Proctorless learning

At least the Leicester MBA requieres to take two proctored exams. I'm in the same boat as the original poster, hated and do my very best avoiding exams.
To quote a mail from Leicester:

and

 

As I understand it this is not quite correct. The original poster didn't say that he didn't want to take exams. He said he didn't want anyone watching while he takes the exams. It's an interesting difference.

 

It doesn't always mean someone has suspicious reasons for wanting to avoid proctored exams. I'm taking a class this semester at Penn State via distance learning. I had the choice of two sections, one with proctored exams and the other with more writing and no proctored exams.

I took the non-proctored section simply because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of trying to find a local library etc. that would be willing to proctor my exams.

 

If one could find courses at multiple schools that were proctorless then once one had the right mix and quantity of credits they could be transferred to Excelsior - hence a proctorless degree.

 

Mine charges $50 per test... even more than the local university!

 

That is true but it would be a lot of leg work to "cherry-pick" courses from a handful of schools. How would you know if that exact course had a proctored test or not? Would you sign up and find out or ask before enrolling? What if it changes while you are in the class?

 

Is this college accredited? How much? Doesn't no proctor equal an open book test?

 

Point taken - but of all the factors that could go into the choice of a school (program, faculty, tutition, etc.), how important a factor could this be?

I've wondered the same thing about GMAT requirements. I know some folks don't like to take standardized tests - but of all the reasons to choose (or not choose) a school, how important is this?

Regards - Andy

 

Peru State College (http://www.peru.edu) is a regionally accredited institution, located in Nebraska. I don't recall the tuition figures, but I believe they are still under $200/credit.

National University (http://www.nu.edu) another RA school, located in CA also does not require proctored exams.

While non-proctored exams might be considered open book, often these exams a re timed, so one may not necessarily have the time to look up the answers. National has online, timed exams offered up via Blackboard learning software.

 

I live in the Seattle area so eventually when I have to take a class that is proctored, it won't be an issue. That said, I can easily see a situation where someone is enrolled in a distance learning program because they don't live near a university and might live in a rural area, 45 min from the nearest library etc. They use distance learning in order to get a quality education in the comfort of their home and don't want to deal with having to drive somewhere possibly far away to take an exam.

To answer your question, I'd say it depends on the person and their needs. I personally might rank course subjects above anything else but someone else might rank non-proctored exams high because of where they live.

As for the GMAT/GRE, if I had the choice of two highly rated programs and the only difference was the GMAT/GRE requirement, I'd choose the one without. It's one less thing to study for and worry about. If I found a program that was perfect for me and it required these exams, I'd take them without any issue. I personally wouldn't enroll in a lesser program because the exam was required in a better program.

Again, however, I can see situations where people would try to avoid these exams. I'm good at exams but I've run across many people who are very intelligent but couldn't take a standardized exam to save their life. They are much better at course exams and paper writing and the low GRE/GMAT scores wouldn't be predictive of their success in a graduate program. These people would probably rank no GRE/GMAT programs high on their list.

 

Not sure from your posts whether you want Bachelors level or Masters...or what discipline. My Regis MBA had no exams and obviously no proctored exams. Not sure of the undergrad programs, but it's worth a look. There are many undergrad and grad programs online.

http://www.regis.edu/sps.asp?page=online

They have a live chat option weekdays, so it would be an easy question to ask.

 

I understand what you're saying. When it comes to a single course then it's understandable but personally, just my opinion, it's a bad criteria to use when choosing an entire degree program.

"It's a well respected program that suits my needs, is affordable, etc. but I'm going to ignore it because I have to find a proctor for my exams."
It only takes a few minutes.

You're right. I don't have to be suspicious. I've found, however, that I've become just a bit more suspicious as I've gotten just a bit older. Do you think it's possible that increased experience with life/people leads to increased skepticism?

 

I am looking for a "proctorless" program for my wife also. I travel 70% of the time (and she travels with me many times) and it is impossible to schedule exams. I need to take a day off to get a dental cleaning!

 

I hope it all works out well.

 

Not sure about Bellevue's undergraduate courses but every course in their MBA program required at least a proctored comprehensive final and some a proctored midterm. As others said you can use your local librarian as a proctor providing the library is approved by Bellevue. The exam is emailed to the proctor, photo ID is required before the exam is administered. Strict time limits of 3 hours were enforced. They even required that my briefcase be taken away during the exam. All paper, including scrap paper, is bundeled with the exam and returned to Bellevue.

I was very impressed with the thoroughness of Bellevue's testing requirements and felt that it added validity that students were doing the work.

 

Many schools offering distance education programs say "proctored" only because it is required by their accreditor. But once you are enrolled you will be surprised to find out that this rule is not strictly enforced. Actually, it is a useless precaution. You can just pay anyone to act as proctor if you really want to cheat (he/she will be willing to be interviewed, send the exams to you for you to do them unproctored, sign documents that he was present there, etc.), it doesn't really prevent anything.

 

Hi opal - I know you're right. But doesn't your scenario come across as being even more suspicious than mine?

 

I have heard from other Bellevue students that some degrees require proctors and others do not. I am finishing up the BA in Leadership from Bellevue and can attest to there being no proctors. The grades are based on essays, article reviews, projects/presentations, class discussions, a journal, and a Capstone project.

Pug

 

Oh yes. In my experience if a person is inherently a cheater it would be difficult to prevent him/her from cheating, even if it is on-campus learning. A cheater will always come up with ways to cheat, and in life there are infinite possibilities. Have you seen any of those shows where they reveal how magic tricks are done? I mean, they make obvious the fact that there are so many angles that we just don't see, and the avenues for deception (as in cheating for exams) are just as limitless as human creativity.

 

OpalMoon:

With all due respect, in your signature line you may want to add the source of the quote, otherwise, some may believe you are the author of such quote (which you are not). That can be considered as plagiarism.

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!

-- Andy McIntyre