SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 How is the testing done? Just curious about this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 It varies at my school. For my management class there are just open book "exams" due every few weeks. For other classes you have to come in to the testing center on campus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 It varies at my school. For my management class there are just open book "exams" due every few weeks. For other classes you have to come in to the testing center on campus. Ah..huh that's interesting. Regarding the testing center. I'll have to ask about that. I've never taken an on-line course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Some classes had online tests, others I had to go on campus for tests. They had the information in the syllabus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 weekly Quizzes online Mid-terms and Final were proctored 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 weekly Quizzes online Mid-terms and Final were proctored at the school or on-line? if on-line, how does that work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 at the school or on-line? if on-line, how does that work? proctored tests were at the college testing center I think remote students - over 50 miles had to make their own arrangements 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 ah ok..thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Dd has taken a few online classes. She has had similar experiences to those above. Quizes, and some tests are online, but some tests, midterms, and finals are done at the testing center. If students cannot get to the testing center, they can arrange for the exam to be proctored at another location (libraries, colleges and testing centers like prometrics often offer this service for a fee). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 DD is not taking university level courses (she is in 9th grade now) but her Final Exams are supervised by an Approved Proctor. The Final exams count for 25% of the grade for the semester. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 All of my online classes had online exams without being proctored. They were usually set up through the school's portal, we use Moodle. You generally have a window of time to take the test, generally a 12 hour window. Of course, you only get a set amount of time for the test itself.. Some of the classes included weekly online discussions (through a forum in Moodle) and part of the grade came from participation in those. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Some of the classes included weekly online discussions (through a forum in Moodle) and part of the grade came from participation in those. I believe all of dd's online classes have included required forum posts as part of the grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiddles Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Sometimes proctored exams at the testing centre. Otherwise online testing and they trusted you not to cheat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I've done many online classes, and it's been all over the board. Some required everyone go to a classroom at a specific time for the test. Some had unproctored tests you take wherever you want - like a take-home test in a standard class, where the assumption is that you'll use whatever resources you have available. Some had written tests that I took in the library of my campus. My current school uses on online proctoring system, where someone watches you take the test remotely using a webcam. You have to show them the whole room and your ID and so forth. It's actually harder to cheat than it would be in a traditionally proctored setting, where you generally don't have someone paying close attention to you individually. Or you can go to a proctored testing center, which is what I did most of the time - I used the local community college library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 All my online college classes the testing is done online and open book is allowed. Most of them do not test because there isn't a big point to it if it is open book, instead our grades tend to be based on the class discussion boards and the assignments. The few that do tests they are done at home, online, open book (though my midterm I wrote yesterday only had 2 questions and both were essay questions so it didn't matter if it was open book or not, you had to know your stuff to be able to write the essays).My teens do online high school classes, quizzes are done at home, online, open book allowed, but midterms and finals we have to go to a testing center and they are proctored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobeatenpath Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 For any university courses I did online/distance it was mainly papers, so they had to be submitted. Any actual 'tests' we had to go to an approved examination centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 My daughters's French class used online tests only. Her chemistry was a hybrid class with all tests done during scheduled lab hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Interesting how many variations there are. I asked someone who is taking on-line courses from the same school and she said the exams have all been done at home. This would be a math class. I doubt there will be discussions or papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 All of my online classes had online exams without being proctored. They were usually set up through the school's portal, we use Moodle. You generally have a window of time to take the test, generally a 12 hour window. Of course, you only get a set amount of time for the test itself.. So how do they ensure that it is the student who is enrolled taking the test, and not somebody else? