patten university undergraduate

[ladylearner]

Anybody here enrolled at Patten University for an undergraduate degree? I know their programs are still relatively new so there aren't a ton of people in the BA programs yet.

Anyways, care to share how you like the programs, the classes, etc.?

Thanks!

[Outis]

I tried the program for a couple of weeks, and I do think it has a decent format. I opted out due to the fact that TESC gave me 93+ credits and Patten gave me only 15 (and I don't have a bunch of FEMA credits, they were courses that simply didn't fit into their curriculum, I suppose). I should mention that they will give a free transcript evaluation before enrolling, that is pretty refreshing.

They appear rigid in their course sequence; you can only take one course at a time and in the order they prescribe. If an algebra course will take me a month or two, or god forbid four months, when other courses can be completed a lot faster (in my situation), let me take the damn algebra course at the end of the sequence! This was a nogo for me.

They allow you to "test out" of a course by taking a non-credit eval before you begin accessing the course modules; if you do well enough you can take the final exam without going through coursework that you obviously already know. I believe you usually have one graded project in addition to the final exam for most courses, with a total of eight modules per course. The final exams are supported by ProctorU.

Grading of assignments is "blind", meaning that some third party will grade assignments according to a rubric, not the course mentor (or whatever they are called...). Apparently this is meant to promote a more fair way of grading.

[jaybird]

I'm chiming in a bit late but I did do a "semester" at Patten from May-August 2014. I signed up for the program because I learn really fast, I had experience with the classes that I would have to take, et al. $1500 for as many classes as you can complete also did not hurt.Overall I hated it for a variety of reasons.

While you can "test out" of a course, you still have to do the final project for that particular course. That shouldn't have been difficult but I had a professor who was VERY slow to respond to emails and questions that I had about the project. The syllabus/ guide that they had posted was very vague and you are only allowed 2 submittals which will be averaged. It also took about a week for each paper to be graded and returned. In total, in about 4 months, I only managed to complete 1.5 classes (was waiting on a assignment grade for the second class). All in all, I really wish I had just used that money to CLEP or SL.

[SteveFoerster]

Grading of assignments is "blind", meaning that some third party will grade assignments according to a rubric, not the course mentor (or whatever they are called...). Apparently this is meant to promote a more fair way of grading.

I wonder whether it's more about fairness or more about cost savings on their part.

[Outis]

I wonder whether it's more about fairness or more about cost savings on their part.

Yes, I am pretty skeptical of that particular method of grading. If one were taking a course with several other students and had a grade curve, then perhaps it would be useful. I should also clarify that when I said the assignments are graded by a "third party", I meant they weren't graded by the professor. I am not sure who actually grades the material. Additionally, I would like to add to jaybird's sentiments about the slow response to submitted work. Although at first it does sound as if you can finish classes quickly, you have to schedule proctored exams (which delays you at least a day), and you have to wait for the final project to be graded which, in my experience, was also slow. Now, this isn't really that long of a process compared to the traditional college system. However, when you consider the fact that you must take courses in their rigid sequence, it becomes a major inconvenience.

[sanantone]

WGU also uses dedicated graders who aren't mentors. I've read a lot of complaints about them.

[ladylearner]

I tried the program for a couple of weeks, and I do think it has a decent format. I opted out due to the fact that TESC gave me 93+ credits and Patten gave me only 15 (and I don't have a bunch of FEMA credits, they were courses that simply didn't fit into their curriculum, I suppose). I should mention that they will give a free transcript evaluation before enrolling, that is pretty refreshing.

They appear rigid in their course sequence; you can only take one course at a time and in the order they prescribe. If an algebra course will take me a month or two, or god forbid four months, when other courses can be completed a lot faster (in my situation), let me take the damn algebra course at the end of the sequence! This was a nogo for me.

They allow you to "test out" of a course by taking a non-credit eval before you begin accessing the course modules; if you do well enough you can take the final exam without going through coursework that you obviously already know. I believe you usually have one graded project in addition to the final exam for most courses, with a total of eight modules per course. The final exams are supported by ProctorU.

