Test Taking Strategy - Which one of you Experts recommended this ...

[bjcheung77]

Did you attend 3 different schools to get your Bachelor of Science in Computers? I was just noticing your signature line.

Yes, like many people on this forum, I've earned multiple degrees from multiple schools.    My Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from TESU was conferred most recently, and I'm waiting on a Bachelor of Applied Science from UMPI.

We need a chat, mano-a-mano, in regards to this degree hacking you're doing... I really want to know what was required for each degree and how you went about it... Haha, it's intriguing how you're hitting these using alternative credits and then the RA credits from the WGU classes to hit some of the requirements for COSC, TESU, UMPI. Just curious if you had to do more classes at COSC or if they allowed just the cornerstone/capstone. For TESU you most likely needed the Capstone and some Study.com courses; for UMPI, you'll have to complete at minimum 30 credits from them.

[allvia]

...and I'm waiting on a Bachelor of Applied Science from UMPI.

Oh! Congratulations on the unicorn of UMPI (YourPace) degrees

[DolceDolce]

@DolceDolce, It's for UMPI classes, this way you'll be able to go through the majority of possible questions in the database and know/recall information you may not already know.  I suggest that option only for UMPI classes, for Sophia.org, you only get 3 chances on the quizzes, I usually have an extra secondary monitor to have all the course material for review if/when I want to use the open book resources.  Note: Sophia.org/UMPI does not allow another individual to help you with any part of your courses.  Sophia has an open book policy if I recall correctly, but UMPI doesn't (I don't know how they enforce this though).

Hi!  Oh I remember reading you suggested a 2nd monitor! Do you think a monitor with the material on the left side, and the browser/course on the right is too cumbersome?  

---

With Sophia, you want to try to answer the questions correctly on the first attempt. If you do answer correctly, the interface will prompt you to move on. However, if you answer correctly on the first attempt, there is no penalty for viewing and answering the remaining 2 questions for that challenge. Even if you get both of the remaining questions wrong, the first one was still correct and Sophia counts it as a pass. If you're unsure of the material on Sophia, this is a good way to make sure that you get as much practice as possible. Also, you'll want to take the practice Milestones (exams) at Sophia. They're not a requirement, but they'll help you to score higher on the real Milestone.

Sophia Milestones are timed. IIRC, you get either 60 or 90 minutes for a graded Milestone. Maybe some courses give you more time and that's why I can't remember? I'm not sure.

Well I need to score high on Sophia, because after UMPI, I am doing the WGU MBA program - and I believe they will umask the Sophia scores, while UMPI takes them in without a score. Do you know of this?

---

I remember reading on a forum somewhere (I thought it was this one) that for the Quizzes, try to answer them wrong, so that I can view more questions, thus leading to more practice, and exposure of actual questions that might be on the final exam.

This applies to Strut courses with an exam final at UMPI. The explanation of the correct answers for quiz questions can help in understanding the questions on the final. It's particularly useful for a course with adaptive quizzes because answering questions incorrectly and repeating the quiz multiple times is the only way to see all the questions. For non-adaptive quizzes, the questions never change, so there's no advantage to taking a quiz more than twice, assuming you answer the questions wrong on the first attempt. However, Strut may be going away after the next session, at which time there may be no more exam finals, so this strategy will likely be useless beginning in Fall Session 1.

I'm starting Fall I (August 23)  I don't know what Strut courses mean?  So at UMPI, I'm learning through an online provider, called Strut?

Strut is the learning platform UMPI utilizes. There are numerous learning platforms - Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Brightspace, etc. UMPI is planning to move off of Strut and to Brightspace this fall. According some staff members, exams will go away with the move to Brightspace.

So clarifying .. are they getting rid of all learning platforms, and then moving to Brightspace solely, or just potentially replacing Strut to Brightspace.  So if other classes by UMPI are on the other platforms, then we will still have exams with some classes?

---

Did you attend 3 different schools to get your Bachelor of Science in Computers? I was just noticing your signature line.

Yes, like many people on this forum, I've earned multiple degrees from multiple schools.    My Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from TESU was conferred most recently, and I'm waiting on a Bachelor of Applied Science from UMPI.