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 My dh teaches an online science course. Weekly quizzes done online. Midterms and finals have to be taken at a testing center. There is a week block of time this can be done for flexibility. It is easiest if students go to testing centers in the state system but he has had students arrange testing while in foreign countries even. Arrangements need to be made ahead of time. Cannot just show up at a center requesting a test. The teacher has to have sent the test and some kind of code and any special instructions. It works pretty well if students follow directions and make arrangements ahead of time. Problems come up with procrastination and not following instructions. As in most things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 My dh teaches an online science course. Weekly quizzes done online. Midterms and finals have to be taken at a testing center. There is a week block of time this can be done for flexibility. It is easiest if students go to testing centers in the state system but he has had students arrange testing while in foreign countries even. Arrangements need to be made ahead of time. Cannot just show up at a center requesting a test. The teacher has to have sent the test and some kind of code and any special instructions. It works pretty well if students follow directions and make arrangements ahead of time. Problems come up with procrastination and not following instructions. As in most things. It's mind boggling how disorganized some people are. I'm speaking of some of my classmates who are for the most part not that young. Some cannot get their act together. Then again, maybe they are just stretched very thin. No clue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 All of my online graduate courses have had open book exams, but the bulk of the work has been writing papers. Other alternatives I've seen are needing to go to a testing center, and one place even had this camera that you would point at yourself while taking the test at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 All of my online graduate courses have had open book exams, but the bulk of the work has been writing papers. Other alternatives I've seen are needing to go to a testing center, and one place even had this camera that you would point at yourself while taking the test at home. I read about that. Must be weird. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 For some of my online courses I went to the college's testing center. For others the exams were proctored by a pre-approved individual who met specific qualifications and had been given a password by my instructor to unlock my exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschoolmom3 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 My son's online class were not proctored and done online. Based on their honor code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilleigh Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 It depends on the class. I've had experience both with classes that require you to take proctored exams, and those that only required that you take a timed "open book" exam at home. Neither is an issue unless you have computer issues during the later, or it's a bit of a drive to get to the former. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I had testing for online and in-person classes online. At our college, a community college with a social mission, if it says that the class is entirely online, they do NOT require a proctor. It must be possible to do alone without any onerous requirements. The tests are designed to be open-book, so they are very hard, but they don't require the test-taker to come in, no transport or parking funds or daycare required. The assumption is that the test-takers are single parents and other people with obligations that will make it impossible for them to attend class. The tests are long but what to do? They have to be extra rigorous because they must all be considered open-book. We have students taking our courses from out of state. They pay a lot of money for out of state tuition. Some take private loans. The college takes responsibility for their education. We can't ask them to fly in from states that don't have online community college after we've taken their money. That would not be ethical. A proctored exam for a course would make it not "online" but "hybrid". We are in a high parking cost area that is not easy to get to. A proctored exam would effectively be charging students a $20 - $30 fee for the final. Not to mention our international charges! If we were a smaller institution in a free parking, easy transport area, it might be different. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 I had testing for online and in-person classes online. At our college, a community college with a social mission, if it says that the class is entirely online, they do NOT require a proctor. It must be possible to do alone without any onerous requirements. The tests are designed to be open-book, so they are very hard, but they don't require the test-taker to come in, no transport or parking funds or daycare required. The assumption is that the test-takers are single parents and other people with obligations that will make it impossible for them to attend class. The tests are long but what to do? They have to be extra rigorous because they must all be considered open-book. We have students taking our courses from out of state. They pay a lot of money for out of state tuition. Some take private loans. The college takes responsibility for their education. We can't ask them to fly in from states that don't have online community college after we've taken their money. That would not be ethical. A proctored exam for a course would make it not "online" but "hybrid". We are in a high parking cost area that is not easy to get to. A proctored exam would effectively be charging students a $20 - $30 fee for the final. Not to mention our international charges! If we were a smaller institution in a free parking, easy transport area, it might be different. That is how I see it. How is it an on-line class if it requires someone to go there? For me in particular that would not be an issue. The school is literally down the street. I just wondered how all that works. It's surprising how much it varies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 So how do they ensure that it is the student who is enrolled taking the test, and not somebody else? It's part of the student honor code, My school is expanding their online offerings and some do require on site testing for certain classes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 That is how I see it. How is it an on-line class if it requires someone to go there? For me in particular that would not be an issue. The school is literally down the street. I just wondered how all that works. It's surprising how much it varies. Our school has it separated by how much percentage is online. For my first year I took all 100% online and really didn't go to campus except once. One teacher gave extra credit for attending on campus events. I e-mailed her to remind her some of us didn't even live near campus and this class was listed as 100% online. She relinquished and gave us some EC online (arguments about the merits of extra credit aside). My son is taking one online class this year. He has had to video chat with the professor a few times. My school is working to try and get enough classes online so one could complete their general studies in that manner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 It's part of the student honor code, Yeah... color me skeptical. I see how well relying on students' ethics and honesty