UMPI portfolio review / credit for experience

[Kjnova]

Has anyone used the UMPI portfolio review process? If so, how long did it take, and what were the outcomes? Did you have to spend so much time filling out forms and answering questions that you feel you may as well have just done the class?

I will probably have 14 BABA major and concentration classes to complete as well as one GEP, and I'm hoping to do it in one eight-week session, which I know is aggressive. To improve my odds, I am interested in challenging a couple of classes via portfolio review to reduce it from 15 classes to 13 classes. The classes I am thinking about challenging are BUS 240 Change Management, and BUS 260 Leadership.

I am a certified Agile team coach and experienced team leader. I think I can meet the learning outcomes from the catalog.

Sorry if this is a duplicate thread. I did a search for "portfolio review" and didn't find anything, but maybe an existing thread has an alternate title.

Thanks!

[turbotortuga]

Has anyone used the UMPI portfolio review process? If so, how long did it take, and what were the outcomes? Did you have to spend so much time filling out forms and answering questions that you feel you may as well have just done the class?

I will probably have 14 BABA major and concentration classes to complete as well as one GEP, and I'm hoping to do it in one eight-week session, which I know is aggressive. To improve my odds, I am interested in challenging a couple of classes via portfolio review to reduce it from 15 classes to 13 classes. The classes I am thinking about challenging are BUS 240 Change Management, and BUS 260 Leadership.

I am a certified Agile team coach and experienced team leader. I think I can meet the learning outcomes from the catalog.

Sorry if this is a duplicate thread. I did a search for "portfolio review" and didn't find anything, but maybe an existing thread has an alternate title.

Thanks!

Bruh, it'll be much faster, easier, and cheaper for you to just do those two courses through Study.com (SDC). Both are available and SDC is running a $75 first month special, which cannot be beat. You could add another 3 exams for $70 each and knock out all 5 courses in one month, if you chose, for only $285 total. Great deal!

The Portfolio Review Process is a huge pain and the faculty are super strict. Even if you are successful, UMPI charges $50 per credit hour, so those 2 courses would end up costing you $300. SDC would get your 5 courses for the same cost and is MUCH easier then the majority of actual UMPI courses now that they have gotten rid of the exams and are papers/projects only plus the milestones which are often worse than the Final Assessment.

[Kjnova]

Thanks, have you used portfolio review, or is that based on what Jessica or others said about it?

She essentially also advised me to just take the classes. But the two I picked are ones where I think I really have a strong case, especially Change Management, where I have seven Agile certificates including Team Coach. I wonder if a lot of people throw spaghetti at a wall hoping it will stick. I can see how it would be tempting, because nearly everyone with work experience has at least a little exposure to most of these topics.

I am going to try some via Study.com also, but I only have a week before UMPI classes begin and still need to get through Sophia Business Law 1 and Sophia Business Ethics, and I am not sure it would be efficient to be doing Study.com and UMPI at the same time (but maybe it is). So I might be limited to one or two Study.com classes in the time I have available ... we'll see.

Thanks!

[Duneranger]

Thanks, have you used portfolio review, or is that based on what Jessica or others said about it?

She essentially also advised me to just take the classes. But the two I picked are ones where I think I really have a strong case, especially Change Management, where I have seven Agile certificates including Team Coach. I wonder if a lot of people throw spaghetti at a wall hoping it will stick. I can see how it would be tempting, because nearly everyone with work experience has at least a little exposure to most of these topics.

I am going to try some via Study.com also, but I only have a week before UMPI classes begin and still need to get through Sophia Business Law 1 and Sophia Business Ethics, and I am not sure it would be efficient to be doing Study.com and UMPI at the same time (but maybe it is). So I might be limited to one or two Study.com classes in the time I have available ... we'll see.

Thanks!

Just take the classes, you are making this harder than it needs to be. History here (and on discord) shows that the credit for experience/portfolio thing has been nothing but a headache because the bar has to be pretty damn high. Many people have what you have as well and just end up taking the classes.

[Kjnova]

Thanks, is there a thread where somebody discussed their experiences doing it?

Because right now, it seems like "nobody has done it, but everybody knows" 

[allvia]

Thanks, is there a thread where somebody discussed their experiences doing it?

Because right now, it seems like "nobody has done it, but everybody knows" 

There have been a few people here who looked into it directly with the school (UMPI) when they were enrolled; it is a quite cumbersome and a time consuming process, with no guarantee the PLA will be accepted to cover the course you're hoping it will. If the YourPace program wasn't CBE, meaning it was a more traditional timeline (eg: 12-16 weeks per course), it might be worth it for some subjects. However, since it is CBE and courses are topics you'd already be familiar with anyway it is much quicker (and less overall work) than doing what would be required for a PLA to replace a course. Even the school (UMPI) recommends finding an alternative to doing a PLA for credit - https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/prior-lear...sment-pla/

[Kjnova]

Thanks - yes, Jessica said something similar to me.

