Need advice/help! UOP

Hi everyone, I have been reading all of the posts on the UOP, but have yet to read anything that is similar to the problem I am having. I suppose what I'm looking for are other similar experiences so I will know if this is what a "usual" UOP class is like.

For my first class I had an instructor that was so overbearing and picky it was horrendous. I attended a campus setting for a year, so I have my experience with professors--I feel I have enough experience to evaluate this one. No matter how much we worked on our papers, submitted them for review to the Center for Writing Excellence, etc....she was deducting large amounts of points away for (what I consider to be) minor grammatical errors.

Not only this, there was one project that we were supposed to find in the "class module". Apparently, UOP had just recently changed the class module and took OUT the assignment the instructor wanted us to use. She kept telling the whole class basically how stupid we were that we couldn't find the assignment and to follow her instructions, and etc.... Finally I ended up calling tech support, and they went through the entire module with me and agreed the assignment was not there. After two days of her put-downs she was notified by tech that the assignment was not one we had access to, so she posted it but not without slamming me in the process. Seems like this instructor did not like to be proven wrong. She was sending me horrible emails that bordered on verbal abuse. I dropped the class.

Now in my 2nd class the situation is the exact opposite. This professor has given me 100% on all of my papers (except for one I received 91/100). So thus far I have an A in the class. Well deserved A let me tell you. I spend about 3 hours a night on schoolwork. He kept promising us a spreadsheet of our grades for the first 4 weeks of class, but never sent one. Now, 3 days before the class is due to end he sent out my spreadsheet and about half my grades are missing from it! According to his spreadsheet I did not turn in half of the assignments (which I have copies of with HIS grade and comments on) and I'm sitting at a "D" grade.

How can an instructor misplace half of my papers AFTER he already sent me grades for them?

I am SO worried about this now. I have emailed him with all of the discrepancies and sent him the papers that he put grades on. But, if he is so inept that he cannot send out a correct spreadsheet how can I be sure that my grade will be accurate? I have been up all night because of this, and I know that I cannot go through this with every class. Now I will have to fight for my grade!

I want to call my advisor and tell him to take me OUT of my next class until this is resolved. Either that or quit altogether.

My problem is that I have a son that is ill a lot. I tried going back to school at a campus and it was so difficult for me that I gave it up. Actually I have tried several times to go back to school, and this is the ONLY way that I have found that will work for me. I have excelled in all of the assignments, and have found a way for the schedule to work for me and my job (I also work out of my home about 70 hours a week!).

Is this what the UOP is all about? Instructors that belittle? Instructors that lose papers? Incorrect grading?

I'm so torn I just don't know what to do. It will just be another failure if I quit a school AGAIN.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Christina

 

UOP does not have full-time faculties. They hire any body who has an MBA for the faculty position (for mgmt classes). These people work all day and come to teach these classes late in the evening. They also bring their frustration,family problems, problems at work e.t.c to the class room. They are not focused. I think these universities should select those who have M.Ed along with other terminal degrees for teaching positions.

Talk to the dean and complain. Call their head office and talk to somebody and lodge a complaint. UOP works like a company .. so they might take some action.

UOP need to improve.

 

Christina

Such a broad brush you paint the faculty with..... As if all the students came to class in the learning mode and never brought fustrations with them... fully focused to boot...

Christina:

Modules do get screwed up! Faculty does make mistakes! I have been through a few of these classes from hell myself. If you need time at home to tend a sick child, you may want to consider the On-line or Flex options. These programs cost more than the on ground programs but one may meet your needs.

I can't describe what a typical class is at the UoP. I only have experience with the ones I've attended. Your 1st class should have been either Gen101 or Gen 300. If this is the treatment you got in one of these courses, time with your Academic Counslor is in order. There are special requirements which have to be met in order to run this class.

Dick

 

Thanks for the information

I was seriously considering the DBA program of UOPX... (I am finishing my MBA from Touro next August)

Many thanks to you for your information.... UOPX is now out of my list...

MFH
MBA Student
Touro University International

 

Dick:

Are you a current instructor with the UOP?

Christina

 

Christina - You had the same experience that I did. After 2 classes, I never returned. Don't think all DL schools are like this, I found several others that were great. I think UOP will go under for this type of service soon...... consistently poor.

 

CoraJack,

Instead of quitting, have you considered transferring to Capella University's online program? Capella is a bit expensive, but I think that you would be extremely pleased with the delivery and the quality of the education that you will receive.

Don't quit school!!!

 

No, I haven't. I'm sort of burned out on this whole school idea right now after 5 weeks of almost no sleep due to the schoolwork.

Do people here have the same complaints about Capella? Or has it mostly been positive reviews?

