NationsUniversity graduate level exams

A friend is working on a master's degree at NationsUniversity. His first two exams consisted of multiple choice questions and a very brief essay. He finished both exams in less than 30 min.

Is this typical with this school? I thought it would be more rigorous. I have recommended this school to a number of people. Anyone familiar with the exams?

Roscoe

 

I have no experience with Nations and so no first hand knowledge of their practices or standards. However, I believe they use a competency based model and their methods for assessing knowledge and knowledge acquisition is not going to closely resemble a traditional "sit down and take a test" model that many people are accustomed to using.

 

I don't think rigor becomes an issue just because he finished quickly. Most of the rigor of any class comes in the preparation that leads up to an exam.

If one finishes quickly it doesn't mean they scored well. If a person does score well after finishing quickly, it can simply mean they had a strong grasp on the material.

It really is a "YMMV" situation.

 

Agreed. But I also thought the questions were easy.

Roscoe

 

I was curious, how long does it typically take to get through one of their courses? I'm considering applying. My undergrad degree doesn't confer until end of September. They said I can take up to 3 courses before I get officially accepted. I can't proceed past that third course until they have the transcripts in hand. So, I'm trying to decide when I should enroll. I don't want to fly through three classes and be sitting around for a month or more waiting until end of September.

 

Unless they changed their format, I heard their program requires an excessive amount of reading and writing. If they changed to a competency-based-like system, then I might be interested in them again.

 

Regardless of perceived difficulty of the questions, how appropriate do you think a multiple-choice exam is for measuring competency at this level of education?

 

I don't think I had any multiple choice exams for my masters or PhD program.

 

That's not at all the description of the exam I took over a year ago. It was all essay styled. Also, how did you get to see the exam to judge its difficulty level? As a matter of fact he should never hold the exam before or after the text, it has to be done by an approved proctor. So I have no idea what your friend took, but it was not a Nations U exam.

http://www.nationsu.edu/Certified_Proctor/Proctor_Policy/

 

I think your friend was taking these...

Master of Theological Studies | NationsUniversity > Our Programs

 

Depends on what it takes to prepare. From what I've seen there, it takes a lot of reading and writing especially if one prepares in that order and then takes the exam. My second thought to that would center on the length of time such an approach has been used by schools like Heriot-Watt University, a school whose exams have garnered the reputation of being tough and highly inclusive of critical course material. Of course, this doesn't mean Nations U is the same, but in general there is credence to the idea that such an approach isn't entirely dismissable. Besides, with the amount of reading and writing needed for Nations' courses, multiple choice exams appear to only be part of the equation.

 

Thinking back to my mater's and doctorate (neither of which were at Nations, and both of which are RA) . . .

Um, what's an exam? :slaphappy:

 

Hi Steve,

Glad to see you're still posting here.

Roscoe

 

Thanks, Kizmet.

Good point.

Roscoe

 

Exactly what I've heard, Sanantone.

Roscoe

 

I've done Nations a bit many years ago at undergrad level. It sounds like you are describing the unit quizzes, not the proctored final exams.

 

Thank you, Brande.

Roscoe

 

I know very little about their system. I only mentioned "competency-based" because I read this

"Competency-Based Learning
The US Dept of Education at www.ed.gov defines Competency-Based Education in the following way: Transitioning away from seat time, in favor of a structure that creates flexibility, allows students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. Competency-based strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students with personalized learning opportunities. This type of learning leads to better student engagement because the content is relevant to each student and tailored to their unique needs. It also leads to better student outcomes because the pace of learning is customized to each student."

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