I have already done a search and did not find what I was looking for. I am looking for personal experiences with idependent study courses from LSU. How long does it take to receive materials and grades? What was the quality of the program? Pros and cons...? Thanks, Chris
Greetings. I have taken a few non-credit, (very) basic math courses from LSU, and one for-credit English syntax course. All were taken by paper-based correspondence. All the course came neatly packed in an LSU folder. It was well organized, and ready to launch me on the road to enlightenment. Also included were extra large envelopes for returning my assignment. (FYI: Unless I'm mistaken, the envelopes require extra postage (+23 cents?); don't be cheap!) I was very impressed with the for-credit course. It was excellent & unassailable. There is no problem with the delivery of the material; it will take as long to receive as it takes. It will take longer, however, if you keep procrastinating with palaver, rather than enrolling. <g> The fact that some/many/most (?) LSU for-credit course require (as I recall) more than one proctored exam is inconvenient, but such is life. Cordially, Richard Kanarek
Hi I'm currently finishing up CMST 2010, Interpersonal Communication, through LSU IS. This course is web-based (still self-paced) so I can get all of the materials and post assignments through WebCT. Most of the credit-based college courses have their materials online so you don't have to use the mail unless you choose to. It's a 17-lesson course with a mid-term and final. You can submit a max of 3 lessons in any seven day period so, that, the final, and getting a final grade, you could realistically finish in 7-8 weeks. It''s been fine (a 3-credit speech class with no speeches) and you can't beat the price ($211 plus books). The IS admin dept is also expedient and helpful. However, keep in mind that when LSU says "Independent Study," they mean exactly that. With the exception of grades, don't expect alot of feedback on lessons and such. But that's the idea, I think. Anyway, they have a ton of courses and I wished I'd known about them earlier. Regards Kevan
I took Physical Science 1001 a few years ago through LSU's IS program. It worked out well for me. My experience was similiar to RKanarek's. The class was self-paced, and relied on snail mail to send in assignments. The instructor (a professor in the science department at LSU) also used snail mail to send graded assignments back to me. It is true that there wasn't always a lot of detail given on graded assignments when they were returned, but I did have my instructor's email address and phone number, his office hours were listed on the syllabus, and I always believed that, if I needed his assistance, all I had to do was to call during office hours or send an email. Overall, I would reccommend LSU IS classes to others, as long as they are willing to use snail mail for most classes (however, as Kevin as posted, there are some web-based classes now), and work indendently. But even more importantly, LSU has a pretty decent football team.
Received today I enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy: Elementary Logic and received the packet today. The packet seems to be all inclusive (minus textbook of course) and user friendly. I paid for the course exactly one week ago, so it arrived in a very timely manner. Other than the package being squashed and creased when it arrived (not LSU's fault), things look good so far. I'll be sure to complain if I have problems, but so far it has been a very simple and painless experience. Thanks for the comments.
