cyndyinohio Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Anyone have experience in one of his classes?? Thanks! http://philfour.com/home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 bump ... I'm interested too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyndyinohio Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Anyone????? They look good on his website, but I'd love to get some feedback from someone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Me too. I visited their booth at the Midwest Conf. but only his wife was there. It looks interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I was going to post this same question and then saw this dated post. So I'm bumping it to see if anyone has tried them yet. The courses look like they have good potential. There are science and language classes as well. But it's tough to be the 'first' one to try them. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Does this "Although there is a fixed schedule, students can start at any time during the year of their choosing" mean it is asynchronous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Good question, Mark. I have emailed them a number of questions including this one which is not clearly indicated on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Wow, that was quick! I went to lunch and then came and already received answers to my 15+ questions from the owner/instructor, Dr. Seberino! ;) I am including them below since others may be curious as well. Derek, I'll be happy to answer your questions. See my responses inline below... On 01/31/2015 02:51 PM, Derek Sedillo wrote: Hello, We are a homeschool family in California and found your classes online. We have outsourced before and realize different programs work differently. As such we have a number questions about your courses in trying to better understand how it all works. I couldn’t find the answer to these questions on the website or FAQ which may be good to add at some future point: 1. What is the overall format (daily, weekly, etc...)? 2 classes per week 2. Are all courses pre-recorded lectures? There are videos as well as 2 class meetings per week to get live help on the material. 3. How long is each lesson? How many times per week are they? 2.... Each video is around 15 minutes and each class meeting is 50 min. 4. Is there a set schedule to follow and timeframe to complete each course within? Or is this variable per student? There is the standard schedule that starts in the fall but I can customize it as desired. 5. Is there a ‘live’ online option available? If so how does that work remotely? I have software for a "virtual classroom" that allows students to see me and to watch me work on a virtual whiteboard that is visible to all. 6. How much interaction between student and teacher is available? Really as much as needed.....Students can come to class if they have questions. If they need to miss a class, or they know the material, they can skip class meetings. They can also ask me questions on a message forum between classes or even discuss with students in a chat room. 7. How are classroom subject matter questions addressed? Students can turn on their microphones and then we can both hear each other so we just talk as if we were in the same room! 8. What is the normal response time to receive answers to student questions? Well during live class times instantaneously. I'm pretty fast about answering question the message forum as well. 9. How does the grading of homework, quizzes and tests work? Are tests taken online or at home primarily? Are the parents responsible for any grading? I handle all the grading. There are online homeworks and exams students do periodically. 10. Why are there no official textbooks used? Doesn’t that make it more difficult to prepare for quizzes and tests without studying the same content which may be covered on them? In a sense, the videos and the homeworks I have designed are my "curriculum". You could get by just using those resources. The books are just a backup resource. You can use PDFs I provide or your own to backup my videos if you wish. 11. Is there some kind of interactive and/or educational courseware used? Yes. 12. Is it possibly to see a demo of a course or samples online? You can see my videos on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3jS7XLzw8fG9dnFaAm5g5Q 13. If the format just isn’t working for the student for some reason is there a refund policy available? You can pay all at once with no refund policy or you can pay a little extra to make monthly payments and then simply stop payments if and when you decide to stop. 14. Is each course format basically the same in relation to the above questions (e.g. asynchronous nature, live options, frequency, schedule, grading, teacher interaction/availability)? Yes Lastly, I could not find any reviews of these courses which makes it difficult to make an informed decision. Do you know of any online reviews or have recommendations from other families which I could see? I could try to hook you up with some former families and you can chat with them if you wish. Hope that helps. Sincerely, Chris Seberino ___________________________ Christian Seberino, Ph.D www.philfour.com (936) 828-8747 ___________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 We are using the free option in 3 courses... I'll try to write more tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 We are using the free option in 3 courses... I'll try to write more tomorrow. Great, Lisa. I've noticed his prices are definitely on the reasonable side for online classes. Of course its nice to free options available as well! Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 The on-line free courses are not the same as the paid courses. If your student has questions (beyond the most basic such as -- I've tried to input my answer as X, and have checked my work with a tutor, but the system won't accept it), there is no help other than by setting up tutoring. We have struggled with the format -- but the instructor has been very willing to help anyway he can within the limitations of the course. Sometimes the lessons are hard to follow (I've heard this from both kids), the only Physics text we have is the online one. It seems like a good text, but the lessons don't necessarily line up with the chapters (they may skip around), and we've had difficulty trying to match the homework to the Physics text for this reason (one homework may cover several sections). Both kids seem to be doing pretty well with the math, it's just the Physics that we're finding a bit more difficult to follow/study appropriately -- and I'm pretty sure LEGOmaniac will have to repeat a Physics course (doing fine on the homework, but bombing the exams). PonyGirl is doing very well with the Geometry, and LEGOmaniac is doing pretty well in the Algebra 2 course. Sometimes the homework releases seem a bit late. C.S. is very responsive to e-mail, very willing to help. We just can't afford the $50/hr tutoring costs (NOTE, if you PAY for the class, some basic tutoring is included. The $50/hr for tutoring is for those using the free option, or needing significant extra instruction). In general, yes, I believe we'd try the courses again -- but I'd be working any magic I could to pay for the class vs. the free option. The free option is probably really good for highly motivated students and/or those with access to someone who can be of more help in Physics than either dh or I are. If you have more specific questions, please feel free to PM me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 The on-line free courses are not the same as the paid courses. 