"Washout" Thread

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Randell1234, Feb 23, 2009.

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  1. PatsFan

    PatsFan New Member

    I transferred from a Master of Arts in Religion degree program at Eastern Nazarene College to a M.Div degree program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary only to drop out of the M.Div. program 30 semester hours shy of the degree. I transferred back to Eastern Nazarene and quickly finished the MAR.

    Over the years my dream was to get a D.Min. degree-- really liking the applied research aspect of the degree. I didn't think I could ever get into such a program without a M.Div, however. Nineteen years later in 2004 armed with a MAR, 30 semester hours from Gordon-Conwell and a MSW I qualified for M.Div. equivalency and entered a RA D.Min and graduated last year.

    Tom
     
  2. gonenomad

    gonenomad New Member

    I feel like I'm not worthy. I've only washed out of one program.

    I finished 15 units of an MA in Geography at CSU Los Angeles. I dropped out to start working on my doctorate in Earth Science Education at Ball State.
     
  3. BTroutman

    BTroutman New Member

    Well I have washed out of 1 program

    Bryman College (Now Everest College) Massage Therapy Program- 2003 School was in Anaheim, CA and I was living in Long Beach. I didnt have a car, so I was taking the bus 2 hours each way. On top of that I had a job, so I was busy from 7 am to 10 pm each night. And I was 18 and wasnt as responsible then, so I got burnt out.

    After that I joined the Navy, and well... I'm still in going to start at Upper Iowa University with work torwards my B.S. in Public Administration.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2009
  4. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Western State College 27
    University of Colorado Boulder 9
    California State University Dominguez Hills 27
    American Military University 18
    -------------------------------------------
    Total 81
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 26, 2009
  5. perrymk

    perrymk Member

    I completed all coursework for an MPA at Florida Gulf Coast University (SACS accredited state school) with a 3.8 GPA. Halfway through my Capstone semester my Advisor decided all my work was garbage and that he was just a Reader. The person who was actually my Reader had earlier made it a point to tell me the difference between Advisor and Reader. Ironically the Reader was listed on the FGCU web page as an expert in ethics but said nothing regarding the actions of the Advisor; I guess ethics is taught, not practiced. I later published my Capstone project in a peer reviewed, FBI sponsored journal.

    Does this count as washing out?

    I know its a whiny story; you don't have to tell me. :D
     
  6. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    I just washed out of Andrew Jackson University. There was nothing wrong with the program, but I just did not have time to complete the program and assignments.
     
  7. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    Maybe we should have a folder(not really) for those that took advantage of the offer from AJU and then later washout (for whatever reasons). In all, you can only take one class at a time with the amount of assignments and exams(or quizzes) that have to be taken, which at the end will not justify the savings (cost vs. benefit) of the program. But if you have lots and lots of free time and nothing else (don't have a degree of any kind) to do and some extra money and know the limitations of such degree(DETC), it's okay.
     
  8. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    I agree with you. A person could take one course but then you are pay a bit over $400 dollars for a graduate course, which is not really to bad, but not when you can take 3 graduate courses for that price. I was in the executive MBA program. I only had 6 more courses to complete it, having transferred in the rest of the degree. The course material to me at times seemed like busy work. Each course was 10 weeks long, but you may have for say each unit, a bunch of quizzes, may writing assignments, case studies, and other essays. If I did not have a full time job and was also working on a doctorate, not to mention teaching online, I could have probably done it, but it just did not work out.
     
  9. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    This may be the case for graduate programs, but I'm in the BA in Communications program and am taking three courses at the same time. It's a lot of work, but not impossible. It works out to a significant cost savings for me.

    I don't know if you would call it washing out, but I do plan to leave Penn Foster College once I finish the current semester. Taking a total of four courses concurrently from two different schools is just too much work.
     
  10. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    I wouldnt call it washing out, I call it trying to retain some sanity! I think if I was not working on a doctorate I would have completed the MBA at AJU.
     
  11. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    I am in the same boat as you, as I am working toward a doctorate degree. I had only 6 courses to do, but each course felt like I had another full time job( that was to much for me, I need my sleep and whatever free time I can get). Not a big deal here wanted to test the waters and found not to be beneficial to my current and future standing, other than a vanity move (despite is a great deal), and considering other flaws with their platform, it did not inspired me confidence and support (this just me that washout from AJU). :p
     
  12. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    It is doable if you can take it and finish in the prescribe time and if necessary with the extension. But its too many activities, and if you get stuck in one and even if you jump it and leave for later, that won't help, because the clock is still ticking, I have gone to three DETC universities at the master level and AJU goes overboard with the required activities, assignments, quizzes and exams. They won't make the money if they lock you in. A better approach is always one class at the time, but that will cost you.

    In your situation makes more sense to make that move.
     