I am not doubting it's true, I would just like to hear from someone who tried it.

The reason it is appealing to me is that I am not sure that I can complete 15 classes in 8 weeks (maybe it's no problem) and I am not sure how many I can complete on Study.com this week while also completing the other two on Sophia.

Even if I can complete, say, two more on Study.com this week after doing my last two on Sophia, that would leave 12 BABA/concentration classes and one GEP class at UMPI, which is 13 classes in 8 weeks (beginning a week from today).

So my thought process is, what if I apply for portfolio credit for two classes, then do the other classes, and they'll either give me the credit or not on a separate stream that does not take much of my time out of the 8-week term. The best-case outcome would be that I only have 11 classes to do in the term.

It's not that I prefer this to Study.com or taking the classes, it's just a matter of reducing risk as best I can by having fewer classes to deal with inside the 8-week term.

The fact that "everybody knows" it's not a good process and that Jessica recommends against it PROBABLY means it's not worth doing. I am not arguing for doing it, I am just seeking first-hand knowledge. (What if people think it's a bad process because they are unrealistic in what credit they are trying to get so it's a waste of time for them but not necessarily for everybody? What if Jessica thinks it's a bad idea because it is a headache for her to process, and me completing the program in one term is much more important to me than to her?)

Maybe the Discord has discussion of somebody trying this?

Thanks!

[bjcheung77]

No, the reason people aren't trying portfolio is because (just like any other institution), the writing is more work than the class itself. You need to document, provide proof, etc, of learning that was through alternative means. Many estimate it'll take much more work than doing an online class from a college... thus, even more work than one/two Study.com upper level writing classes.

[Duneranger]

Thanks - yes, Jessica said something similar to me.

I am not doubting it's true, I would just like to hear from someone who tried it.

The reason it is appealing to me is that I am not sure that I can complete 15 classes in 8 weeks (maybe it's no problem) and I am not sure how many I can complete on Study.com this week while also completing the other two on Sophia.

Even if I can complete, say, two more on Study.com this week after doing my last two on Sophia, that would leave 12 BABA/concentration classes and one GEP class at UMPI, which is 13 classes in 8 weeks (beginning a week from today).

So my thought process is, what if I apply for portfolio credit for two classes, then do the other classes, and they'll either give me the credit or not on a separate stream that does not take much of my time out of the 8-week term. The best-case outcome would be that I only have 11 classes to do in the term.

It's not that I prefer this to Study.com or taking the classes, it's just a matter of reducing risk as best I can by having fewer classes to deal with inside the 8-week term.

The fact that "everybody knows" it's not a good process and that Jessica recommends against it PROBABLY means it's not worth doing. I am not arguing for doing it, I am just seeking first-hand knowledge. (What if people think it's a bad process because they are unrealistic in what credit they are trying to get so it's a waste of time for them but not necessarily for everybody? What if Jessica thinks it's a bad idea because it is a headache for her to process, and me completing the program in one term is much more important to me than to her?)

Maybe the Discord has discussion of somebody trying this?

Thanks!

The reality is that everyone has experience, certs etc. The VAST majority of schools do not care what your work experience is and will not give credits for work experience unless it's BS JST military filler credit. Work is not the same thing as course material. UMPI is not difficult, I think you will be surprised how fast classes are.

Professors and chairs are the ones who approve classes, not Jessica. Naturally, they are going to be protective of handing out credit which negates their courses. You need to PROVE you covered the material, not just toss them a cert or resume and call it good.

I literally did 10 courses WHILE being in a FULL TIME graduate (doctoral) program that consumes 40-60 hours of my week. You are overthinking this.

I can't find the specific threads but there have been a few people who started the process and quickly realized that they weren't going to get it or the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

[Kjnova]

Bear in mind that I have attempted zero UMPI classes so far, and am not sure what to expect as far as how the structure of the classes fits how I work.

I completed eight Sophia classes in four days, but that may not mean much since I was only focused on pass/fail there (I want to get mostly As at UMPI) and I also assume UMPI classes are intrinsically harder even if you only want pass/fail.

So that is where I am coming from in terms of managing risk.

You are probably all correct and I appreciate the info. Though I do think it's odd that it's so hard to find first-person experience with it.

Maybe doing 15 classes in a term is no problem, anyway. I have plenty of hours in the day to do it, my time limit is about the length of the term, not time in the day.

Thanks!