Grand Canyon University

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by jayncali73, Feb 19, 2007.

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  1. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    A friend of mine was asking me about Grand Canyon University http://www.gcu.edu/online/online_home.php. He is considering enrolling in one of their degree programs; I searched the threads and found some "not so glowing" reviews dated back in 2005. I was wondering if anyone has any "updated" experiences with this institution? Is it any better/worse? Any recommendations (good or bad).

    Thank you in advance for any info :)
     
  2. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    Don't know what it's like to be a GCU student, but Wikipedia can give you some informative background:

    The above is probably one factor of those not so good reviews. Now they seem to be embarking on an aggressive expansion of their physical facilities - perhaps a sign things have stabalized?
     
  3. teachtech

    teachtech New Member

    I wouldn't recommend it. The courses are poorly written and poorly taught. They hire adjunct faculty on a constant basis, train them (sort of) and then let them teach one or two classes and that's it. There are always new faculty who have no clue what they're doing. When I taught there, we had a faculty discussion forum sort of like this. Everyone was asking questions, no one had a clue, and there was no support for instructors. We'd be told to go email so-and-so and then never hear back. It was a huge mess. I turned down offers after that first course.

    I had some friends who were enrolled in grad degrees there only because their employers paid for it. They had nothing but complaints about the courses and the instructors. The only reason most stayed was because it was paid for. A couple left anyway and said they'd rather pay their own way somewhere else.

    This was two years ago so maybe some things have changed.
    Good luck.
     
  4. basrsu

    basrsu Member

    My experience with GCU is much different than teachtech's. I have taught for the past year at GCU Online, teaching four courses per 16-week term (two per eight weeks). The faculty support has been tremendous, and needless to say, the teaching offers are steady. No complaints.

    I was trained in a group of 20 potential instructors, and based upon my training, they were top notch. Students evaluate their instructors, and faculty specialists evaluate faculty once a term. The university does, however, overhire; at this point, GCU is progressing at a steady rate both with course design and student enrollment, so the numbers of courses that must be staffed are out of sight! GCU will unveil its new Ph.D. program in Leadership for business and education majors this fall, so the university's online presence continues to grow. I have taught five different course titles, and all of them have been well written with relevant lectures and materials provided to students.

    Having written all this, what does it really mean? Not much. Regardless, a person's opinion is what it is. . .just one person's opinion. For every university or college, you're going to find someone who had a great experience there and someone who didn't.
     
  5. teachtech

    teachtech New Member

    Do they still pay instructors as contractors (1099) or have they finally gone to employee status? The pay wasn't all that great when it was 1099.
     
  6. basrsu

    basrsu Member

    Do they still pay instructors as contractors (1099) or have they finally gone to employee status? The pay wasn't all that great when it was 1099.


    Yes, instructors are paid as contractors (1099). The pay per eight-week course is $1600. I teach two courses per eight weeks (four total per semester) = $6400 for the traditional semester-length period. GCU pays an additional $800 per course if the course load has greater than 25 students, but I have only had this occur once (this term, in fact).

    basrsu
     
  7. beachhoppr

    beachhoppr New Member

    I had an awful experience at GCU. I was enrolled in their online MBA program in '05. The instructors were not helpful, the courses were often disorganized and confusing and the administration was no help. In one course, the entire class signed a petition to remove the instructor it was so bad. Eventually I withdrew. Fast forward 2 years and they put me in collections (I had no idea they even thought I owed this) for tuition they already took from financial aid. They have also tacked on $2000 in "late fees." This is another battle that I have been working with the Attorney General and others to resolve. The point is they are a complete mess, unprofessional and I would avoid at all costs.
     
  8. teachtech

    teachtech New Member

    I don't know how people can get more than one course per semester and continue getting those courses every semester. GCU uses a random selection process for faculty. This is probably why many faculty have no clue what's going on and why students sometimes get such awful faculty as you've described. They teach once without being adequately prepared and then they don't teach again. Sometimes never again. Sometimes a year later after the CMS has changed or the policies have changed or whatever.

    Oh and get this: GCU online discussions in BB are non-functional this semester. EVERY discussion and group project communication must go through the internal BB message feature for the remainder of this semester. What a pain the butt that will be. And there won't be any collaboration because responses cannot be organized or graded. I guess that's good for the students and faculty; they only have to post once and grade one posting. No participation counts for this semester in online classes. But then that's what happens when a university goes on the cheap and does their own tech support.

    A friend of mine sent me this today. He just got this from GCU when he emailed to find out when he would get another course to teach (he had already taught two classes with two semesters in between). He was concerned because there was no rhyme or reason behind who got to teach and who didn't. So he asked. And he found out. And it doesn't say much for the quality of the faculty. Here's how they select faculty (it is all automated and has nothing to do with how good someone is).

    Please be advised that we go through a process of auto assignation of courses. Instructors are RANDOMLY SELECTED to facilitate courses based on demand and course availability. This new process will allow for every instructor to have the same opportunity to teach their approved course(s) at any given start and will create fairness as it is a random selection. Also, instructors will only be assigned for one course per start. Again, this is a random selection of instructors which means you may not always be chosen to teach a course per start and we cannot guarantee or say when you will be chosen next.

    If you are chosen to facilitate a course you will be sent a contract advising you of this. Please remember that if you do receive a contract to respond accepting or rejecting this offer within 72 hours otherwise we will randomly select a different instructor.
     
  9. basrsu

    basrsu Member

    I hardly know where to start, but I feel I should comment as a result of the post above. I am by no means a GCU cheerleader; there are problems in every institution's operation, and GCU is certainly no exception.

    But my experience is so contradictory that I feel I must weigh in with my thoughts again--not so much to rebutt but to offer a "fair and balanced" approach (with respect to Fox News.:))

    1. The Blackboard discussions and groups are fully functional; in fact, I just checked in with my classes. Originally an email had been sent to students and instructors about Bb issues, but the problem was solved, and there was never any interruption. I graded and posted--and all students posted--just as normal.

    2. I call every semester the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences scheduler (she knows me by voice and name and exactly the courses I can teach). She schedules me. Again, I teach two courses per eight-week term with no problem. If you look at the GCU schedule for the English discipline, you will see the same names semester after semester. I have no idea how the other colleges operate, however, so I won't assume to. Perhaps "random selection" is the norm in some colleges at GCU. At least in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, there is no such thing as "random selection." And evaluations do matter. Student issues are brought to the attention of the instructor because I have had some brought to me by faculty specialists.

    Again, these are my experiences. And I am affiliated with only one college (Liberal Arts and Sciences), and I don't know how the others operate. However, I know I look forward to teaching for GCU each term, and I have had no problems.

    basrsu
     

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