proctoring (shmoop, aleks, sofia) algebra

[amberwalk]

Shmoop states that proctoring is optional on all classes.  Is credit still granted for those classes if you choose not to proctor?

Also, I need recommendations for a non-proctored college algebra course.  Its for my daughter that suffers extreme test anxiety.  I can promise that no one will be helping her because I am math impaired  Please let me know your reviews and the format for each class.

[Merlin]

Shmoop states that proctoring is optional on all classes.  Is credit still granted for those classes if you choose not to proctor?

Also, I need recommendations for a non-proctored college algebra course.  Its for my daughter that suffers extreme test anxiety.  I can promise that no one will be helping her because I am math impaired  Please let me know your reviews and the format for each class.

Shmoop courses are not accepted at all by TESU or WGU. But, as far as I know, COSC and Excelsior still accept their courses whether they are proctored or not.

I recommend looking at the ALEKS college algebra course (which is not proctored, but does require a lockdown brower – so no looking stuff up on the web – and is timed). Alternatively, you can take the Study.com algebra courses, they are not live proctored (they record your session but nobody is actively watching you). I found those to be much less intimidating than the live proctor courses like Straighterline.

[amberwalk]

Looking to transfer to Liberty. They accept sophia which is not proctored so I had high hopes for shmoop

[Merlin]

Looking to transfer to Liberty.  They accept sophia which is not proctored so I had high hopes for shmoop

You'll need to contact the registrar at Liberty to ask what they accept. Most of us here are focused on TESU, COSC, Excelsior, and/or WGU.

[cookderosa]

I know a little bit about Liberty's program and degree planning for them- are you sure she needs college algebra? Many of their degrees require only a 100 level math or higher, which opens the door to easier maths!
They also offer a dual enrollment COURSE that would cut down tremendously on the pressure of having a high score on a single test.
They do take Sophia, but that's because they are a partner school with Sophia, I'm not 100% sure that they take all ACE. For sure they take Sophia, CLEP, DSST, and AP - but if you're thinking of a degree with them, their dual enrollment courses are a FRACTION of the cost of full tuition and they meet your 25% residency requirement.

[amberwalk]

I know a little bit about Liberty's program and degree planning for them- are you sure she needs college algebra?  Many of their degrees require only a 100 level math or higher, which opens the door to easier maths!
They also offer a dual enrollment COURSE that would cut down tremendously on the pressure of having a high score on a single test.
They do take Sophia, but that's because they are a partner school with Sophia, I'm not 100% sure that they take all ACE.  For sure they take Sophia, CLEP, DSST, and AP - but if you're thinking of a degree with them, their dual enrollment courses are a FRACTION of the cost of full tuition and they meet your 25% residency requirement.

Yes, she is already dual enrolled with liberty but the classes are still $550 each which is crazy talk.  She is also enrolled at Bluefield and the classes are $225 each.  Liberty will take 30 ACE credits from SL, Sophia, etc towards a bachelors.  She can transfer in 90 credits.  We started kind of late on the dual enrollment so she currently has 3 credits from BF and we are hoping to get another 18 from BF and 12 from liberty before she graduates (this will be an exhausting year) totaling 33 DE credits.  We will still need 57 credits to keep costs down before transferring.  She will take Bio, A&P 1 and 2 at a local CC to gain 9-12 more credits (they need to be local to transfer into a PTA program), and 30 credits through ACE providers.

we are going backwards here.  We are making her get her bachelors first before enrolling in an AS physical therapy assistant program at South University.  There are relatively few core credits in that program but they need to be SACS accredited to transfer in.  It sounds ridiculous but I know that if she doesn't get it now, she will probably never get it and it might hinder her later.  Then again she might forgo the PTA plan altogether and continue with a Masters in Christian Counseling

[Old Guy]

Looking to transfer to Liberty.  They accept sophia which is not proctored so I had high hopes for shmoop

I think most Sophia courses are proctored.  One I took sure was.  The free ones aren't and maybe English Composition but I never took that one.

[CarpeDiem8]

I love Sophia.org and they are non-proctored now (utilizing Keystroke dynamics). I hope to complete as many as I can for my LL credits.

[amberwalk]

I just received an email from Liberty and they award unlimited credit for ACE.  They also accept Shmoop for elective credits.  This changes things.  Alrighty, now I need a plan for her to gain around 80 credits in a year ?

[Merlin]

I love Sophia.org and they are non-proctored now (utilizing Keystroke dynamics). I hope to complete as many as I can for my LL credits.

According to the Sophia rep, they are still proctored since their keystroke analysis is considered a form of biometric proctoring. I don't really buy it though; even if it works to verify the identity of the test taker, it still doesn't thwart the larger issues with academic integrity which is where a webcam comes in. There is no perfect proctoring solution since people can always game the system in some way, but I think Sophia is treading in dangerous waters if they continue to claim they deliver proctored examinations.

That said, Sophia is too expensive for my tastes without one of the deep discount coupons that surface here and there, but if you have a discount (or don't mind the cost) you might as well avail yourself of as many courses as you can since they arguably have one of the best learning platforms available, IMO. Plus, if schools determine that their keyboard analysis-based "biometric proctoring" supports violations of academic integrity, they may lose their support as Shmoop did. I doubt that will happen since their price probably drives away the bulk of students, but it is something to keep in mind.

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I just received an email from Liberty and they award unlimited credit for ACE.  They also accept Shmoop for elective credits.  This changes things.  Alrighty, now I need a plan for her to gain around 80 credits in a year ?

Unlimited ACE credits? That seems suspicious; the most flexible colleges generally only accept a max of 90 transfer credits total, many of those accept far less from ACE/CLEP. This is one of the reasons why we recommend the "big three"; they allow all but 3-6 credits to be transferred in towards a degree from them.

In any case, since you're attending Liberty you'll need to figure out what credits you need and how various courses will be evaluated to fit into your degree in order to create that plan. You may need to work with advising since I don't think there are many people here who are familiar enough with the school to make suggestions about how courses will be evaluated or how they will fit into your degree.

Also keep in mind that Shmoop is painful to get through, primarily because of its presentation style, but also because many of their courses are buggy and/or have broken web links, etc. That said, some people can get through those courses fairly quickly. Personally, I think the fastest path is Study.com, but others will suggest CLEP or Straighterline. Given your open options, you might want to try all the various approaches to find the one that best fits your learning style.