Sophia Quality... Questionable?

[CableGuy98]

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted on the forums but I just can't help but bring this up. 

I was taking some Sophia courses to test them out during the free period and I couldn't believe how easy they are. I took Sociology in just a day (just over 2 hours) and that's one of the longer ones! 

The most disappointing thing to me was the practice final. It's only 25 questions long, open book and not proctored. They of course have that typing test to verify that it's you, but you could have 10 people in the room helping you, or you could type the sentence and walk away to have someone else take the test. Not to mention, just opening other tabs on your computer, which it didn't seem to specifically say not to do. Although I didn't do that because it seemed like cheating and I wasn't sure of the rules, and it was so stupid easy I didn't need to. I didn't even need to use the open book material they prompt you to check during the test. Additionally, I went through it as quickly as I could so I didn't read one line of text from the transcripts, I only went through and took the quizzes and milestones. I don't say this to brag - rather to point out that I think anyone would do just fine with that method. Especially on the final, since some of the questions were so blatantly obvious a 10 year old could answer them. 

I understand that people shouldn't cheat even if they won't get caught, but it all just seems a little ridiculous. I know it's nice to have courses that are easy - I'd be lying if I said I didn't always look for the easiest CLEP, DSST, Straighterline and Study.com courses to meet my requirements. But something that easy (and easy to cheat on) seems like it really lowers the integrity of what it means for a course to be ACE approved. 

I'm honestly pretty disappointed to see this. But I'm curious to hear other opinions on it!

Typically I don't do a ton of posting here.. but I had to entertain this one..

Not trying to ridicule you, but you're not making a ton of sense my friend.   For starters, you simply can't beat FREE... $FREE.99 is what that course costed you- thankfully, the folks at Sophia are trying to do their part in helping those who are out of work, out of school, or out of luck do something to better themselves, one class at a time. 

As someone who has experienced the big campus environment, seminar courses with 100+ students and the rigors of trying to workaround nearly impossible instructor office hours to meet one-on-one with an instructor- alternative education sources such as Sophia, Study.com (SDC), Straighterline etc have proven to be invaluable not only in content, but also in accessibility to material you just don't get from most classroom environments at other institutions, not to mention a lifeline for working adults, military learners, and those who are balancing a career, family, and the ever changing educational demands to remain competitive in the workforce. To be able to engage this type of learning on ones own schedule from start to finish wherever you are is beyond convenient and further contributes to extending education to those who might live in the rural areas or simply not have the means to attend brick & mortar learning where that 10 year-old isn't allowed to answer questions, but you still have those other 10 people in the room who could help you with enough coercion.

Do remember these are 100-200 level courses- by no means is anyone a subject matter expert (SME) upon completing these courses or ANY college course for that matter, the same can be said for students at a traditional institutions... the goal is to introduce you to a new concept, something to add to your toolbox, something you can speak to understanding fundamentally without expert level knowledge. That said, if you find these courses too easy or beneath your study habits- Congratulations, 10 year-olds throughout the world likely idolize your abilities.. I offer you the typical undergrad process where in most cases you're a number in any given class, and best of luck getting that question you have about a formula/concept/theory answered, there is no rewind or pause button during lectures (at least not in the pre-COVID 19 world there weren't)... 

The fact that these alternative learning methods have been approved by ACE/NCCRS/Other accrediting bodies confirms the material itself meets the threshold for academic suitability- student integrity on the other hand rests soley on the student- You get out of the experience, what you put into it- having 10 people in the room or opening other tabs is your own personal integrity issue- the same students that choose to "go through it as quickly as I could so I didn't read one line of text from the transcripts" are generally the same ones that complain the material is "too difficult" or "not clearly explained" at a traditional university- so the pendulum swings in both directions.. 

As you said, "I'm curious to hear other opinions on it!".. well, you have my $0.02 the remaining $0.98 would have taken too much space on the page- 
I'm honestly pretty disappointed to see your post, I couldn't help but reply to it.

[gams007]

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted on the forums but I just can't help but bring this up. 

I was taking some Sophia courses to test them out during the free period and I couldn't believe how easy they are. I took Sociology in just a day (just over 2 hours) and that's one of the longer ones! 