1) The course content is different or just the support aspect? I myself would assume very little support for free. 2) Sounds like the courses are not correlated to a specific text which is ok if a cross reference guide to several suitable texts is provided. Videos alone are never enough in my book so some kind of textbook or detailed handouts are necessary. 3) With the free version you get exams? Who corrects them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 1) The course content is different or just the support aspect? I myself would assume very little support for free. 2) Sounds like the courses are not correlated to a specific text which is ok if a cross reference guide to several suitable texts is provided. Videos alone are never enough in my book so some kind of textbook or detailed handouts are necessary. 3) With the free version you get exams? Who corrects them? 1) I'm guessing that there is more information in the online, paid course than in the videos. I think it goes beyond support. 2) No, it's not correlated. The only cross reference we have is a topic list/syllabus, but that doesn't correspond to the homework. The homework may cover multiple topics, and doesn't come out every week. The videos don't touch on topics that are included in the homework. We have access to the free online college physics texts. From what I can tell, we have to wait for the homework to be released, and then use the index in the online text to figure out what is supposed to be studied, and watch the video lecture. The math courses don't work this way, as the homework aligns with the chapter and syllabus. My 15yo spent 6 hours yesterday going back and forth trying to figure out what he was supposed to be doing. He was frustrated to the point of tears. He emailed and asked for more time to complete the assignment, which was granted. Honestly, I think he is more lost by the format of this class than the content. I'm sure he is missing information, because he doesn't realize he's supposed to cover it. I started him on Time4Learning Physics, because we could afford it, and he's having zero problems conceptually or with the math. I have no idea how it compares content-wise, but since he will most likely take Physics again, I'm not fretting too much. We have also availed ourselves of some free study helps online that are correlated to the online text listed with the Phil4 course. 3) Homework and exams I believe go through an automatic system (matching student's answers to what a teacher input) We used something similar in a Coursera course. You can see the answers after the exam/homework closes and is released. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks, Lisa. I was somewhat concerned about the format myself. Specifically, I like having an actual textbook which can be studied and aligns with the homework, quizzes and tests. An alternative could be the instructor's own curriculum with comprehensive notes such as what Derek Owens uses for his physics and math classes. The thing that really confuses me is the difference between the paid course and free version which you have used. I asked Chris this question. Yet I am still somewhat unsure after the answer. And I certainly wouldn't want something disjointed and frustrating like what you experienced with your son. Question: Why are there no official textbooks used? Doesn't that make it more difficult to prepare for quizzes and tests without studying the same content which may be covered on them? Answer: In a sense, the videos and the homeworks I have designed are my "curriculum". You could get by just using those resources. The books are just a backup resource. You can use PDFs I provide or your own to backup my videos if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Question: Why are there no official textbooks used? Doesn't that make it more difficult to prepare for quizzes and tests without studying the same content which may be covered on them? Answer: In a sense, the videos and the homeworks I have designed are my "curriculum". You could get by just using those resources. The books are just a backup resource. You can use PDFs I provide or your own to backup my videos if you wish. Alright...I'm answering this based upon what I've been told by my son -- the most recent homework in Physics included several problem ,types that were NOT covered by the videos (several problems out of 10 is a lot, in my opinion). He didn't know the formulas required, and didn't know where to really go to find the formulas. (He went to his tutor -- who showed him the formula. Side noe, of course, I *hate* this kind of tutoring -- because the kid needs to be able to do more than plug & chug. ) This kind of situation is easily remedied with the 2 on-line classes each week and through Q & A. Since we're doing the course "free" -- we're out of luck on that point. Initially, I had thought the syllabus correlated directly to the homework and the chapters in the textbook -- but found out after DS bombed the mid-term (and I mean BOMBED) this wasn't the case for the Physics Course. DS studied and re-worked homework problems, past videos, past tests, etc. and thought he had reviewed all of the material -- apparently, that wasn't the case, or what he did was completely ineffective. As I said before the Geometry and Algebra 2 courses, the syllabus DOES correspond to the chapters in the book and the homework. **I'm going to go back and look at the PDF's...because I'm not sure what those are. The only PDF I've seen has been one that outlines how to input information. The PDF's might be where we're going wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I went and looked at the open homework PDFs...one is a hard-copy of the 4 problems, and the other two links are to notation/unit helps. I don't see explanatory notes on it. I believe the solutions/explanations are available after the homework closes -- but that isn't much help when you're drowning on the problems to begin with. I do feel that IF the syllabus were arranged so that it listed the topics -- as they were covered by the week, AND with the chapters in the text he provides the links to, the course would be much, much better to follow/understand. For the most part, the videos are good -- we've had issues with every instructor we've used (because the way something was explained just wasn't making sense to one of my kids) -- so the occasional mis-understanding of an explanation is dealt with through other resources we have