Has anyone taken any political science courses through AMU/APU? I am looking at POLS 630. I'm just curious about their course formats. Will it have a lot of discussion? Personally, I prefer little to no discussion with more assignments. These courses seem to be all 8 week courses, so I'm wondering how they are structured. Thanks, Matt
I took several political science classes with them some time ago. It was discussion heavy, with many of your writing assignments being 500-750 word posts, and you were required to reply to 2 other people’s posts. You additionally had two 20 page writing assignments, a mid-term and a final. The pace was fast and the tests pretty hard.
Thanks David! I'm aiming at getting 18 hours in poly-sci, so I'm going to at least attempt a course at APU and then try the ones through WNMU since they are much cheaper. Again, thank you for your comments! -Matt
In my eight week graduate emergency management courses I typically require four discussion forums and four written assignments. I alternate them so one or the other is due every week. Forums require about a single page response and at least two substantive classmate responses. Assignments are typically five-seven pages for the first three with the final paper consisting of 20-30 pages. Course designs span the spectrum, but this model is fairly common. In a 16-week class, I typically double the number of assignments and forums, but reduce the length - shorter forum responses and two-three page papers. I have almost phased out exams and quizzes in all of my classes since I do not see much value in their ability to measure comprehension. This may seem like a lot of work, but it follows the Carnegie model and is strongly supported in the APUS graduate learning outcomes. I have more students drop at APUS because of the pace of the program than I have had at any other school I have taught for. Conversely, the quality of writing and research from students I have had at APUS is better than the students I have had at any other school.
I'm so happy to hear this. Yes, the volume of work seems a bit daunting, but I feel this means I will really learn and get a true education. So Im really glad that things are this tough here.
