Trying to speedrun some SDC classes: Eng 2, Comp. Arch, Soft. Eng, Python 101

[Randyb100]

Like the title says, I'm trying to rush these classes. I start back in August for my hopefully final semester at TESU. I was told I absolutely must finish English 2 before starting the capstone, so it's my first course in the list. 

I was planning on doing Saylor's versions of Python and Computer Architecture, but Study.com's seems a lot more approachable. I'm basing this on the Python course, but it's much more interesting. 

From what I've seen so far, you must submit an assignment (even one saying I'm not doing this assignment) for each required assignment. What I don't know is if I have to actually finish all of the quizzes in order to close out the course. I've mostly read about English 2, but a few people mentioned computer architecture.

Any advice for these specific classes on SDC?

English Composition II
Computer Architecture
Software Engineering
Programming in Python

Thanks.

[dfrecore]

Like the title says, I'm trying to rush these classes. I start back in August for my hopefully final semester at TESU. I was told I absolutely must finish English 2 before starting the capstone, so it's my first course in the list. 

I was planning on doing Saylor's versions of Python and Computer Architecture, but Study.com's seems a lot more approachable. I'm basing this on the Python course, but it's much more interesting. 

From what I've seen so far, you must submit an assignment (even one saying I'm not doing this assignment) for each required assignment. What I don't know is if I have to actually finish all of the quizzes in order to close out the course. I've mostly read about English 2, but a few people mentioned computer architecture.

Any advice for these specific classes on SDC?

English Composition II
Computer Architecture
Software Engineering
Programming in Python

Thanks.

You have to do all quizzes to complete a course.

[Randyb100]

You have to do all quizzes to complete a course.

Ok, just not assignments, and can you fail them? Just complete them, or do you have to pass them all? 

I'm brand new to SDC. I did some Sophia classes before and transferred them in, but they don't have the classes I need. I took a 30% off 3 month coupon hoping I can at least get 2 of the 4 done. Saylor is now the backup plan, mostly for computer architecture. If it takes too long then I'll switch from SDC to that. I think I can knock out Python quickly but am starting with English 2 to get it out of the way. Then I'll do software engineering, then python, then computer architecture.

I have time. I have until the middle of October to do all of them, but I start back in August. I'll be taking 3 12-week courses then as my hopefully final semester, with plans to graduate in December (can't meet the September requirements by then). I just have to get English 2 finished before August like I said before, but I have almost 2 months to get as many of them done as I can. 

I'm not sure what's a reasonable amount of time to do each of them, though. I have 3 days a week to dedicate to class and have it on my phone. I'll be going through quizzes on my break. I'm not even reading the English 2 material, just doing quiz after quiz to knock them all out.

[rachel83az]

You MUST pass the quizzes within the first 3 attempts or you'll make things infinitely harder on yourself. It may not even be possible to pass the class if you try to half-heartedly do the quizzes. The quizzes are worth 100 points of your grade. Assignment(s) are usually worth another 100 points. Final exam is usually worth either 100 or 200 points (depending on if there are assignments or not).

Passing at SDC requires getting at least 210 points out of an available pool of 300 points. If you don't pass the quizzes, you may not have sufficient points to pass.

[allvia]

You have to do all quizzes to complete a course.

Ok, just not assignments, and can you fail them? Just complete them, or do you have to pass them all? 

I'm brand new to SDC. I did some Sophia classes before and transferred them in, but they don't have the classes I need. I took a 30% off 3 month coupon hoping I can at least get 2 of the 4 done. Saylor is now the backup plan, mostly for computer architecture. If it takes too long then I'll switch from SDC to that. I think I can knock out Python quickly but am starting with English 2 to get it out of the way. Then I'll do software engineering, then python, then computer architecture.

I have time. I have until the middle of October to do all of them, but I start back in August. I'll be taking 3 12-week courses then as my hopefully final semester, with plans to graduate in December (can't meet the September requirements by then). I just have to get English 2 finished before August like I said before, but I have almost 2 months to get as many of them done as I can. 

I'm not sure what's a reasonable amount of time to do each of them, though. I have 3 days a week to dedicate to class and have it on my phone. I'll be going through quizzes on my break. I'm not even reading the English 2 material, just doing quiz after quiz to knock them all out.