The most disappointing thing to me was the practice final. It's only 25 questions long, open book and not proctored. They of course have that typing test to verify that it's you, but you could have 10 people in the room helping you, or you could type the sentence and walk away to have someone else take the test. Not to mention, just opening other tabs on your computer, which it didn't seem to specifically say not to do. Although I didn't do that because it seemed like cheating and I wasn't sure of the rules, and it was so stupid easy I didn't need to. I didn't even need to use the open book material they prompt you to check during the test. Additionally, I went through it as quickly as I could so I didn't read one line of text from the transcripts, I only went through and took the quizzes and milestones. I don't say this to brag - rather to point out that I think anyone would do just fine with that method. Especially on the final, since some of the questions were so blatantly obvious a 10 year old could answer them. 

I understand that people shouldn't cheat even if they won't get caught, but it all just seems a little ridiculous. I know it's nice to have courses that are easy - I'd be lying if I said I didn't always look for the easiest CLEP, DSST, Straighterline and Study.com courses to meet my requirements. But something that easy (and easy to cheat on) seems like it really lowers the integrity of what it means for a course to be ACE approved. 

I'm honestly pretty disappointed to see this. But I'm curious to hear other opinions on it!

Typically I don't do a ton of posting here.. but I had to entertain this one..

Not trying to ridicule you, but you're not making a ton of sense my friend.   For starters, you simply can't beat FREE... $FREE.99 is what that course costed you- thankfully, the folks at Sophia are trying to do their part in helping those who are out of work, out of school, or out of luck do something to better themselves, one class at a time. 

As someone who has experienced the big campus environment, seminar courses with 100+ students and the rigors of trying to workaround nearly impossible instructor office hours to meet one-on-one with an instructor- alternative education sources such as Sophia, Study.com (SDC), Straighterline etc have proven to be invaluable not only in content, but also in accessibility to material you just don't get from most classroom environments at other institutions, not to mention a lifeline for working adults, military learners, and those who are balancing a career, family, and the ever changing educational demands to remain competitive in the workforce. To be able to engage this type of learning on ones own schedule from start to finish wherever you are is beyond convenient and further contributes to extending education to those who might live in the rural areas or simply not have the means to attend brick & mortar learning where that 10 year-old isn't allowed to answer questions, but you still have those other 10 people in the room who could help you with enough coercion.

Do remember these are 100-200 level courses- by no means is anyone a subject matter expert (SME) upon completing these courses or ANY college course for that matter, the same can be said for students at a traditional institutions... the goal is to introduce you to a new concept, something to add to your toolbox, something you can speak to understanding fundamentally without expert level knowledge. That said, if you find these courses too easy or beneath your study habits- Congratulations, 10 year-olds throughout the world likely idolize your abilities.. I offer you the typical undergrad process where in most cases you're a number in any given class, and best of luck getting that question you have about a formula/concept/theory answered, there is no rewind or pause button during lectures (at least not in the pre-COVID 19 world there weren't)... 

The fact that these alternative learning methods have been approved by ACE/NCCRS/Other accrediting bodies confirms the material itself meets the threshold for academic suitability- student integrity on the other hand rests soley on the student- You get out of the experience, what you put into it- having 10 people in the room or opening other tabs is your own personal integrity issue- the same students that choose to "go through it as quickly as I could so I didn't read one line of text from the transcripts" are generally the same ones that complain the material is "too difficult" or "not clearly explained" at a traditional university- so the pendulum swings in both directions.. 

As you said, "I'm curious to hear other opinions on it!".. well, you have my $0.02 the remaining $0.98 would have taken too much space on the page- 
I'm honestly pretty disappointed to see your post, I couldn't help but reply to it.

Is impossible to finished a Sophia course complete in 2 hours like gremlinbrawler is saying he did, I took almost one day to complete one course, you need to read a lot and pass through each subject and sometimes they trick you with question that you need to use your common sense or do a google search to find a concrete answer. I think if this is to easy he needs to be studying best for a PHD degree.

[rachel83az]

Is impossible to finished a Sophia course complete in 2 hours like gremlinbrawler is saying he did, I took almost one day to complete one course, you need to read a lot and pass through each subject and sometimes they trick you with question that you need to use your common sense or do a google search to find a concrete answer. I think if this is to easy he needs to be studying best for a PHD degree.