works in practice. I would not put much stock in such a test grade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 At our college, a community college with a social mission, if it says that the class is entirely online, they do NOT require a proctor. It must be possible to do alone without any onerous requirements. The tests are designed to be open-book, so they are very hard, but they don't require the test-taker to come in, no transport or parking funds or daycare required. The assumption is that the test-takers are single parents and other people with obligations that will make it impossible for them to attend class. The tests are long but what to do? They have to be extra rigorous because they must all be considered open-book. We have students taking our courses from out of state. They pay a lot of money for out of state tuition. Some take private loans. The college takes responsibility for their education. We can't ask them to fly in from states that don't have online community college after we've taken their money. That would not be ethical. A proctored exam for a course would make it not "online" but "hybrid". We are in a high parking cost area that is not easy to get to. A proctored exam would effectively be charging students a $20 - $30 fee for the final. Not to mention our international charges! If we were a smaller institution in a free parking, easy transport area, it might be different. The proctoring would not have to happen on YOUR campus - there are testing centers on campuses all over the country which administer exams. How do you make sure it is the actual student taking the exam? (And don't tell me it does not happen that people have others take tests for them... the SAT cheating scandal shows that having a substitute take exams is not a far fetched idea.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 One class you had to come in to take the test in their testing center. The other, the test was online. You could have tried to cheat on the online test, but would have had very little time. If you didn't already know exactly where to look in the book, you wouldn't have had time to finish the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm looking at general biology, and have seen three setups for the final exam 1) test is given at an approved testing center, either on campus or off campus (with a list of providers like Sylvan who can do proctoring for a fee) 2) you arrange a proctor and they e-mail them the access for an online test somewhere-the proctor has to be a teacher or librarian (I assume this is designed for high school DE students.) 3) a proctor watches the student over webcam while the student takes a test-you have to send them a copy of a photo ID and show the same ID over the camera. None of these tests are open book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 The proctoring would not have to happen on YOUR campus - there are testing centers on campuses all over the country which administer exams. How do you make sure it is the actual student taking the exam? (And don't tell me it does not happen that people have others take tests for them... the SAT cheating scandal shows that having a substitute take exams is not a far fetched idea.) Yeah it's a bit surprising to me. Especially given how much of a big deal they make of some stuff at the tiny CC I'm going to. For example, you MUST have a photo ID to register for a class. Not a problem for me. Was a bit of a problem for my kid. Although I just went and got him a non driver ID. I also have to somehow prove that he lives here in the county. He has nothing official that shows that. They make such a big stink about it. Yet they let people take exams from home on their computer. Bizarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Although I don't see anything wrong with an open book test. If you have put zero work into it, I don't see how having the book there is going to magically help you unless you are given several days to complete the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Although I don't see anything wrong with an open book test. If you have put zero work into it, I don't see how having the book there is going to magically help you unless you are given several days to complete the test. No, there is nothing wrong with a open book test that is well constructed and designed to be an open book test. It would be a completely different exam than one given without access to books. In fact, for a good open book test, the ability to consult the book would be completely useless ;-) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 No, there is nothing wrong with a open book test that is well constructed and designed to be an open book test. It would be a completely different exam than one given without access to books. In fact, for a good open book test, the ability to consult the book would be completely useless ;-) I haven't had too many open book tests, but they were usually things like stat tests where you were allowed to have the formulas. Thank goodness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I read about that. Must be weird. LOL That would probably be my school. I don't know if we're the only ones, but we're the best known for that. I only did one test that way. My computer didn't work with the camera, so I took most of them at a testing center, but one particular test in my program is a different format and I ended up having to take it with the online proctoring (using a work computer). It's not that bad. And that's coming from someone who gets extremely self-conscious on cameras, avoids Skype, and so forth (the other reason why I did a testing center for the others). While there's some initial interaction via video, you don't actually see them there staring at you, so it's easy to forget about when you're concentrating on the test itself. The benefit is that you don't have to go anywhere, and you can take the test at literally any time. The way the school is structured, there are no set deadlines except the end of the semester. You just take the test when you're ready. And we have people who decide they're ready at 3:00AM, and they can choose the "Take test now" option and take the test right then and there. It's also a huge help for rural students who don't have a testing center nearby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 That would probably be my school. I don't know if we're the only ones, but we're the best known for that. I only did one test that way. My computer didn't work with the camera, so I took most of them at a testing center, but one particular test in my program is a different format and I ended up having to take it with the online proctoring (using a work computer). It's not that bad. And that's coming from someone who gets extremely self-conscious