flmom79 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I have a 7th grader who will be taking a few courses through Veritas Press next school year, while considering the prospect of pursuing their diploma program in high school. Sharing your perspective on the diploma program would be welcome. Particularly, I am wondering whether a) the workload is excessive for the humanities (it appears that one would be taking the equivalent of 8 or 9 credits each year instead of the standard 6, since their Omnibus courses span 3 credits and the remaining class load doesn't seem to be reduced) and b) whether your student felt he was living his entire life glued to the computer given the number, length, and frequency of the the classes. It looks like a spectacular program, but I do have these questions about any actual experience you may have had. Please advise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 (edited) your concerns are exactly why we have not done Veritas. I love the idea of it and considered it many times, but for us it would cost us many of the reasons we homeschool. I also think it takes a very certain type of student to thrive. My kids are average students-- they would not thrive with that work load. We have found that 3 live classes are about the Max most of mine can handle well without it causing excess stress. I have graduated one and she is thriving in college, succeeded in taking 38 college credits before she graduated. You have to know your student. VPA is VERY rigorous. It is not a good fit for any of mine. Individual classes sure -- but not the diploma program. And not having an "accredited" diploma is not a problem at all. Edited February 5 by ByGrace3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 (edited) Omnibus is a ridiculous amount of reading. My kids are smart. Not average. Unless your child wants humanities to be their life and all they breathe and they plan to get a degree in classical literature or something, please don't. Just save yourself and don't. We made this mistake twice and my kids wanted a life and to, you know, do math. Edited February 6 by Ann.without.an.e 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 (edited) On 2/4/2024 at 4:33 PM, flmom79 said: I have a 7th grader who will be taking a few courses through Veritas Press next school year, while considering the prospect of pursuing their diploma program in high school. Sharing your perspective on the diploma program would be welcome. Particularly, I am wondering whether a) the workload is excessive for the humanities (it appears that one would be taking the equivalent of 8 or 9 credits each year instead of the standard 6, since their Omnibus courses span 3 credits and the remaining class load doesn't seem to be reduced) and b) whether your student felt he was living his entire life glued to the computer given the number, length, and frequency of the the classes. It looks like a spectacular program, but I do have these questions about any actual experience you may have had. Please advise! Also, if you are ok with faith based education,have you looked at Schole Academy. Please check them out. Excellent, excellent. Deep reading and discussion with a goal of meaningful assignments and not busy work. ETA: We are not Catholic and most of the students in DS's classes have not been Catholic either. Edited February 6 by Ann.without.an.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flmom79 Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 On 2/6/2024 at 1:29 PM, Ann.without.an.e said: Omnibus is a ridiculous amount of reading. My kids are smart. Not average. Unless your child wants humanities to be their life and all they breathe and they plan to get a degree in classical literature or something, please don't. Just save yourself and don't. We made this mistake twice and my kids wanted a life and to, you know, do math. So, to be clear, your kids have tried the VP diploma program? Because I do appreciate that the VP diploma math is on level for an accelerated student, but there is quite a bit of weight towards the humanities -- so you are saying that your students felt they were not able to give attention to their math courses bc of Omnibus? As a 3 credit class, I can see that could be difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/7/2024 at 5:33 PM, flmom79 said: So, to be clear, your kids have tried the VP diploma program? Because I do appreciate that the VP diploma math is on level for an accelerated student, but there is quite a bit of weight towards the humanities -- so you are saying that your students felt they were not able to give attention to their math courses bc of Omnibus? As a 3 credit class, I can see that could be difficult. not the poster you quoted-- but we did a couple of years of Omnibus. I love it, but we chose not to do live classes for a reason. We did the self paced with the "audit" function so we could skip a few books and not drown. It was a great option. Another vote to check out Schole. We have loved every class we have taken with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flmom79 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 2 hours ago, ByGrace3 said: not the poster you quoted-- but we did a couple of years of Omnibus. I love it, but we chose not to do live classes for a reason. We did the self paced with the "audit" function so we could skip a few books and not drown. It was a great option. Another vote to check out Schole. We have loved every class we have taken with them. Oh, you have done the self paced -- tell me about it! I had been reluctant to try that because 1) I had heard that some students find it too easy to do well on the quizzes/assignments simply through going through the modules and without fully reading the texts and 2) tying