I actually had to figure this out. Sociology has 5 units with a total of 119 questions in the challenges and 103 milestone questions, plus the final 25 milestone questions. That's 247 questions. Assuming that you were already taking UL courses on this subject and only needed an average of 30 seconds for the page to load, to read the question, and to answer each question and that you got all challenge questions correct on the first try (because wrong answers add another 30 seconds) then that would be almost exactly 2 hours. 

If all you're doing is scanning the text for the answer and you don't already know the answer, that's going to take at least 1-2 minutes per question. Suddenly, the time jumps from 2 hours to 8 or more. And that would literally be going about as fast as humanly possible. It is literally impossible to get through Sophia courses without at least some basic knowledge of what you're supposed to be learning in the first place. I am still confused about accounting, for instance, but I did learn stuff while going through that course. I would not feel completely uncomfortable taking a slightly higher level course in accounting. I would not want to do that on purpose because accounting is evil and I hate it, but it's still a possibility now.

[StoicJ]

It does surprise me how low the standards can be. That goes for ACE as well as traditionally-earned credits.

[Rustydroid]

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted on the forums but I just can't help but bring this up. 

I was taking some Sophia courses to test them out during the free period and I couldn't believe how easy they are. I took Sociology in just a day (just over 2 hours) and that's one of the longer ones! 

The most disappointing thing to me was the practice final. It's only 25 questions long, open book and not proctored. They of course have that typing test to verify that it's you, but you could have 10 people in the room helping you, or you could type the sentence and walk away to have someone else take the test. Not to mention, just opening other tabs on your computer, which it didn't seem to specifically say not to do. Although I didn't do that because it seemed like cheating and I wasn't sure of the rules, and it was so stupid easy I didn't need to. I didn't even need to use the open book material they prompt you to check during the test. Additionally, I went through it as quickly as I could so I didn't read one line of text from the transcripts, I only went through and took the quizzes and milestones. I don't say this to brag - rather to point out that I think anyone would do just fine with that method. Especially on the final, since some of the questions were so blatantly obvious a 10 year old could answer them. 

I understand that people shouldn't cheat even if they won't get caught, but it all just seems a little ridiculous. I know it's nice to have courses that are easy - I'd be lying if I said I didn't always look for the easiest CLEP, DSST, Straighterline and Study.com courses to meet my requirements. But something that easy (and easy to cheat on) seems like it really lowers the integrity of what it means for a course to be ACE approved. 

I'm honestly pretty disappointed to see this. But I'm curious to hear other opinions on it!

I took the project management course and I found it quite challenging and I learned a lot. I work in an industry were its relevant. Matter of fact we use Project management software at my job in odder to keep track of our work and I didn't even realize it until I learned some concepts on the Sophia course. I don't think most of my coworkers realize this either and I'm sure some of the managers don't either. 
I watched the videos and read the PDF files in order to learn the material. I tried to keep a high score in order to track just how well I knew the stuff. 
I took the practice milestones several times until I got most of 100% or close to it and then I went to read and study why I got some answers wrong. I ended with a 91% at the end.
I haven't taken other courses most of courses that they offer and that I need I have already taken at college. 

I think that at the end of the day college is how much you want to learn and your individual goals. For example College Algebra on Sophia seems easier then in other places. At my community college there is even some variations between professors.
From I gather from Sophia it seems easier then a regular class at my community college. What I think is that my local community college is getting people prepared for Calculus work. My Intermediate Algebra professor also teaches Calculus III at UCI. For a lot of them that's how they think they should be teaching and students should be learning. 
However if you are just taking college algebra in order to check off a box for a college degree then something like Sophia might be a good option. Now if you want to be an Engineer where advanced Math is needed then I would take something more challenging in order to prepare you for such math. 


At Sophia I'm taking the Finance class. I've taken Accounting up to Intermediate Accounting I and I know a lot of the stuff already. I still find it a bit challenging and I really want to learn the material so I'm taking notes. I'm a bit hesitant if I should even take the course at Sophia but I can meet another course at TESU for free. However being an Accounting student I think its one of the more important stuff that I should know. My thinking is that after my degree is complete I will probably go back and study from a college Finance book and fill any gaps that I may have in the material.

