Should I Be Angry?

[High_Order1]

Ok

All I lack is a handful of portfolios, and the Capstone.

I selected portfolios that my advisor said would complete me (well, academically, lol)

I submitted those to PLA, they approved them and set up my website pages. I then noticed there were no specific learning objectives for one. They knew I wanted all this knocked out prior to Capstone - I don't care how long they take to grade / review, I didn't want to be hopping around getting stuff the reviewer may ask for while writing the Big One.

So, I emailed and asked if I just needed to focus on the blurb. They said, no, hang on, we're writing them.

They drug feet so long I went ahead and blocked out October to complete. This week, they email me and say, got them up for you!

WOW. What went from some open-endedness has, in my opinion almost turned into a graduate-level treatment of a 300 level subject.

I'm gonna do it. They know I don't have time to appeal it (if that's even possible).

It's like registering for a class, reading the syllabus, sitting down day one and whoosh! here's a whole other wall of requirements!



I guess I'm venting, but also warning others this can happen....

[Joeman200]

What do you mean by "got them up for you!"?

How much extra work/time does this add for you?

[Ideas]

Yeah, I feel like PLAs are kind of promoted as giving credit if you learned the course equivalent, but that they are actually looking for much more than someone learns in that course I posted about how their sample portfolios involved an artist proving she had done dozens of projects for public buildings, for some intro art course, and that sort of thing. Not that you necessarily need dozens, but I was annoyed that their samples were something so obviously overkilled.

Good luck on them!

[bjcheung77]

Yeah, I feel like PLAs are kind of promoted as giving credit if you learned the course equivalent, but that they are actually looking for much more than someone learns in that course I posted about how their sample portfolios involved an artist proving she had done dozens of projects for public buildings, for some intro art course, and that sort of thing. Not that you necessarily need dozens, but I was annoyed that their samples were something so obviously overkilled.

Good luck on them!

That's one of a few times I would recommend doing a PLA, for courses that are unavailable through the cheap/easy/fast ACE or NCCRS credits. PLA is only worth it in my opinion for upper level courses that are professional or technical in nature, to finish of an AOS for example of a BSAST Technical Studies degree.

[High_Order1]

What do you mean by "got them up for you!"?

How much extra work/time does this add for you?

The basic flow is this:

You talk to an advisor. I talked to a general one and a PLA one - the general one was better by far.
You start dredging through the PLA database. Bounce the ones you are most likely to pass off the general one, then the PLA one.

Get used to hearing 'that won't fit - you've got all your electives filled'.

Once you get a group everybody agrees on, then you send your PLA intent form in.

They don't want you putting them all up at once, so PLA will (in my case) approve 5-8.

They will add a page per course on your PLA website (as part of PLA200, you build a private google website; this is where your portfolio stuff goes. They have subpages, too, so for like DC Circuits, you have a DC Circuits page. This has on it a link to a narrative upload page, an evidence page, a resume page and something else I think I'm forgetting).

OH - when they add that course page to your website, they upload the course description and the specific learning outcomes. You use those as 'tacks' to hang your portfolio response on. Some times, there are few, and are very open ended. In the case I am bitching about, they are dense and specific and make me sad.

So, you get your marching orders, and toddle off and build your stuff (resume, narrative, etc). You run the narrative through whatever the plagiarism website is, and upload a copy of the results on your course page.

When this is done, you tell PLA youre done.

They find an expert reviewer.

Then, they load your course into the main TESU list of stuff to register for. (You'll recognize these by the peculiar course number, and the fact that all I've seen list out as class size 0/1).

You register for the course like a normal course, and pay for it. This is basically once a month.

After that, that's it. You hear nothing, unless a reviewer needs something.

It is now one day after the end of the class length period. I've gotten the majority of my grades (Cr) back, but I still lack three. PLA says sometimes the reviewers hold issuing grades until the end of the period. (shrugs)

That's one of a few times I would recommend doing a PLA, for courses that are unavailable through the cheap/easy/fast ACE or NCCRS credits. PLA is only worth it in my opinion for upper level courses that are professional or technical in nature, to finish of an AOS for example of a BSAST Technical Studies degree.

I like portfolios. I get tired taking the same classes over and over. Having actually gone through both processes, I think PLA makes a lot of sense for lower level topics; things an accomplished person would have some depth in. I'd be reticent to recommend PLA for upper level unless you really have some mastery of the course topics. Because they refuse to tell you what 'adequate' is, I'd look at it like prosecutors look at criminal cases; always push the low hanging fruit.

[davewill]

...
I like portfolios. I get tired taking the same classes over and over. Having actually gone through both processes, I think PLA makes a lot of sense for lower level topics; things an accomplished person would have some depth in. I'd be reticent to recommend PLA for upper level unless you really have some mastery of the course topics. Because they refuse to tell you what 'adequate' is, I'd look at it like prosecutors look at criminal cases; always push the low hanging fruit.

To be fair, most courses are in the PLA database with the learning objectives already spelled out. After all, without them you would have no idea whether it is a good candidate for PLA. This one course didn't and it bit you.

[High_Order1]

To be fair, most courses are in the PLA database with the learning objectives already spelled out. After all, without them you would have no idea whether it is a good candidate for PLA. This one course didn't and it bit you.

I see your point.

However, this wasn't my first portfolio on a course with no learning objectives (I think... seems right). At any rate, if I knew they would make them subsequently, there's no way I would have agreed to that.