into that, the concern that screen time easily becomes overdone, and I thought that engagement would be more likely in a live class (if screens were unavoidable) than adding in more video modules that could make it easy to zone out/become distracted. Could you allay these concerns for me (or not)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 20 minutes ago, flmom79 said: Oh, you have done the self paced -- tell me about it! I had been reluctant to try that because 1) I had heard that some students find it too easy to do well on the quizzes/assignments simply through going through the modules and without fully reading the texts and 2) tying into that, the concern that screen time easily becomes overdone, and I thought that engagement would be more likely in a live class (if screens were unavoidable) than adding in more video modules that could make it easy to zone out/become distracted. Could you allay these concerns for me (or not)? My kids did NOT find the quizzes and tests easy. Again though, more average students. I definitely think a live class would have offered a higher level of engagement and discussion but I had 2 kids in the same class so we did discussions together. It is a trade off, for us the self paced won out for flexibility and a desire not to spend our entire day doing one things. I also have competitive athletes so we had a lot of practices to work around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HZT Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 We were not impressed with Veritas. It didn't make our life easier by having online teachers but more difficult as expectations weren't clear and there seemed to be a lot of subjectivity (even in math). The amount of ridiculousness required for showing work in math was off the charts. I wish we hadn't wasted our money. I listened in to classes and the teachers would spend a good bit of time wasted by asking kids to come on video versus just using the mic to answer questions, as if by seeing them it would change the answer. In addition, there's about 15 minutes of off topic conversation at the beginning of each class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flmom79 Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 On 6/4/2024 at 1:42 PM, HZT said: We were not impressed with Veritas. It didn't make our life easier by having online teachers but more difficult as expectations weren't clear and there seemed to be a lot of subjectivity (even in math). The amount of ridiculousness required for showing work in math was off the charts. I wish we hadn't wasted our money. I listened in to classes and the teachers would spend a good bit of time wasted by asking kids to come on video versus just using the mic to answer questions, as if by seeing them it would change the answer. In addition, there's about 15 minutes of off topic conversation at the beginning of each class. interested in your comments here -- would you say that what was required in terms of demonstrating work in math *exceeded* work display requirements in other live online courses? My kids have had quite the experience in other such course providers in terms of getting used to what was expected there; are you saying Veritas goes beyond other course providers in that sense ( and which ones)? I am glad you commented about the video requirements....I can see that would be annoying for some families, but I'm actually glad to hear it bc I want mine to be motivated not to go to class in pajamas:):). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalom Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 I am very interested in receiving additional feedback regarding this matter. Online courses significantly increase our students' reliance on technology and screens, which is concerning given their developmental stages. We are already observing the adverse effects of screen addiction among teenagers and younger generations in society. Enrolling in a diploma program requires students to participate in online classes for approximately 20-24 hours per week. When you add the time spent on homework and assignments, this can increase by an additional 15 hours. This extended screen time is substantial. I would greatly appreciate any insights from those who have experienced the diploma program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flmom79 Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 On 7/15/2024 at 2:04 PM, Shalom said: I am very interested in receiving additional feedback regarding this matter. Online courses significantly increase our students' reliance on technology and screens, which is concerning given their developmental stages. We are already observing the adverse effects of screen addiction among teenagers and younger generations in society. Enrolling in a diploma program requires students to participate in online classes for approximately 20-24 hours per week. When you add the time spent on homework and assignments, this can increase by an additional 15 hours. This extended screen time is substantial. I would greatly appreciate any insights from those who have experienced the diploma program. Yes, this is my primary concern too. I have known students who did thrive with the VP diploma option and did not struggle (or just give in) with screen distraction, but it is something I worry about. Personally, I don't think that programs like Veritas are going to *cause* a screen addiction issue, because they do require so much work and concentration, but I do think that much screen time creates an opportunity for bad habits to form if there is an underlying character flaw. But, like you, I would like to hear more from those with direct experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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