WGU C388: Science, Technology, and Society

WGU C388, Science, Technology, and Society, is a School of Education course that asks you to think like both a scientist and an engineer, and then explain that thinking clearly in writing. It sits inside science-education and elementary-education program plans, so most students who take it are preparing to teach children how the natural world works and how human beings build tools to shape it. The course explores a simple but deep idea: science, technology, and society constantly influence one another, and a good teacher can help students see those connections instead of treating each subject as an island.

Direct answer: There is no proctored multiple-choice exam here. You pass C388 by completing two written performance tasks that are scored against a rubric, so read each rubric aspect literally, answer every lettered prompt in order, and cite your sources. If you cover every requirement in plain, well-supported writing, you pass.

Because C388 is assessed entirely through submitted work rather than a timed test, the pressure is different from a course like C614 Biology Content Knowledge. You are not racing a clock or memorizing hundreds of facts. Instead, you are demonstrating that you can analyze a real-world issue where science and society collide, and that you can walk through the engineering design process from problem to prototype. Many students find the content approachable; the challenge is discipline and precision in following instructions.

What the two performance tasks ask of you

C388 is a performance assessment (PA) built around two tasks. Both are written submissions uploaded to WGU's evaluation system and reviewed by a human evaluator against a scoring rubric. Public student materials consistently describe the two tasks along these lines:

• Task 1 — Science, technology, and society analysis. You examine a socioscientific issue (students have written about topics such as climate change or nuclear power) and analyze how science, technology, and society interact around it. This task typically asks you to describe the scientific research involved, weigh different stakeholder perspectives, and compare the scientific method of experimentation with the engineering design process.
• Task 2 — The engineering design process. You define a real problem of your own choosing, describe why solving it matters, and list the constraints and specifications a good solution must meet (cost, size, safety, effectiveness, and similar factors). You then generate possible solutions, justify the most viable one, and build, test, and modify it, showing the iterative redesign that defines engineering work.

The underlying concepts you should be comfortable with include the nature of science, the difference between a scientific investigation and an engineering solution, how technology emerges from and feeds back into society, and how to evaluate evidence and competing viewpoints fairly. If you have taken D679 Elementary Science and Engineering Methods, much of this framing will already feel familiar.

How hard is C388, and how long does it take?

Many students report that C388 is one of the more manageable courses in their program, precisely because there is no objective exam to fail. The difficulty lives in reading the task instructions carefully and writing to the rubric rather than in mastering hard technical content. Students who write comfortably and follow directions tend to move quickly; those who skim the prompts or write around the requirements are the ones who get sent revisions.

Realistic timelines vary with your writing speed and background, but many students report finishing both tasks within one to two weeks of focused effort, and some complete it faster. Treat any single number you see online as one person's pace, not a promise. Give yourself enough runway to draft, sit on the work overnight, and edit with fresh eyes before you submit.

A practical plan for passing C388

Because this is a writing course, your study plan looks less like flashcards and more like a project workflow. The following approach keeps you aligned with what evaluators actually score.

1. Turn the rubric into a checklist. Open each task's rubric and copy every aspect (A1, A2, B1, and so on) into a document. Each lettered item is a promise you must keep. Answer them in order and label your headings to match, so an evaluator can find each requirement at a glance.
2. Choose topics you can actually support. For Task 1, pick a socioscientific issue with plenty of credible public information behind it. For Task 2, pick a problem small and concrete enough that you can genuinely build and test a solution, not something abstract you can only describe.
3. Draft to the prompt, then expand. Write a first pass that answers each requirement in one or two sentences, then go back and add the depth, examples, and reasoning the rubric expects. This prevents the most common failure: leaving a sub-point unanswered.
4. Cite and format correctly. Use credible sources and cite them in the style your task requires, with a matching reference list. Run your draft through the originality check WGU provides so you can fix any accidental similarity before an evaluator sees it.
5. Use evaluator feedback as a map. If a task comes back for revision, the report tells you exactly which aspect fell short. Fix that specific aspect rather than rewriting everything, and resubmit. A revision is normal, not a failure.

Skills you build here, especially reading a rubric literally and writing to defined criteria, carry directly into assessment-focused courses like D184 Standards-Based Assessment.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Answering the theme instead of the prompt. Students often write a general essay about climate change or technology and miss the specific lettered questions. Address each one explicitly.
• Blurring science and engineering. The course wants you to distinguish the scientific method (asking questions and testing explanations) from the engineering design process (defining problems and building solutions). Confusing the two is a frequent revision trigger.
• Skipping the "test and modify" step. In Task 2, some students propose a solution but never actually build, test, and revise it. The iteration is the point; describe what you changed and why.
• Thin or missing citations. Claims about scientific findings need credible support and a correctly formatted reference list. Unsupported assertions get flagged.
• Not proofreading. Because a human reads your work, clarity matters. Weak organization and careless errors make it harder for an evaluator to see that you met a requirement.

C388 Readiness Checklist

Before you submit, confirm you can honestly say yes to each of these:

• Can you explain, in your own words, how science, technology, and society influence one another?
• Can you describe the difference between the scientific method and the engineering design process, with an example of each?
• Can you point to the exact place in your Task 1 document where you address every lettered rubric aspect?
• Can you present more than one credible stakeholder perspective on your chosen issue without simply picking a side?
• Can you state a clear problem for Task 2 along with realistic constraints and specifications?
• Can you justify why your chosen solution is the most viable among the options you listed?
• Can you describe how you built, tested, and modified your solution based on results?
• Have you cited your sources correctly and run an originality check?

For more study guides across the School of Education, browse the education course hub or the full guide index. You can also confirm current course details on the WGU teaching programs page.

FAQ

Is WGU C388 an OA or a PA?

C388 is a performance assessment. You complete two written tasks that are uploaded and scored against a rubric by an evaluator. There is no proctored multiple-choice objective assessment for this course.

How hard is C388?

Many students report it is one of the easier courses in their plan because there is no exam to fail and the content is approachable. The real work is following the task instructions precisely and writing clearly to each rubric aspect.

How long does C388 usually take?

It depends on your writing speed, but many students report completing both tasks within one to two weeks of focused effort. Treat that as a rough guide rather than a guarantee and leave time to revise.

What topics can I choose for the tasks?

Task 1 centers on a socioscientific issue, and students have written about subjects such as climate change and nuclear power. Task 2 lets you define your own problem to solve with the engineering design process, so choose something concrete you can actually build and test.

What happens if a task comes back for revision?

A revision is normal. The evaluator report identifies the specific rubric aspect that fell short, so you fix that section and resubmit. It does not count against you the way failing an exam would.

Do I need a science background to pass C388?

No specialized science degree is required. The course rewards clear reasoning, careful reading of the prompts, and honest analysis far more than advanced technical knowledge, which is why writing discipline matters most here.