available. I don't feel that kind of thing is a big deal. As I said before, I believe the course instruction in the on-line, paid courses is probably enough to get through a solid course -- but the free version of Physics, as it currently stands, unless you have a super motivated kid, probably isn't the best option. FWIW, my son was very excited about taking Physics this year. He's young to be taking a class with this level of content anyhow, and I'm certain his age/maturity level plays into how he deals with it all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I went and looked at the open homework PDFs...one is a hard-copy of the 4 problems, and the other two links are to notation/unit helps. I don't see explanatory notes on it. I believe the solutions/explanations are available after the homework closes -- but that isn't much help when you're drowning on the problems to begin with. I do feel that IF the syllabus were arranged so that it listed the topics -- as they were covered by the week, AND with the chapters in the text he provides the links to, the course would be much, much better to follow/understand. For the most part, the videos are good -- we've had issues with every instructor we've used (because the way something was explained just wasn't making sense to one of my kids) -- so the occasional mis-understanding of an explanation is dealt with through other resources we have available. I don't feel that kind of thing is a big deal. As I said before, I believe the course instruction in the on-line, paid courses is probably enough to get through a solid course -- but the free version of Physics, as it currently stands, unless you have a super motivated kid, probably isn't the best option. FWIW, my son was very excited about taking Physics this year. He's young to be taking a class with this level of content anyhow, and I'm certain his age/maturity level plays into how he deals with it all. For most students a Conceptual Physics course in 8th or 9th grade is the way to go. See Dicentra's thread for choices. You should consider a mid-year change. Hewitt videos are now free to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 For most students a Conceptual Physics course in 8th or 9th grade is the way to go. See Dicentra's thread for choices. You should consider a mid-year change. Hewitt videos are now free to watch. He completed a conceptual course 2 years ago. The problem has been the way the course is organized (not having a syllabus mapped to homework or chapters in a book -- it's like being told you have a 5 page paper due in a week, but not being given any other details until the night before it's due). He is sailing through a different Algebra based Physics program, with clear organization. The math and concepts are understood, but sometimes there is a big gap between what is covered, and what's expected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I came back to update this, because it seems some things have changed. DS is studying for his 2nd semester mid-term. As part of the process, he is reviewing videos and homework (he went back to the beginning). He is very animated right now, because it seems that there are MORE videos, with MORE explanation, as well as lab discussions he swears weren't there before. He found a PDF of equations and formulas he has been spending hours (previously) looking up and seeking tutoring advice from. He is learning about concepts that he swears weren't discussed the first time around, and he also found a long grouping of PDFs for labs (instructions). DH is in charge of labs, so I'm certain he will be very grateful for the instruction sheets. DS feels that had he had access to these materials from the beginning he wouldn't have struggled nearly as much (I do recall enough from looking at the early lessons that there weren't this many videos). I still feel the syllabus should reference the College Physics text (free online), that is provided/linked to the course. If someone wants to use a different text, that's up to them. However, I think the course (as it is now, with the labs, additional videos, etc.) is much, much better. **The self-grading nature of the system being used can be problematic, if you don't fully understand how you are expected to input the answers, or your answer doesn't exactly match that which is in the system** In a live-course, with a live-teacher, most kids would get partial credit for what was correct, and lose some points here and there. It's all or nothing with the grading. As a parent, you may want to take a look at your child's actual work vs. what is shown. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I'm such a topic hog on this one...lol I had a nice chat with Mr. Seberino this week -- he called me ;) I essentially hit the highlights of what I mentioned here to be the bigger negatives regarding the coursework. He agreed and will be implementing those suggestions (mapping the syllabus, and even listing the chapters covered with the book(s) with the assigned homework. He also mentioned linking Khan Academy videos as a secondary resource for the homework -- should people need something explained another way (I mentioned that we used outside resources to help the kids get a different take on something they weren't clear on). I think the changes he's making will be quite beneficial for all students taking these courses in the future. Just thought you all would like to know! Lisa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenergy Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Philfour.com isn't working. Anyone know why? I've also emailed and no response. Which is unusual. Thanks - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Philfour.com isn't working. Anyone know why? I've also emailed and no response. Which is unusual. Thanks - I also noticed that last weekend maybe he is located in the Harvey area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenergy Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) That's certainly a thought, wondering why the website would be down though. So to your knowledge he was still offering classes this year? I had been discussing it with him in the spring. Hmmmm. Yep - you're right - he's in a small northwest suburb of Houston TX. Thanks! Edited August 29, 2017 by jenergy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Philfour.com is still down Mr Seberino has some Facebook stuff via other schools that he teaches at. I don't do Facebook - anybody willing to try making contact to ask about Philfour? ( I am currently checking web links for the Pinned Physics thread) thanks PM is fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 (edited) I don't do Facebook - anybody willing to try making contact to ask about Philfour?I just sent him a message through Facebook about Philfour being inaccessible out of curiosity. He is located in Conroe, Texas according to his Facebook page. ETA: No reply so far Edited September 6, 2017 by Arcadia 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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