Grading of assignments is "blind", meaning that some third party will grade assignments according to a rubric, not the course mentor (or whatever they are called...). Apparently this is meant to promote a more fair way of grading.

The way the classes work is there are two grading schemes. The project and final exam are mandatory for every course. Any further participation is optional. In some cases, it can help raise your grade or it can just help you master the material. I don’t know if I’d really call this testing out. The pre-final is what is required to unlock the final exam, not the initial assessment. Also, Patten uses Examity – not ProctorU. I think they changed proctors about a year ago. As far as taking a week to grade the project, I’ve had that at Straighterline but I simply worked on something else while I waited. At Patten, you have access to all the coursework for future courses so you can start the reading for the next class even before you’re enrolled in it.

[ladylearner]

I have no issue with the school using a grader. I guess after taking classes at Straighterline, I grew accustomed to the concept.

The reason I opted out of Patten on my first try was that I found it frustrating (not to mention unhelpful) to have a professor who keeps offering to help but can’t give you much guidance on the final exam or the project. So I left.

After trying a traditional online class I realize how much I dislike required forums and being graded for "class attendance." Doing a project and taking a final seem more pertinent to mastering the material.

[ladylearner]

I think a lot of the issue with Patten is the newness of it. Straighterline wasn't working for me until I found this forum. I jotted down some of my pros and cons. Obviously some of these will be more relevant to some than others; these are my observations and experiences.

Pros:
1. super customer service - everyone I've talked to is knowledgeable and polite
2. speed - although 7 days might seem like a lot of time to wait for a project to be graded, it's a decent turnaround time
3. access to all coursework before you're enrolled in the class (the syllabus might be generic/vague but you can actually look at the learning materials, quizzes, etc. of classes you haven't started yet)
4. speed - takes about 30 minutes to enroll
5. speed again - my transfer credits were received and applied in the same day and I received an email each time a transcript was received and the courses were reflected in my account immediately (having a lock-step program helps here)
6. great website that's easy to navigate
7. monthly payment plan
8. downloadable tuition reimbursement form for work so I don't have to wait or go through the request process
9. programs being developed constantly
10. regionally accredited university so I can still transfer back to one of the Big 3 if I want (the purpose of attending Patten would be the affordable upper level credits that my job will pay for)
11. can start any Monday
12. NO discussion forums
13. Examity is less invasive than ProctorU
14. You don't have to wait to schedule an exam and if there's same-day availability, it doesn't cost extra

cons:
1. lock-step program means losing transfer credits if you already have a lot of credits under your belt
2. no one to talk to about assignments
3. no one to talk to about projects
4. no room for electives
5. final exams seem to be disconnected from the course materials
6. it's still new so I can't get any tips from the folks on this lovely forum
7. WAY too much science!

[ladylearner]

I'm chiming in a bit late but I did do a "semester" at Patten from May-August 2014. I signed up for the program because I learn really fast, I had experience with the classes that I would have to take, et al. $1500 for as many classes as you can complete also did not hurt.Overall I hated it for a variety of reasons.

While you can "test out" of a course, you still have to do the final project for that particular course. That shouldn't have been difficult but I had a professor who was VERY slow to respond to emails and questions that I had about the project. The syllabus/ guide that they had posted was very vague and you are only allowed 2 submittals which will be averaged. It also took about a week for each paper to be graded and returned. In total, in about 4 months, I only managed to complete 1.5 classes (was waiting on a assignment grade for the second class). All in all, I really wish I had just used that money to CLEP or SL.

If you wanted to take algebra or some other class later, you could just ask your advisor to register you in a different class. You do get automatically enrolled in the next class but advisors can make changes if necessary. I think I will try aleks for algebra. I think it makes sense to take Straighterline in some cases because it's faster and cheaper and the exams are open-book. For certain subjects that comes in handy.