University of Pennsylvania is offering a fully online undergraduate degree program.

[innen_oda]

I have taken nearly all of the Sophia courses, and am currently working my way through the ASU EA library. Generally, I'd say that ASU EA is significantly more rigorous than Sophia. I often completed one or more entire Sophia courses in a single day. All of that information left my brain almost as soon as it entered. Sophia was really more of a challenge for my multiple choice testing and text skimming skills than actual content understanding. While I am grateful for the kickstart it provided to my college experience, I don't think that I will actually end up using very many of my Sophia credits.

Even within Sophia, there is some variation. I found the Human Biology course a fantastic overview and introduction that even now, a year after I took it, I find myself able to grasp higher-level info because of something I remembered from that course.
US History I, meanwhile, I recall zero. It was more an endurance test just to get it over as soon as possible.

Sophia does many Gen Eds well (and a few, not so well), and for the price, it's almost unparalleled. Back when ASU EA was $99 a class, it was an unbeatable option. I can be a lot more forgiving of Sophia having a few crappy courses, than I can of a $5000 course. Even at $425, I still expect some basic rigor (in my country, this is slightly less than a minimum wage, so I'm sacrificing a fair bit when I send that much to ASU).

[Pats20]

I have taken nearly all of the Sophia courses, and am currently working my way through the ASU EA library. Generally, I'd say that ASU EA is significantly more rigorous than Sophia. I often completed one or more entire Sophia courses in a single day. All of that information left my brain almost as soon as it entered. Sophia was really more of a challenge for my multiple choice testing and text skimming skills than actual content understanding. While I am grateful for the kickstart it provided to my college experience, I don't think that I will actually end up using very many of my Sophia credits.

Even within Sophia, there is some variation. I found the Human Biology course a fantastic overview and introduction that even now, a year after I took it, I find myself able to grasp higher-level info because of something I remembered from that course.
US History I, meanwhile, I recall zero. It was more an endurance test just to get it over as soon as possible.

Sophia does many Gen Eds well (and a few, not so well), and for the price, it's almost unparalleled. Back when ASU EA was $99 a class, it was an unbeatable option. I can be a lot more forgiving of Sophia having a few crappy courses, than I can of a $5000 course. Even at $425, I still expect some basic rigor (in my country, this is slightly less than a minimum wage, so I'm sacrificing a fair bit when I send that much to ASU).

I can’t imagine anyone sayIng that either of the sophia English courses were a walk in the park.  My two kids  took both at “ra” institutions This past year and i took both through Sophia. Neither one of my kids had to do near the writing That I had. Neither one of them had near as  strict Of grading that I had. 
Not even close. That’s a fact.

[RoyalSpade]

So what's the big deal? Is it a good price or something?

[nomaduser]

Generally, I'd say that ASU EA is significantly more rigorous than Sophia. I often completed one or more entire Sophia courses in a single day. All of that information left my brain almost as soon as it entered. Sophia was really more of a challenge for my multiple choice testing and text skimming skills than actual content understanding. While I am grateful for the kickstart it provided to my college experience, I don't think that I will actually end up using very many of my Sophia credits.

I agree. I've completed many Sophia.org courses. I think the information left my brain as soon as I completed their courses. Their courses are too short and easy.
College-level courses should last for at least 2-3 months so your brain will remember the their contents.

[Pats20]

Generally, I'd say that ASU EA is significantly more rigorous than Sophia. I often completed one or more entire Sophia courses in a single day. All of that information left my brain almost as soon as it entered. Sophia was really more of a challenge for my multiple choice testing and text skimming skills than actual content understanding. While I am grateful for the kickstart it provided to my college experience, I don't think that I will actually end up using very many of my Sophia credits.

I agree. I've completed many Sophia.org courses. I think the information left my brain as soon as I completed their courses. The courses are too short and easy.
College-level courses should last for at least 2-3 months so your brain will remember the courses' contents.

Nobody is telling you to complete a course in 2 days or 2 weeks, and nobody is telling you not to read the material. So if your “brain” isn’t remembering the “course contents” it sounds like a personal  problem/decision. We’re supposed  to take personal responsibility for our learning. If Sophia isn’t good enough for you, so be it, but don’t knock on the people that it has helped. Because with your sly remarks it’s exactly what you’re doing.

[MNomadic]

Nobody is telling you to complete a course in 2 days or 2 weeks, and nobody is telling you not to read the material. So if your “brain” isn’t remembering the “course contents” it sounds like a personal  problem/decision. We’re supposed  to take personal responsibility for our learning. If Sophia isn’t good enough for you, so be it, but don’t knock on the people that it has helped. Because with your sly remarks it’s exactly what you’re doing.

My GF has been taking sophia courses since the promotion started last year. She already has her bachelor's so is taking them for personal enrichment on topics she likes. She actually takes her time, reads the material, and takes notes. Guess what? She actually remembers what she's learning. I went at a little faster pace but I still retain a lot of the important info from my courses. You're absolutely right that we're responsible for our own learning.

[jch]

Nobody is telling you to complete a course in 2 days or 2 weeks, and nobody is telling you not to read the material. So if your “brain” isn’t remembering the “course contents” it sounds like a personal  problem/decision. We’re supposed  to take personal responsibility for our learning. If Sophia isn’t good enough for you, so be it, but don’t knock on the people that it has helped. Because with your sly remarks it’s exactly what you’re doing.

My GF has been taking sophia courses since the promotion started last year. She already has her bachelor's so is taking them for personal enrichment on topics she likes. She actually takes her time, reads the material, and takes notes. Guess what? She actually remembers what she's learning. I went at a little faster pace but I still retain a lot of the important info from my courses. You're absolutely right that we're responsible for our own learning.

I agree with this. The student's willingness and motivation to learn will shape what they gain from a course. When I was working through Sophia, my primary mission was to just pound out the credits. Had I taken more time, I would have learned more.
However, the course author also has a role in this. If they communicate to students that it is okay to make multiple guesses on quizzes or use the textbook during tests, students will use those resources as a crutch. Sophia explicitly points out those features in their courses, and I used them. If Sophia took away or restricted those options, I would definitely view their offering as equivalent to traditional college classes.
Many alt-credit sources can deliver learning that meets or exceeds collegiate standards. However, many of them also have a way to rush through without really comprehending the material. In my view, this is one of the main reasons that alt credit is inferior to actual college credit.

[StoicJ]

So what's the big deal? Is it a good price or something?

I'm wondering, too.

[Kab]

Personally I remeber what I learned at Sophia very well. I LOVE the structure and the hability to check theory and test question practical part. It really help me. If you need you have the audios you can listen to or download the pdf if you want to read.
I guess that depends how you face the study. In brick and mortal universities I had many people that crammed the last days and later remembered nothing.
Anyway, it works for me and the material is clear to the point. I use the time learning and that I have the notes of each lesson let me check and recheck as needed. No wasted time. All the time is dedicated directly to learn. That for me make it easier, since I can always go back and check doubts and doing the questions slowly let makes me learn in little steps. I guess some people prefer to have a teacher in front and ask questions. All depends on the learning style.

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