08-06-2017, 11:59 AM
I just finished a slew of courses on Shmoop and I wanted to report back with some tips and advice for others. I so appreciate this forum ![[Image: emo5.gif]](https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo5.gif)
and wanted to give back.
Sorry for the long post... lots to say!
GLITCH to know about....
You are given two attempts at each test. However, if you run out of time on the first test, you will NOT be given a chance at the second test. This is an unfixed glitch as of this date - I don't think it's intentional. I finished the test but wanted to go back and review my answers. I walked away from my desk intending to come back and review it again, but time got away from me. The time ran out and my test was graded, but then I was unable to take the test again. This happened to me twice. You need to "submit" the test before the time runs out to avoid this problem.
More about Tests...
You get a second chance at each test. Keep in mind two things: 1) the second test is NOT the same as the first test so no freebies here. The second test will be new questions (maybe 1 or 2 questions overlap, but not many). 2) they don't keep your best score, they keep your 2nd score. So it's very possible that you do worse on the second test. Just do your best on the first one and only take the second one if you really need to in order to boost your score.
If you are deciding which course to take.....
A lot of people ask which courses are "easiest"... well, it depends entirely on your previous knowledge of that topic!! So here is another way to decide... Some courses have more units than others (look at each syllabus). Since every unit means a test, then the more units, the more tests. So if you are trying to make the most of your time, pick the course with fewer units so you have fewer tests. For example, Holocaust in Literature has 4 units, but Literature in the Media has 12. So you'll get through Holocaust faster and fewer tests. But if you want your score spread over more units and you aren't tight on time, then pick the course with more units.
Excited about no proctoring? Think again....
Shmoop words the test questions in such a way that it's nearly impossible to search out an answer on the web. It's against their honesty policy to google, but even if you tried, google usually can't help you much because of the unusual wording of the questions. You'll also run out of time if you're googling. Make sure to read the material not only on their site, but in the links they provide in the text.
Western Literature......
Most of the tests in Western Lit have long passages that you need to read to answer the questions. So you have to really be prepared for these tests. You may not have extra time on it as you did with other courses. You get 60 minutes for 20 questions on the unit tests and 120 minutes for the final with 50 questions (for all courses). It's a lot of time but it goes quickly because many of the questions are not straightforward. And with Western Lit, you need all that time. Just because it took you 15 minutes to finish a unit test in one course doesn't mean that will happen in another course or another unit.
Government......
American Government and Comparative Politics - these courses are new as of summer 2017. I found several typos on the tests. Another person on the forum also reported these problems, especially with the Comparative Politics. The typos aren't spelling errors... they consist of completely blank answer options and repeated right answer options. Makes it a little hard to pass these tests because of the errors! But they are passable and both courses will fulfill the TESU Gen Ed requirement for civic engagement.
Props to Shmoop....
-- Shmoop gets an A++ for quickly approving your credits on your ACE transcript. The course will hit your ACE transcript sometimes within minutes of requesting!
-- They also have good customer service - you can't get anyone on the phone but they email pretty quickly and were very polite and helpful.
-- Shmoop also make me laugh a few times with their silly descriptions of literature plots and characters. Sometimes I needed a laugh! At first I was put off by the junior high language (Shmoop was originally designed for junior high and high school students)... but after a while I appreciated that they do seek to explain things as clearly as possible using today's vernacular.
Overall, I found Shmoop to be harder than Straighterline and Study.com. But if you need those upper level literature courses, they are the only pony in the show right now. Don't stress about it, just do it and get the passing grade. It's not impossible, just a tad more frustrating. You can do it!
If you are just needing lower level credits, I would recommend Study.com over Shmoop because of the better quiz policy with study.com and the more straightforward test questions. But Shmoop is super cheap, so that's where they win.
Hope that helps everyone! Good luck!!!
and wanted to give back. Sorry for the long post... lots to say!
GLITCH to know about....
You are given two attempts at each test. However, if you run out of time on the first test, you will NOT be given a chance at the second test. This is an unfixed glitch as of this date - I don't think it's intentional. I finished the test but wanted to go back and review my answers. I walked away from my desk intending to come back and review it again, but time got away from me. The time ran out and my test was graded, but then I was unable to take the test again. This happened to me twice. You need to "submit" the test before the time runs out to avoid this problem.
More about Tests...
You get a second chance at each test. Keep in mind two things: 1) the second test is NOT the same as the first test so no freebies here. The second test will be new questions (maybe 1 or 2 questions overlap, but not many). 2) they don't keep your best score, they keep your 2nd score. So it's very possible that you do worse on the second test. Just do your best on the first one and only take the second one if you really need to in order to boost your score.
If you are deciding which course to take.....
A lot of people ask which courses are "easiest"... well, it depends entirely on your previous knowledge of that topic!! So here is another way to decide... Some courses have more units than others (look at each syllabus). Since every unit means a test, then the more units, the more tests. So if you are trying to make the most of your time, pick the course with fewer units so you have fewer tests. For example, Holocaust in Literature has 4 units, but Literature in the Media has 12. So you'll get through Holocaust faster and fewer tests. But if you want your score spread over more units and you aren't tight on time, then pick the course with more units.
Excited about no proctoring? Think again....
Shmoop words the test questions in such a way that it's nearly impossible to search out an answer on the web. It's against their honesty policy to google, but even if you tried, google usually can't help you much because of the unusual wording of the questions. You'll also run out of time if you're googling. Make sure to read the material not only on their site, but in the links they provide in the text.
Western Literature......
Most of the tests in Western Lit have long passages that you need to read to answer the questions. So you have to really be prepared for these tests. You may not have extra time on it as you did with other courses. You get 60 minutes for 20 questions on the unit tests and 120 minutes for the final with 50 questions (for all courses). It's a lot of time but it goes quickly because many of the questions are not straightforward. And with Western Lit, you need all that time. Just because it took you 15 minutes to finish a unit test in one course doesn't mean that will happen in another course or another unit.
Government......
American Government and Comparative Politics - these courses are new as of summer 2017. I found several typos on the tests. Another person on the forum also reported these problems, especially with the Comparative Politics. The typos aren't spelling errors... they consist of completely blank answer options and repeated right answer options. Makes it a little hard to pass these tests because of the errors! But they are passable and both courses will fulfill the TESU Gen Ed requirement for civic engagement.
Props to Shmoop....
-- Shmoop gets an A++ for quickly approving your credits on your ACE transcript. The course will hit your ACE transcript sometimes within minutes of requesting!
-- They also have good customer service - you can't get anyone on the phone but they email pretty quickly and were very polite and helpful.
-- Shmoop also make me laugh a few times with their silly descriptions of literature plots and characters. Sometimes I needed a laugh! At first I was put off by the junior high language (Shmoop was originally designed for junior high and high school students)... but after a while I appreciated that they do seek to explain things as clearly as possible using today's vernacular.
Overall, I found Shmoop to be harder than Straighterline and Study.com. But if you need those upper level literature courses, they are the only pony in the show right now. Don't stress about it, just do it and get the passing grade. It's not impossible, just a tad more frustrating. You can do it!
If you are just needing lower level credits, I would recommend Study.com over Shmoop because of the better quiz policy with study.com and the more straightforward test questions. But Shmoop is super cheap, so that's where they win.
Hope that helps everyone! Good luck!!!
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