Thanks,
Christina

 

Disclaimer: I am a Touro Student

I do not know about Capella... But I have very good experience
with Touro. Touro faculty members are all PhD holders. They recruit the best GAs. Both the professors and GAs are really supportive. I never had a problem like the way you experienced with UOPX. Touro is quite organized.

I would suggest you not to quit your study! You might try considering Touro...

MFH
MBA Student
TUI

 

Ditto as you after two classes never return again! And it was one of the best decision I ever made.

 

I had one instructor that took a lot points from assigment as your, she argue that graduate student are expected to do graduated level work. From her bio's I was able to gather she was frustrated person and that her mission was to pass to us all the hard work she had to do to get her Master in Accounting. Stated that half way her Master in arts, she decided to change to accounting, so she went directly to the director business school to make so change, her belief was that she would only have to register in the accounting course and that was all, now the director LOL and wipe the tears of his eye, and told her sure they can tak her in the accounting program after she had completed all the BBA courses needed at undergraduate level and all in the graduate level." no wonder this instructor is so frustrated. However the point of all this, is that she was teaching an accounting class and not a grammar class and as your instructor made a big deal in ref gramatical error.

 

My advice is to move on to another school if you're not being treated well or not happy. There are too many options out there. I had great experiences with the programs at Kansas State, Excelsior and Tiffin (though I am not a business student). I'm sure many others in this forum can relay which schools they liked and didn't like.

 

Talk to your advisor or student rep., UOP unlike some others cares about thier students.

Hitting a wall, take it up the admin ladder, even the President; boy talk about action....

Back in 92 I received my MAOM from UOP, all requirements completed, audit done, total amount due - paid, I received my degree. A few months later a received a bill for a few hundred dollars, I got mad and called the President....., problem solved.....


Mike

 

I just started my eighth class in pursuit of a Masters in Organizational Management with UOP Online. My experience has been great. I had not had one paper or posting lost by an instructor. Further, every time that I have asked for assistance, I received it in an effective and efficient manner.

I am sure that there are instructors out there that should not be at UOP or any other University. However, as suggested by others, I would take this up the chain of command of UOP for resolution. You should not have to put up with this type of treatment. I would also attempt to discuss this manner over the phone with the instructor in question and document the phone class prior to discussing the matter with someone higher in the "food chain" at UOP. Again, my experience has beeen quite different. Everyone that I have dealt with has been responsive, courtesy, and professional.

Good luck

Fred

 

Capella MBA

Hi all,
I'm in the Capella MBA program and have found the faculty to be great. They are engaged, great facilitators and most importantly experts of the topics in the course. I've taken 2 classes now and am particularly impressed. I hear also that Capella has a rigorous faculty training program they put all faculty through to ensure they know how to teach online, engage learners, facilitate discussion, etc. I know that Capella has put a lot of time and heart into their MBA program and want to deliver the best outcomes possible. Check it out!

BA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1992
MBA, Capella University

 

Actually, they don't hire ANYBODY with an MBA. I know three people who have been turned down for various reasons. However, this does not mean that they do not have their problems, as do other huge organizations. I would tell my advisor that there seems to be a problem with the instructor's organization. It might be a simple mistake. God Knows I have my share of them.

 

UoP is like the phone company.....so huge that there are problems. As we know, they have many students. Many who think things are going great. One thing I can say is that they WILL NOT go under. I think there over 150,000 students, and $1,000,000,000 revenue last year indicates that.

 

Having attended both, I would agree. I am a GA there, and I can tell you that TUI will not put up with the mistreatment or disorganization described here.

 

Well this can justify the high tuition for Capella, I quite wonder the opposite for the University of Phoenix.

 

While I'm new to distance learning, I understand your frustration. At the brick and mortar school I got my AA from I ran into a few of these types of instructors. Most of the instructors I had were good, but I had at least two that didn't see a problem with testing on things we had not covered in class. The worst was a french instructor that on several occassions included things in tests we had not covered yet. Once she lost a quiz that I was fairly confident I did well on and refused to admit she lost it. She claimed that it was really just a "pre quiz" and that she would return them at the next class. When she failed to bring it into class she claimed it didn't matter since it was only a "pre quiz" it didn't carry a grade and therefore she didn't need to return it.

This same instructor also gave us a take home exercise that was just a "fun thing to do." She collect them the next day and later tacked them onto the 'real quiz', (replacement quiz for the above mentioned quiz) and that ended up being a third of the quiz grade.

I ended up challenging the grade I got in that class and won, but not because the above incident. She also marked me wrong for conjugations that were correct, but not listed in "the standard order." The school side with me because she didn't state that she wanted them a spefic order.

Afterwards I asked around and lots of people had problems with her. But since she had tenure, the school was stuck with her.

The point of the story is that bad apples can be found anywhere, especially with tenured instructors, but that doesn't necassarily mean that the school itself is bad.

It might be a good idea to email instructors before registering for their class to check for temperment.