  13. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    I agree with you 100%. This is the case I fell in, because I would say do 3 weeks in all 3 of the courses and then not touch it for a few weeks later. I later tried doing 1 week at a time in each course per week and that did not work. Maybe if the program did not have set end periods a person could finish it, but its just not doable. I noticed that I would be on say week 5 and that people who started the courses the same time as I did, were just beginning to post on their week 1 work. In one course, there were 10 active students, by the time I got to week 6, there were 3 of us.
     
  14. fingerfehler

    fingerfehler New Member

    I washed out of high school after 3 semesters, whereupon I went off to my local state university on a tuition waiver. I had one good semester, where I self-flagellated myself with an overload schedule (8 courses), and then dropped out for good halfway through my second semester. All before I turned 17.

    Haven't returned to college yet, but I still hope to do something with the approx. 46 semester-hours I earned way back then!
     
  15. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    We'll I just dropped out of APUS again, this time due to a jagoff immature humanities instructor. I am done with them and can no longer, in good conscience, recommend them to anyone. Too many other choices out there hire and train instructors that show up in the classroom.

    My GOD am I pissed right now at them.
     
  16. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I guess the third time is not the charm - could not resist :D:rolleyes:
     
  17. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    Nope. It was less so than even I expected. At least I now have them out of my system!

    But yes, thank you for the salt in the wound!:D
     
  18. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    Did you report him to the chair or dean? They have to know and not hire this professor back.
     
  19. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    Oh sure, that is where the whole think went sideways. Basically after two weeks and one 1200 word paper, the guy had not posted a thing in the classroom, and took 9 days to grade my paper. I sent an email to the president saying that APUS used to be good, but what the heck now? To which the academic dean called me and I expressed my concerns. I told her I did not want to provide the name of the instructor, as that felt wrong, but that she could look in the classes I was in and figure it out quickly. She told be just to tell her to save her the time in looking, which I did, as she assured me that she would not mention the phone call or that a student complained, but just that in her normal course of oversight she noticed this guy was not participating, and that was how she would address it.

    Well then, this guy storms back into class and writes a two page tirade about how one of us went around the chain of command and screwed him, then he starts posting dozens of follow up questions to anything we had written. Even though I sent him some emails, he claims that whoever this was never tried to contact him.

    There are only three people in the class, and the other two, who knew nothing of my concerns, both sent him an email saying it wasn't them, to which he posts ANOTHER long tirade demeaning the communication (notice in all of this I still have a paper that was not graded).

    I posted this email in the class and sent it to the dean, and then dropped all my courses there and will NEVER go back in any form:


    -----------------------

    XXXXXX and All:

    Several items.

    First, I sent an email to the university president commenting on the difference between APUS classes several years ago and today. This spawned a conversation with the Academic Dean, which lead to her examining participation in this class. XXXXXX, to say it was a complaint about you is not
    accurate; however, it is clear for the record your lack of participation in the first two weeks of class, and your very late grading of papers. Further, to clean the record up, please check your university email, as I attempted to contact you prior to this incident to no avail.

    I teach many online classes myself, and in all honesty am embarrassed by the way you have handled this, especially when you consider that in fact you did not participate in the class discussion, and did on fact take over 9 days to grade a paper. I think thee protests too much!

    If you are stretched too thin, accept less teaching assignment. Do not forgo the attention due to the students in the classroom because of your own schedule; exactly the same standard to which your syllabus holds us students. Have no worry, given my impression of your less-than-mature thrashing here, I will drop this class; I have no confidence that we can interact going forward in an appropriate manner.

    Lastly, to your chain of command analogy, I do not report to you because I am in a class of your. That thinking is so flawed, and so judgmental, that I find it offensive. I treat my students with respect as peers, as I have found that very often, they are experts in different fields, and have life experiences that are different than mine that can be used to enrich the classroom.

    I recommend the following process to you, it is the one I use:

    1 - Log into the classroom in the morning and afternoon of each day.
    2 - Address any new postings, questions, or comments then.
    3 - If you receive an email or other request, respond within 24 hours, even if the response is only
    an acknowledgment that you will respond in detail later.
    4 - Grade papers within 24-48 hours of receipt.
    5 - Understand that in the online environment you are dealing with a mix of people; develop a report with them as peers. This does not compromise your position in the classroom as the resident expert and evaluator; it can enhance the entire learning environment for all.

    I will not log back in or check APUS emails, so do not bother to respond to me.

    DEL.
     
  20. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    David you are one of my heroes.

    I can remember one time, I had an instructor that was not doing her job and some one complained about her, to get back at us (she could because we worked with group project and this is one reason I don't like group project), since she did not know who complained ( as a matter of fact we all complained) she indicated that one of the group member committed plagiarism, no benefit of the doubt, not checking with the student first, just plain out plagiarism, I tried to fight this issue individually because I thought it was not fair that everyone got hammer because one individual, anyway no severe consequences, only to redo all the work and even we got an A in the class the grade was still a C. But when all went down, that instructor did get a piece of my mind.
     

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