on cameras, avoids Skype, and so forth (the other reason why I did a testing center for the others). While there's some initial interaction via video, you don't actually see them there staring at you, so it's easy to forget about when you're concentrating on the test itself. The benefit is that you don't have to go anywhere, and you can take the test at literally any time. The way the school is structured, there are no set deadlines except the end of the semester. You just take the test when you're ready. And we have people who decide they're ready at 3:00AM, and they can choose the "Take test now" option and take the test right then and there. It's also a huge help for rural students who don't have a testing center nearby. Yeah I suppose it's better than having someone actually sitting there next to you staring at you. LOL I hate skype. I've had more people ask me to skype them, but ugh no...too weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Yeah I suppose it's better than having someone actually sitting there next to you staring at you. LOL I hate skype. I've had more people ask me to skype them, but ugh no...too weird. Oh yes, I don't think I'd have gone to a testing center more than once if someone sat there staring at me. The proctor at my testing center didn't really seem to pay much attention. Maybe glanced over from time to time or had the person at the desk make sure I wasn't blatantly cheating or something. I don't know - never cheated, so it never came up. Like I said in my first post, I kinda suspect the online system is actually more difficult for cheating. They'll make you point the camera at stuff or scan the room if you're acting suspicious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I haven't had too many open book tests, but they were usually things like stat tests where you were allowed to have the formulas. Thank goodness. Yes, many of my graduate classes were open book because I focused on theoretical computer science. There were too many transformations/heuristics/proofs to memorize, but you still had to be really, really familiar with all of them. I spent hours and hours annotating my books and working through the examples. In my basic computer literacy classes, I allow open book for the Microsoft Office exercises where I give them a start file that they have to modify. The reality is that if they're using the book a lot, they're going to run out of time. It's there, and they can even look up what to do on Internet, but you have to be pretty fast with most of it or you won't make it. For the concept part of those classes, no way would I give an open book test. It's all about definitions and how things fit together, and either they know it or they don't. And still...sigh. I just gave one like that and only 10 out of 21 who took it got 70% or better. No way will I curve it because I made available online practice quizzes that contain all of the questions that go on the exams. Yes, they're long and boring with a lot more questions than I use, but if you don't practice, you won't do well. Now for the online college I work for, they require formal proctoring, either in a campus testing center or with a pre-approved proctor. They also do the camera-monitored testing, but there's a fee. You have to provide a government photo ID ahead of time and show it before the test. Someone is supposedly watching during the test, and it is recorded. The majority of their tests are closed book, and they warn students up front that you can't use an e-book on an open book test because of the problems of monitoring other uses of the device. My exams there are all closed-book/notes, so I don't know quite how that is handled. I was told that they try to avoid that type of test as much as possible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 The proctoring would not have to happen on YOUR campus - there are testing centers on campuses all over the country which administer exams. How do you make sure it is the actual student taking the exam? (And don't tell me it does not happen that people have others take tests for them... the SAT cheating scandal shows that having a substitute take exams is not a far fetched idea.) To us, the point of online is so that students can do it after work while babies sleep. This is a very real issue for many students. Regarding cheating, the college is very aware that it could happen. The thought was more or less (and believe me this was a huge, huge discussion that really cut to the heart of academic integrity and institutional ethics, and it was not taken lightly): 1. First and foremost, while some students cheat, many do not. On the whole, providing access to honest students who had circumstances making it nearly impossible for them to attend, was important. Of course, they wouldn't want to devalue the degree. So, 2. You might be able to pay someone to take the initial test for you... or one class... or even two or three. Beyond that, it becomes ridiculously cost-prohibitive. I mean imagine how much that costs per hour! At a minimum of 15 hours per week to pass, absolute minimum, *30/hr at the tutoring rate, we figured it would be around $450/week, or an additional $1800/month, or $3600/quarter. Ain't nobody got money for that! I've looked into whether or not you could ever completely fake a degree and how much you'd have to pay, and how you could find such a person. It's ridiculous. At community colleges, most students are poor. They simply don't have the money to be that dishonest for that long. Our students generally don't know tons of skilled people who have the time to earn an online degree for them on the cheap. Those people are working honest jobs making real money. In addition: 3. Having someone repeatedly falsify records who was also smart enough to get an entire degree online is actually more difficult than you'd think. It's not like cheating on one test by copying. I would venture to guess that at much more expensive institutions, this would actually be more common, simply because those students may have the means and access to more educated people. Ours don't. Most of them are first-generation college students and below the poverty line. That said... 4. Yes, a parent could do it for their own child. People considered this when contemplating an entirely online degree. The decision was that it would be so incredibly pathetic and pathological that in the end, we would not scuttle the online degree idea simply because some families were that screwed up. Go for it, mom. Do your son's online degree for him. You'll still never get a job for him. Or maybe you will. Whatever. That's them cheating. Speaking of... 5. Stopping someone from earning an online degree will not stop cheating. As you've mentioned, professors at every level see student dishonesty. The "honor" system is never enough. There need to be consequences and if caught, there are. But the main reason we believe this is not happening on a massive scale is that if our students had the resources to pay someone to get a degree for them, they'd be paying someone to do that at a four-year university which, incidentally, also offers online degrees. Not to mention, you could actually pay someone to attend your classes in person at our local flagship, because the courses are so damn big for a great deal of areas up to the 300-level, and the instructors might never even speak to one another. In a school of 60,000 people, it would not be difficult in any way, shape, or form to pay someone to do your math for you. Taking that into consideration, we finally decided that the risks of all-out wholesale substitute learning was unlikely, though we did think that two people might split the work and help one another. 