Stating that you are new to SDC, let me just say - There is no justifiable reason to fail a quiz in the courses (plus those quizzes are worth their weight in gold for overall grade).

[spohara]

I forget how the quiz grade works, if it is first score, top score or average, but I'm pretty sure it is top score on 3 retakes, and I think in 8 courses, I've dropped one single point from quizzes. Good luck speed running architecture. I did it in 9 days of fulltime effort, using lots of supplemental resources. The course sucks, and if you want to do a speed run, don't bother learning how an ALU works, get 100 on all quizzes, get 100 on the one assignment, skip the ALU assignment (and for that matter don't spend any time on circuit logic or the design software), take a bunch of practice tests and get at least a 60 on the exam. It is doable, but I think I scored in the 80's with what I thought to be a pretty good effort, and I consider myself a good test taker. If you want to get into the hardware side at all, you will likely be cheating yourself a LOT, but if not then from a practical standpoint I don't think it will be a big loss.

[davewill]

Generally, people look at the quizzes at SDC in the opposite manner. Ace the quizzes, so that a lot of the pressure is off during the final as you can afford a lower grade and still pass the course.

[origamishuttle]

What I don't know is if I have to actually finish all of the quizzes in order to close out the course.

Your top score is kept from the first three attempts at each quiz. If you use the provided answers or provided link to the video to get the correct answers, then you should be able to get 100 points (or close to it) from the quizzes. My strategy to save time was to use only the quizzes to learn, and refer to the material only when necessary to get the correct answers to quiz questions. I also tried to block out 5-6 hours so that I could finish all the quizzes and go directly into the final exam so the information was still fresh in my mind.

Many people have been able to complete four courses in a month. However, if you can't complete all four before your billing cycle ends, then it's better to complete two in one month (at least the two exams) because the subscription includes two exam attempts. Then you can finish the other two exams and any remaining assignments in the following month. Even if you don't finish all the assignments before you end your subscription, you can still turn them in afterward, if you contact customer service. So don't keep paying if you only have assignments left - just make sure you save a copy of the instructions and rubric for reference.

[bjcheung77]

@Randyb100, just wondering, there are so many different options for English Comp I/II, why not try something else? You can take the other courses using Study.com and use the CLEP/ModernStates option for English II instead. If you want to splurge, do the TECEP for English II, or anything else would do... For Computer Architecture, take that at Study.com, Software Enginerring at Saylor.org, Python at Sophia.org... haha, or a mix/match of providers, you decide which ones match your learning curve/study habits most.

[Randyb100]

For English 2, it's graded like this:
Quizzes 10%
Assignments 70%
Final Exam 20%

I decided to just go with Study.com because it's guaranteed transfer to TESU. I'm sure they'd accept it from somewhere else but it's only $75. I think it'd be $15 cheaper at Sophia or something. It's the first class I'm doing. Computer architecture is the other class I'm looking at doing at Study.com because I haven't found it available anywhere else.

I've finished all of the quizzes for English 2 but it's still only showing a 76% because I didn't pass them all. I have to retake 20 or so because I basically just went quiz to quiz clicking through them as fast as I could. I did 30 quizzes today while at break at work. It just looks like I have to pass all of the quizzes and not just click through them all in order to get them checked off, so 80% or more for each of the 70something quizzes!

The overall required score is just a 70%, so even getting an 80% on the quizzes is 8 points, so I could make a 91 overall on the assignments and fail the test. I just don't know how strict they are on the assignments. I'm a very good writer, actually, and just passed Public Speaking with an A+. It required several essays.

The other courses have more weight in the quizzes and final than this one does. It's 33% for each part for Python, for example, so I have a lot more room to mess around.

Python and Software Engineering I can do at Saylor for $5 each exam. I've already read through the first two Python lessons on Saylor, but the Study.com version of the course looks much more interesting. They teach it in a more practical way and give reasons to do things, like networking and touching on advanced topics. The Saylor course is very fundamental and just shows how to do things like loops, etc., without any reason why you'd want to do them.

I have 4 months to do the three IT courses and need to get English 2 done by August because it's a requirement for the capstone. Then I'll be taking my final 3 classes at TESU: liberal arts capstone, artificial intelligence, and data structures. The latter two are actually interchangeable with the three IT courses I plan on taking at Study.com, but I've already talked to student services and that's just how my degree plan is scheduled.