That's awesome!  I love it! 

---

No, it's not too hard to have dual screens, I have a laptop and on my right side, I have the monitor to review things with, I don't even have to click multiple tabs and switch back and forth on the laptop... It's so much easier with more screen real estate to multi task.

In regards to WGU looking at your alternative credit, your GPA from previous studies and your UMPI 30 credits will do the trick, the GPA from Sophia or alternative credit would remain blank.  It's not required in most cases, what you currently have on the table and will have counts...

Strut is the learning system...

tempting ... I have a monitor (no laptop), I think it is 27".  I do work with 2 documents up side by side for my clients, but I do find that sometimes things don't stay sticky, and then it's bring in the sides, move this up, slide this one down, and start again ... lol

[ss20ts]

Strut is going away. UMPI will be utilizing Brightspace as the learning platform. Some staff members of UMPI have said there will no longer be exams once they move to the courses to Brightspace. Since you're not a current student, you won't notice any difference.

[origamishuttle]

...and I'm waiting on a Bachelor of Applied Science from UMPI.

Oh! Congratulations on the unicorn of UMPI (YourPace) degrees

Thank you! It's rare, but some people still get approved. In theory, the lower UL requirements make it a bit easier, although I did the most work on LL courses, so it was kind of a wash for me. Overall it was a great experience!

---

Just curious if you had to do more classes at COSC or if they allowed just the cornerstone/capstone.  For TESU you most likely needed the Capstone and some Study.com courses; for UMPI, you'll have to complete at minimum 30 credits from them.

It's honestly a bit confusing, so I don't have exact numbers, but I think I completed at least 30 extra credits for each degree. COSC may have been 33? I was able to barely make the deadline before COSC shut down Study.com UL credits, and the rest I did with CLEP and Sophia, plus cornerstone/capstone.

[DolceDolce]

Strut is going away. UMPI will be utilizing Brightspace as the learning platform. Some staff members of UMPI have said there will no longer be exams once they move to the courses to Brightspace. Since you're not a current student, you won't notice any difference.

So will the Fall Term have exams throughout all programs, or no? So how do you demonstrate skill in statistics or other similar class in which a paper wouldn't be a primary assessment tool?

[ss20ts]

Strut is going away. UMPI will be utilizing Brightspace as the learning platform. Some staff members of UMPI have said there will no longer be exams once they move to the courses to Brightspace. Since you're not a current student, you won't notice any difference.

So will the Fall Term have exams throughout all programs, or no? So how do you demonstrate skill in statistics or other similar class in which a paper wouldn't be a primary assessment tool?

We don't know. It sounds like all courses will be paper/project based. Just because they call it a paper doesn't mean it doesn't contain math word problems. A paper Final Assessment doesn't mean it's a research paper.

[DolceDolce]

Strut is going away. UMPI will be utilizing Brightspace as the learning platform. Some staff members of UMPI have said there will no longer be exams once they move to the courses to Brightspace. Since you're not a current student, you won't notice any difference.

So will the Fall Term have exams throughout all programs, or no? So how do you demonstrate skill in statistics or other similar class in which a paper wouldn't be a primary assessment tool?

We don't know. It sounds like all courses will be paper/project based. Just because they call it a paper doesn't mean it doesn't contain math word problems. A paper Final Assessment doesn't mean it's a research paper.

ok, thanks!

[origamishuttle]

So how do you demonstrate skill in statistics or other similar class in which a paper wouldn't be a primary assessment tool?

UMPI's current basic statistics course, MAT 101, does not have an exam final. The final is a 15-page research and analysis paper where you solve four different real-world problems as if you are a professional consultant statistician.

[ss20ts]

So how do you demonstrate skill in statistics or other similar class in which a paper wouldn't be a primary assessment tool?

UMPI's current basic statistics course, MAT 101, does not have an exam final. The final is a 15-page research and analysis paper where you solve four different real-world problems as if you are a professional consultant statistician.

WOW! That sounds intense....I'm not a math person that sounds like a major project to undertake. Was it as overwhelming as it sounds?