty. If you read closely and follow the rubric, it is very passable.

Where can I find official details about the course?

Check your WGU course of study directly and the university's program information at wgu.edu. You can also browse related School of Technology guides on our technology hub or see everything on the full guide index, and the systems-level thinking in D459 Introduction to Systems Thinking complements this course well.