[ARhead]

Since this is still at the top of the pile. There are some very helpful and commendable individuals on this site. That being said, I am so sick of all the absolutely STUPID idiots on this site. The OP surely is the torchbearer today. I cannot wait to get to the finish line so I can stop coming here (banning me is fine). It's funny that while this site's objective is education, I have never seen so many complete morons in one place. If you don't know what I'm talking about you are one. It's nonsense like this that has made this journey not at all enjoyable. To OP, get bent. You are a lowlife. If this Sh**'s so easy why have you been here for five years?

[innen_oda]

Since this is still at the top of the pile. There are some very helpful and commendable individuals on this site. That being said, I am so sick of all the absolutely STUPID idiots on this site. The OP surely is the torchbearer today. I cannot wait to get to the finish line so I can stop coming here (banning me is fine). It's funny that while this site's objective is education, I have never seen so many complete morons in one place. If you don't know what I'm talking about you are one. It's nonsense like this that has made this journey not at all enjoyable. To OP, get bent. You are a lowlife. If this Sh**'s so easy why have you been here for five years?

I think the answer to your last question is actually within your post.

Almost every Intro to Sociology course around the world is going to be quite easy (try ASU's Earned Admissions Intro to Soc course if you want a free comparison). Partly because it's an 'Intro to' course (and so the subject matter is at its most basic level), and because sociology as a subject is challenging only once you get to the dialectical level, that is, how to you articulate and defend a point of view. The early stages are getting you used to the terms used and fundamental concepts referred to, so that when it gets more challenging, you're not sitting there going 'shit, which one is critical theory again? What was that Durkheim character on about?'
And just generally, some subjects are more challenging at the beginning, but become easier once you get over that initial hump. Others leave that challenge until later. (For me, maths is certainly the former, sociology the latter.)

Furthermore, people who are experts in a certain field understand that the more your learn about a subject, the more you become aware of just how much there is to learn. We think back to our initial forays into a topic, and appreciate just how little we really understood - despite our initial confidence.

Most intelligent people can extrapolate lived experience, as well as use basic reasoning and logic, and apply it towards other areas of life.

The less aware - or 'STUPID idiots', as used by the poster before me - tend to suffer from severe myopia and think that whatever they are feeling at this singular point of time is therefore the one true truth.

I genuinely doubt that the news that Intro to Soc being dead easy is going to come as a shock to anyone in the industry - that's just how it is. People who possess metacognition will be able to figure it out. The rest will brag at dinner parties about how easy their Intro to Soc course was and think this reflects well on them. Let them. It makes them happy, and gives the rest of us something to chuckle about later.

[ARhead]

Absolutely. Unfortunately, one cannot chuckle until one has a piece of paper in their hand. And these selfish, self-aggrandizing losers will stop at nothing to derail many of us. And for what?....

[Pats20]

Since this is still at the top of the pile. There are some very helpful and commendable individuals on this site. That being said, I am so sick of all the absolutely STUPID idiots on this site. The OP surely is the torchbearer today. I cannot wait to get to the finish line so I can stop coming here (banning me is fine). It's funny that while this site's objective is education, I have never seen so many complete morons in one place. If you don't know what I'm talking about you are one. It's nonsense like this that has made this journey not at all enjoyable. To OP, get bent. You are a lowlife. If this Sh**'s so easy why have you been here for five years?

Good point about the op being here for 5 years. Lol. ?
I believe that after 5 years I would be working on courses that Really count instead of wasting my time “testing out some courses” like he stated. Oh well. There’s one in every bunch.

[gams007]

Since this is still at the top of the pile. There are some very helpful and commendable individuals on this site. That being said, I am so sick of all the absolutely STUPID idiots on this site. The OP surely is the torchbearer today. I cannot wait to get to the finish line so I can stop coming here (banning me is fine). It's funny that while this site's objective is education, I have never seen so many complete morons in one place. If you don't know what I'm talking about you are one. It's nonsense like this that has made this journey not at all enjoyable. To OP, get bent. You are a lowlife. If this Sh**'s so easy why have you been here for five years?

Good point about the op being here for 5 years. Lol. ?
I believe that after 5 years I would be working on courses that Really count instead of wasting my time “testing out some courses” like he stated. Oh well. There’s one in every bunch.

He is so smart that his math is so awesome that he was able to calculate how much time can you finished one of the longest Sophia course containing 7 milestones he finished it  in 2 hours  Im just imagine the other courses that only has 4 milestone in total inducing the final milestone.