CCU Course Work

After settling on the CCU M.Ed. program I have come to find out that the course work is ALL ESSAYS that will come close to 250 essay's in all to complete the program.

This comes as a complete shock (and disappointment) insofar as ALL of the website info about the CCU master level programs course work consist a variety of multiple choice exams and one essay per each course. To me this sounded like a very reasonable program.

It's not that I cannot write, but having to write 250 essay's is much more than I expected considering what I was led to believe. At present, like many of you out there, I'm a (47 years old) working adult, raising 3 kids etcetera and am finding the prospect of writing 20-25 essays PER COURSE a bit overwhelming at the moment.

I chose CCU for all the right reasons for me ($$ in particular) but feel I was misled and am considering withdrawing from the program.

Are there any viable alternatives out there?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Did CCU explicitly inidicate in writing either on their website or in other written form that there would only be multiple choice questions as a means of assessing students' grasp of the course material? Was there any indication that essays would not be used to evaluate students' knowledge base of courses?

 

Re: Re: CCU Course Work

Yes to both......

 

Re: Re: Re: CCU Course Work

If that is the case it may be advantageous to speak with the chair of the program to discuss the basis for this discrepancy and to determine whether there is any possiblity to resolve this matter favorable to yourself! IMHO, it is always best to attempt to work out a situation such as this to discern if there is any way to continue in this program prior to leaving due to the likelihood of being in a similar situation with another school.

 

I concur and will be doing so when staff returns from the long Thanksgiving weekend. Until then, I'm WIDE OPEN to alternatives; thanks for the input!!

 

In just about every graduate degree program I am aware of, traditional and distance, there will be essays required to assess students's critical thinking and writing skills. This means of assessment can not be replaced by multiple choice format tests due to the fact that such questions cannot measure a student's actual depth and breadth of understanding, interpretation and synthesis of the course material. That is why if you can work out a compromise with the Chair it may be to your advantage because I doubt that any other school will enable any student to go through an entire graduate degree program without a requirement of a substantial amount of essay and term papers.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you. Simon

 

That's how the program reads now, having to complete some (3-5) essays per course rather that 20-25 and that works perfectly fine with me.

Just out of curiousity - what do you think about the ALL 250+ essay program?

 

Can you provide a link to the statement above indicating that only 3-5 essays are required for each course?

BTW how did you find out about the updated requirement of 250+ essays?

In addition to completing a traditional 60 credit masters degree I have completed all the course work for a doctorate in a distance online program. I did not have one multiple choice question test in my masters or doctoral program but was required to write a substantive final paper totaling approximately fifty-sixty pages per course (11 courses for the doctoral program). This was a timely endeavor due to the research and synthesis of the research resulting in a very well written final paper.

In terms of the updated requqirement you noted of 250+ essays it is important to determine the length of these essays (for example they may only be a few pages each in length and not require substantial research) prior to jumpting to conclusions. It may actually be an easier task than you think. That is why it is so important to speak with the Chair to determine the actual extent of your investment of time and energy so that you can make an informed decision as to whether to stay or move on.

 

250 essays for a graduate degree sounds reasonable to me. Most grad level work from what I understand is critical thinking, research and writing. Personally I hate multiple choice testing.......but only after going to Southwestern where I took only about 10-15 multiple choice exams in between the 200 or so essays and research papers. You get used to writing them after a while. When I first started I could write a 10 page research paper in about a week and a half. After a few months of doing it repeatedly, I got to where I could turn out one in one night, proof read the next morning and submit it. All within about a 24 hour period.

 

I reviewed the link you provided and it clearly indicates that there would be multiple choice questions and essays required after completing the review of the Study Guides for each course! Personally I do not believe that this will be such an intense and time consuming experience due to the fact that you are enabled to complete these exercises with an open book. So try not to presume anything at this point but as we agreed speak with the Chair and let him/her delineate specifically what will be required of you in terms of the length and content of these essays.

 

Hi Brian,

Most CCU courses include a combination of multiple choice and essay examinations to assess academic progress. The M.Ed program is an exception as it uses essay type exams exclusively.

A careful review of CCU's website reveals that there is no explicit reference that indicates there would ONLY be multiple choice questions or that there would NOT be essay examinations in the testing process.


http://www.calcoast.edu/study_guides.php


I agree with Simon in that you should contact the university and seek an amicable resolution.

Good luck and best wishes,

Pepe

 

Re: Re: CCU Course Work

I will be doing just that when CCU re-opens on Monday after the loooong T-Day weekend.

I am also considering switching to the M.S. Psychology program if able to as it seems to follow the "posted and established" CCU guidelines. This degree fits into my current profession too (L.E.) and would not be a big deal heading that way.

Thanks for all of the input thus far!!

 

Dump 'em. CCU has always been a joke, and as an LEO, they're the last thing you need on a resume - any time you appear as a court witness, you risk having your academic credentials torn apart by a savy attorney (which is not always an oxymoron).

 

Hey Steve -

I see what you're saying, but I can honestly say ("So help me God") that in 25+ years as a LEO and attended my fair share of trials and such I have never been asked my level of education or where I went to school.

 

Interesting remarks! Can you expand your statement of "always" a joke, and, how can Brian's or anybody's credentials be torn by an attorney for having a degree from CCU?

Pepe

 

Can I expand on them, Pepe? Yes. Will I expand on them? No. Been there, done that.

CCU has been a topic of discussion on this forum for many years, and my position on them is simply what it has always been.

Welcome to the forum (belatedly) - now you have a chance to do some real research.*
_______________________

* On both CCU and me, so you don't embarrass yourself.

 

I understand that, Brian, but if you pursue, say, a master's in psychology from CCU and then have the opportunity to use that master's in the capacity of court testimony, you can bet your proverbial wazoo that a savy attorney would then go after your credentials (regardless of where they are from).

The question at that point is whether your credentials would cut the proverbial muster, and how easy it would be for the opposition to come up with an expert witness whose credentials could not be impugned.

There is a great difference between stating facts or presenting evidence (both of which are normal in the course of any LEO's career, with or without a degree, versus expressing a professional opinion, which comes along with advanced credentials.

Having spent extensive times in my "past life" evaluating the credentials of expert witnesses ("Hey, Steve, how can we trash this guy's testimony?"), I can tell you that, depending on the nature of the trial, all an opposing attorney has to do is raise doubts (you probably see that often from defense attorneys). And it's that much easier to do when it comes to a CCU degree.

 

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I usually stay out of CCU discussions because someone bit my head off (once) for mentioning that CCU is unaccredited. Having said that, stay away from CCU and stick to regional accreditation, which is the gold standard in the United States.

 

Well Dr. Levicoff,

Thank you for your invitation to do real research. Trust me, though, research I do. However, I did not think that bringing up NIFI, TESC, Union, or Rudeness and Pomposity 801 was appropriate. As for me being embarrassed, no worries.

Many people read this forum to help themselves understand DL and to make decisions regarding their education. This is not a classroom setting where we should chastise individuals for not doing intense research before asking. Furthermore, not everyone has the time to immerse themselves in such research. Not in a public forum anyway.

Brian has legitimate concerns, and telling him to dump CCU without giving him an explanation other than a vague opinion is a disservice to him and to other readers who don’t know you (although I perceive you feel everybody in this forum should know who you are) or don’t know much about CCU.

Thank you for welcoming me to the forum.

Pepe