uopeoplestudent
Joined 6 years ago
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Member since
Jun 12
Recent submissions
Comment · 6 years ago
Comment · 6 years ago
I somewhat agree. I don't think UoPeople and WGU were individually founded for this purpose. But, I think they were made necessary by cultural forces which necessitate "that piece of paper to bypass an HR checkbox."
> If you are serious about learning, look elsewhere.
This is unfair though. You can still acquire a decent education through the school. Depending on your goals, it might be better to look elsewhere.
Comment · 6 years ago
Was this thread posted on Yammer or in a WhatsApp group?
Comment · 6 years ago
I wouldn't called the school "innovative." It's fairly unique in higher ed, but definitely not innovative. The pedagogical approaches it uses have been around for decades in most cases.
And the faculty can be hit-or-miss. Some are awesome, some of okay. A few are just awful.
Personally, I had an instructor for Java who had difficulty managing different JDKs one a single machine. If I, as a student new to Java, can figure it out, I absolutely expect my instructor to know how to do so. Granted, this particular instructor was a "standout" in the negative sense. Most have been okay.
Fortunately, instructors are mostly inconsequential as there's very little interaction with them.
Comment · 6 years ago
I don't know about borderline fraudulent, but I really wish there were better explanations by the school.
I already knew what I was getting into when I started because I've been in and around academia for more than 2 decades. However, many of the students don't understand the intricacies of American higher ed. And they can be hard to explain to current and prospective students who just want to know if the degree will help them get a job or obtain some other goal in life.
That said, if I am not mistaken there are rules about to go into place at the US Department of Education which is supposed to eliminate the distinction between national and regional accreditation[0]. This should be fun to watch how it plays out.
[0] https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/03/17/pros-and-con...
Comment · 6 years ago
The school is not free. It's tuition-free.
Comment · 6 years ago
Exams are taken online. Some courses, which are marked in the catalog[0], require the use of a proctor for the final exam.
The proctor requirement can be fulfilled through a professional local to you (librarian, minister, etc.) or through an online service called ProctorU.
If you use a local professional, there is no fee and you are not permitted to pay them. If you use the ProctorU service, you must pay a fee to that service. None of these fees are provided to the school. It's purely a payment to the service.
[0] https://www.uopeople.edu/about/uopeople/essential-uopeople-d...
Comment · 6 years ago
Yes. They announced about a month or two ago that they received permission from WASC, a regional accrediting agency, to start the accreditation process.
Comment · 6 years ago
Not in CS, but the school offers an MBA and an master's in education.
Comment · 6 years ago
It really depends on your goals. If you're simply wanting to complete a degree or learn more about the field (like myself) then it's a great opportunity. If you're looking to pursue pure CS research, it might be better to go elsewhere.
There are plenty of students around your age range. There are plenty who attend school full-time (2 courses per 8-week term) while also working full-time. Some are also raising families in the process. So, definitely feasible.
If you have more specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Comment · 6 years ago
I'll append a few more.
Sophia Learning is currently offering their courses for free through July. They are ACE "accredited" (recommend is actually the proper term, I believe). I think they're normally ~$300-350.
There are several of us students doing courses there to transfer in.
Study.com offers many courses in CS and other areas which are ACE recommended. They charge $199 a month and an exam fee. If I recall correctly, you get so many exams in the monthly fee.
AP exams are another option.
DSST offers credit by exams.
And Excelsior College offers credit by exam as well, but I'm not sure of the costs.
Comment · 6 years ago
This is a common approach used in online courses. I taken both undergrad and grad courses which required it, and it doesn't really help raise the level of discourse. I don't like it for that reason. It comes across as "make work."
Comment · 6 years ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
> Please don't post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, brigading, foreign agents and the like. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about abuse, email us and we'll look at the data.
Report me, then.
Comment · 6 years ago
No worries. I didn't take it negatively.
I would prefer a more rigorous program, but for what I pay I accept it for what it is.
And you're right that many of the students struggle with even the basic courses, and there's very little in the way of support for them. Then again, that tends to be the nature of online education in general.
I don't know of any low cost "top tier" bachelor's programs, but I do know the University of Texas Austin and Georgia Tech both offer online master's for ~$10k. As I understand the programs, they're supposed to be more for students who didn't major in CS in their undergrad though.
I actually find some of the coursework in the Tech program interesting like Computational Photography.
Comment · 6 years ago
> your school that advertises itself as free but isn't
Tuition free, which it is.
https://www.uopeople.edu/tuition-free/what-is-tuition-free/
"UoPeople’s Tuition-Free Model is 100% real! We offer degree programs absolutely tuition-free, thanks to our generous donors who support our mission. To help support the university’s continued operation, UoPeople charges a $60 application fee, and an Assessment Fee per course completed ($100 for the undergraduate programs, and $200 for the graduate programs). That’s it. No annual enrollment fees, and no cost for course material. For those who cannot afford these fees, scholarships are available to help support their studies."
> advertises itself as accredited but isn't.
Nationally accredited, which it is. Here's what the US Department of Education says: "Accredited since (01/16/2014)"
https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/institution-profile/233675
> I don't consider WGU prestigious.
UC Berkeley is fairly prestigious, no?
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2016/04/22/uop-partners-with-uc-...
Sure, new account could be a shill. I understand the skepticism, but I think I've provided enough throughout my various comments here to demonstrate that I'm a student while also maintaining my privacy.
You don't have to agree, but at the very least you can stop spreading misinformation about the school.
UoPeople requires a high school diploma equivalent and English proficiency. If you meet that, you're golden.
The school uses a process they called "foundations" in which you take basic college-level courses to demonstrate the ability to complete them. If you maintain a decent GPA in those courses, you are granted "degree seeking status." So, essentially, you meet the minimum requirements and then earn your way into the program.
You will not need to submit your previous transcripts when you apply. However, I would recommend submitting them later and transferring any credits your can. No sense in repeating what you've already studied.
Even if you do submit your transcripts when you apply, I seriously doubt it would hurt your chances. The school is very big on "access to higher education," so denying you would run counter to that.
You could also try reapplying to WGU. If you struggled in community college, WGU might not work for you--yet. Then again, UoPeople might not either. If you feel like you've grown since then, developed better study and time management skills, then give either a shot.
Another option is that some universities offer "academic forgiveness."[0] It's basically a way to help students recover from a rough start.
[0] This is an example, but if you search for the term you'll find many schools with similar programs. https://www.tulsacc.edu/student-resources/student-records/ac...