frustration with classes

[cookderosa]

My son is taking several courses through a community college in our state as a distance learner. I casually asked him if his work for the week was done last night, and he said there is a block on his quiz and couldn't take it- it wanted a password. As it turns out, the instructor decided to require that test be proctored on campus.

My frustration is about a 10. There is nothing in his syllabus about coming to campus for quizzes, and of course my son didn't ask permission to use a different proctor at the "start" of the week which is his fault, but the whimsy of adjunct faculty makes me crazy. My son is out of time and will take the zero, but since she doesn't open weeks of the course until the day of, neither of us can figure out if future quizzes will require proctoring and the teacher doesn't answer emails, so arranging this is going to be ridiculous.

This is why I love CLEP. Ugh.

[Ideas]

She should give him a week to take it. It's her fault

Wow, how can the teacher not answer emails? I would inform the school if there's no reasonable way to contact her and get a reply within about 2-3 days maximum?

Maybe get the school involved so she opens assignments earlier, especially proctored ones. The good teachers tell you at the start which are proctored.

Thank goodness for CLEP, ACE, TESU, etc. But I want a few more options (for grad credits, grad degrees, certs)!

[hsfamfun]

I would definitely get the school involved, if the professor does not answer emails.  That is not acceptable!  Changing requirements mid semester is frustrating, and I have seen it with my son's online and on campus classes, but the professor needs to be available to address any issues!

[Life Long Learning]

I would definitely get the school involved, if the professor does not answer emails.  That is not acceptable!  Changing requirements mid semester is frustrating, and I have seen it with my son's online and on campus classes, but the professor needs to be available to address any issues!

Wow!  When I was young I put up with a University BS, but no more!    I am taking online courses from FTCC in your state and while the Blackboard (Canvas is so much better) is quirky, but the instructor is excellent.  I am out-of-state and going to campus would be a big NO.  These days I would call the school? 

Tell your son to use "rate my professor" after the class is done.  I rate all my professors and even the colleges on that website.   90% I have given top ratings (5.0).   I research them ahead of time to weed out duds as sometimes more than one teacher teach a course.  I have given a few worst scores (1.0).  I find rate my professoruseful and generally accurate!

[burbuja0512]

I would be on the phone with the administration so fast it would make your head spin. The definition of distance learning seems to exclude the possibility of just running to the campus on a whim. The school needs to decide whether they're truly prepared to handle distance learning. If they can't cut it, there are others who will.

[originalamyj]

My daughter was in a Sociology 101 course at a community college. You would think this guy is teaching a grad level race relations course. He too has changed direction and requirements several times, including moving up a deadline for a 3000 word essay on a book they were supposed to read. 3000 words is 12 pages. He also gave them a huge lecture at the beginning of the course about what losers they would be if they dropped his class and then told stories of people with all kinds of terrible circumstances (one had to live in their car) but they still finished the course. Red flags anyone? He also is fond of no less than 5 F-bombs per class.

She dropped it.

[videogamesrock]

I'm not really impressed by most online professors teaching at a traditional school. There seems to be zero foundational structure and the professors just treat the course as a freebie to them. Last semester I had to get the dean involved as the professor simply disappeared halfway throughout the course which was poorly outlined and the syllabus was mainly useless.

So far the online-only schools were the easiest to follow as you knew what to expect due to the uniform layout of each course.

[cookderosa]

Ugh.

So, I've spent the morning emailing the advisor (as "my son" because they can't communicate with parents of course, nevermind he's a minor) and it is true that at the bottom of the first page of the syllabus it says "instructor reserves the right to require proctoring." So, there we go. Silly me for assuming they'd have the technology in place to proctor remotely. Anyway, the rub is that this is a course required for his certificate, and they won't take a transfer from another CC in my state- so frustrating. This is course #5 of 6. I'm 99% sure I'm dropping it (cough, I mean "he's dropping it") because the course opened for this week and she wants a proctored quiz again. So these aren't even EXAMS they are weekly quizzes. She thinks he's going to campus 8 more times? The first 4 were online - but she's apparently changed her mind for at least these....she won't reveal whether or not the others will be in person or online because apparently revealing that would compromise something... like the integrity of her very important 100 level course. <eye roll> Colleges are always so surprised at their retention rate, gosh, I wonder why? <heavy scarcasm>

[videogamesrock]

Then you also get the voicemail of death. You call for hours and bounce from person to person until you get a voicemail that no one will ever check.

[Murdockb]

Ugh.

So, I've spent the morning emailing the advisor (as "my son" because they can't communicate with parents of course, nevermind he's a minor) and it is true that at the bottom of the first page of the syllabus it says "instructor reserves the right to require proctoring."  So, there we go.  Silly me for assuming they'd have the technology in place to proctor remotely.  Anyway, the rub is that this is a course required for his certificate, and they won't take a transfer from another CC in my state- so frustrating. This is course #5 of 6.   I'm 99% sure I'm dropping it (cough, I mean "he's dropping it") because the course opened for this week and she wants a proctored quiz again. So these aren't even EXAMS they are weekly quizzes.  She thinks he's going to campus 8 more times?  The first 4 were online - but she's apparently changed her mind for at least these....she won't reveal whether or not the others will be in person or online because apparently revealing that would compromise something... like the integrity of her very important 100 level course.  <eye roll>  Colleges are always so surprised at their retention rate, gosh, I wonder why?  <heavy scarcasm>

So they are requiring on-campus proctoring for a distance ed class? Sounds like an oxymoron. Makes no sense.