6. Did you ever notice how many comments are required, the sheer amount of busywork in online classes and how much it counts for? That is to provide material for cross-checking exam marks as well as ensuring that there are very high barriers against cheating. Sad but true. I should mention that while international students can get a degree or take an online course, I do not believe the all-online degree is available to them precisely because they don't face the same financial constraints domestic students face. It is plausible to imagine them having a ton of money and deciding to get an "American degree" for their child and choosing our college. Heck, they do that now, but the kids are in in-person classes, so the instructors can evaluate them in smaller environments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 TTaking that into consideration, we finally decided that the risks of all-out wholesale substitute learning was unlikely, though we did think that two people might split the work and help one another. Yes, I agree with you that it is unlikely that one person finds somebody else to complete the entire degree work for them. But if the course is giving asynchronous online assignments that can be completed at different times it is extremely easy to split the work and distribute the risk by getting a group where members take turns going first submitting work and then having the others know the exam questions before they take the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Talked to the instructor tonight. He said math courses are hard to do on-line. Meaning I might not like the format. I'm still considering it. I do think I'm disciplined enough and I can still go to the tutoring center if I need to. And then I've got you guys so... :laugh: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Yes, I agree with you that it is unlikely that one person finds somebody else to complete the entire degree work for them. But if the course is giving asynchronous online assignments that can be completed at different times it is extremely easy to split the work and distribute the risk by getting a group where members take turns going first submitting work and then having the others know the exam questions before they take the test. For conventional students, yes. But the way exams are designed, it's more like a work environment. It doesn't matter if you know the questions. You still need to provide an original answer. I.e. Question: design a data environment and write the code to query it for a product. each student gets a different product menu and options (sorry, I'm on a phone). Because the variables and hierarchy are different, you can't copy. Also, this is why discussion board posts and distributed random assignments are so big in online courses. You can't distribute that. The instructors change the quantities, the scenarios. Our online instructors have reinvented curricula to deal with this. They work very hard at it because that is their bread and butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 DD's current class uses proctoring software. They have a time window where they have to be logged in with a quiet room, a clear desk top, photo id, and a working webcam. The software blocks other webpages from opening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 If you run across any college/university level courses that do not require some form of Proctoring (local or online) for the Final Examinations, I would suggest that you eliminate them from consideration. IMHO, a school that does not require Proctoring for those exams isn't serious. There may be exceptions to that, but Proctoring adds something to the certificate for completion of the course ("Report Card" or "Grade Report") and the integrity of the school. My wife was a Distance Learning student in the local public (the best) university in the city of Cali. Very tough school. She was a "Hybrid" student, where she did most of her studying alone at home, but went to the school, at least one Saturday each month, to take examinations and for classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I think by the time you're considering going all online to community college you may have already eliminated the world's top universities, such as UC Berkley, from your list of schools to attend, but that's just a guess. I'm not saying you can't get an excellent education at CC but nobody's claiming it's Harvard. It's a step towards Harvard but it's not Harvard (or even UCLA, or even UMich). So I would agree with that. It doesn't mean it's not a good degree but yeah, it's probably more focused on accessibility than on prestige, that is certain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 I think by the time you're considering going all online to community college you may have already eliminated the world's top universities, such as UC Berkley, from your list of schools to attend, but that's just a guess. I'm not saying you can't get an excellent education at CC but nobody's claiming it's Harvard. It's a step towards Harvard but it's not Harvard (or even UCLA, or even UMich). So I would agree with that. It doesn't mean it's not a good degree but yeah, it's probably more focused on accessibility than on prestige, that is certain. Although even some of the top Us offer some on-line stuff. I can't afford top U. Right now my goal is to take the math I need to possibly apply for a master's program. I think it's good enough to do that via a CC. I don't plan to do all courses on-line, but I am heavily considering taking my next one on-line. And then thinking ahead to master's programs, I will have far more choices if I can open that up to doing it on-line. Otherwise I'm limited to whatever happens to be close by. And so far I don't really like the selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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