Propero: Any reviews

[ironheadjack]

I was just wondering if anyone has any recent reviews of Propero courses....they offer quite a few programs that aren't available through CBE, but yet Propero doesn't seem to get much play around here.

I've only read one review of an English course a member took from them, but that was some time ago.


I kind of get the feeling that it is similar to SL but I have no clue how the courses are actually set up.


Any insight?

[Tedium]

Completely off-topic and not helpful, but every time I say Propero out loud I think of some magician-tutor that entertains the kids with rabbits in the hat during one half of the party, and prepares them for college exams during the other half.

I haven't taken any, but it does look a lot like Straighterline. They have some awesome Criminal Justice offerings, if that's your major. I might take Policing Techniques: Interviewing and Interrogation just for fun if I find $299 in my sofa. I'm not sure if CJ is like English in that the classes are more difficult to come by, but that might be a big draw. The pricing is a bit steep, but it looks like it comes with all sorts of goodies: podcasts, ebooks, 10 hrs of tutoring, and a success coach (whatever that is).

From the site, "Fully Supported Course ExperienceOnce a student enrolls in a Propero course, they are supported by an ecosystem of student success coaching and on-demand tutoring. Propero uses behavioral triggers to improve the supported nature of the experience. Using specific triggers and reporting functions, academic advising staff will contact the student as necessary to offer academic help and advice."

I guess my questions would be:

1) Are the exams proctored?

2) I see "Self-paced!" all over the place, but not too much info on exactly how long you have to finish. One year? Nine months? No time limit?

3) How annoying/helpful is that success coach? It might be a super useful tool, but from what I quoted it looks like they might hover over your shoulder a bit. It could be really annoying to stop and chat with a coach every five seconds if you are trying to finish quickly. How does that work exactly? Can you opt out?

[IrishJohn]

There's an Army Warrant Officer here that took some courses through Propero and posted a couple of reviews. You might try a search for them.

[bluespecial]

I took Accounting 2 thru Propero this past spring and was not able to pass the course for a variety of reasons. The e-text for the class was meant to be used with a software package that does not come with the class. Also the quizzes and tests featured questions from chapters not even covered yet. I thought at the time, "its un-proctored, and self-paced, how could I lose?" Well I lost $300 dollars and it was a huge setback for me. I never communicated with the "success coach" but I did write a very well thought out professional letter to my "advisor" explaining my concerns about being tested on material from wrong chapters etc. and how I could never see what I was doing wrong because of the missing software that was supposed to used hand-in-hand with the textbook. She emailed be back stating she was going to "be in touch." I never received any further communication from Propero and within two weeks I was locked out their system.

The course was supposed to be finished in 16 weeks. I believe you can ask for an extension. The quizzes and exams were all timed. I didn't feel there was enough time to complete entire accounting story problems on scrap paper with the time provided. I did all my Clep's and Dsst's within 35-45 minutes, so time management has never been a problem for me.

The thread about Propero can found here: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...urses.html

My insight is that is was an awful experience. Maybe its better now but who knows. I haven't been back to their website to see if their program descriptions or objectives have changed. Like other alternatives ways to earn credit, try at your own risk.

[ironheadjack]

Thanks bluespecial, that thread contains the only reviews I could find about Propero on here. Maybe your review and Armyb77's were enough to keep people away.

[Tedium]

Well, that thread answered my questions. They only gave 12 weeks to finish the course? That's pretty silly. I'd rather spend my $325 at University of Idaho and have to deal with fewer complications.

[Vandalet]

I mentioned in the other Propero thread, if you are just looking to pass the course and dont really need to learn the material, it works. Just copy/paste each lesson into a word doc, then open that and the eText and search through them as you take each test. I got an 86% in Critical Thinking this way without reading anything, even having the same issues others have had. Someone else i know has taken 3 of them this way.

[eyrobinson]

I just finished up Business Law with them. I know I know I could have taken it at Straighterline for a much better price, but time was of the essence and I did not have time for proctors. The course included the text, I think 12 quizzes, and 8 tests. The course grading was confusing and so was the test taking. Can't really explain it, but I had no idea how to navigate the quizzes and tests. I just took what I thought I needed to take and emailed the course advisor to fill in the gaps. I believe some of the questions had the wrong answer which the computer believed to be correct. I researched the question thoroughly and it was still marked wrong.

But my main issue was with forwarding my credits to ACE. I finished the course 12/9 and just got the situation cleared up today (12/19). I received an email from ACE stating my credits were in the ACE system, but they never were. They closed me out of my course so I had no way of emailing them. Don't worry about using the Pearson hotline or chat because they can't help you. You can only contact Propero through your course or if you have their email address. Luckily, the Pearson hotline gave me the academic advisor email address. I emailed them many times and they claimed they were clearing up the issue. I basically had to threaten to put a charge back on my credit card in order for them to resubmit my credits to ACE. I don't know if I will take anymore courses from them as I was looking at some of their criminal justice offerings. I'm actually pretty pissed because I could have probably taken less time with Straighterline for much less money...

[Vandalet]

But my main issue was with forwarding my credits to ACE. I finished the course 12/9 and just got the situation cleared up today (12/19). I received an email from ACE stating my credits were in the ACE system, but they never were. They closed me out of my course so I had no way of emailing them. Don't worry about using the Pearson hotline or chat because they can't help you. You can only contact Propero through your course or if you have their email address. Luckily, the Pearson hotline gave me the academic advisor email address. I emailed them many times and they claimed they were clearing up the issue. I basically had to threaten to put a charge back on my credit card in order for them to resubmit my credits to ACE. I don't know if I will take anymore courses from them as I was looking at some of their criminal justice offerings. I'm actually pretty pissed because I could have probably taken less time with Straighterline for much less money...

Did you already have an ACE account before you finished the Propero course? I knew a couple people, and myself, that had this issue. When Propero sends your info to ACE, they create a new account for you, no matter if you had one or not. Myself, and others, have had to call ACE and have them combine the two accounts for it to show up correctly (if you did already have an account).

They have all kinds of issues with questions being wrong, or asking questions from a future chapter that has not been covered yet. But I still dont think it is too hard since you only need a 70% to pass.

[eyrobinson]

Yes, Vandalet I already had an account. I called ACE three times over a 5 day period to see if my credits showed up in their system and was told no. I have no idea what happened because I did get an email stating my credits were there, but they never were according to ACE. Maybe Propero added them then deleted them...I have no idea, but I believe it was Propero's fault. After Propero actually did submit my credits I just called ACE and they merged my credits onto my "official" ACE transcript in less than 5 minutes. *SHRUG*