09-06-2017, 06:09 PM
Provider: Shmoop
Course: The Bible as Literature
Course content: All material is included. Content is a mixture of text and video, some on the Shmoop platform itself, and some linked to at external sources. (I found that some of the external readings were "optional," depending on my degree of familiarity with the material. It was comprised of 7 units. The first six each had a 20-question exam. The 7th is just covered as part of the final.
Final exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions, timed (2 hours)
Final exam content vs course content/practice exams: Most of the final exam content pretty well mirrored unit exams. There wasn't complete overlap, but they seem to be drawn from the same question pool.
Time taken on course: I completed the course in less than a week, during which I also homeschooled my children and spent a good bit of time learning Dungeons and Dragons with my family.
Familiarity with subject before course: I know the (Protestant) Bible as well as or better than most American pastors, so I was pretty familiar going in, with everything except unit 6, which deals with apocryphal and pseudoepigraphal books. I probably could have passed the final without taking the course, but it would be close, because Shmoop's interpretive commentary is also incorporated into many of the questions.
Pitfalls, high points, things others should know: Shmoop has a reputation for having "weird" questions. This is my first Shmoop course, so it could well be an exception, but I didn't find most of the questions to be weird or quirky; I simply found them to require an actual understanding of the material, rather than being able to repeat the material word-for-word.
1-10 Difficulty level: If you're already familiar with the Bible and its context, probably 2-3. If not, perhaps a 6-7.
Course: The Bible as Literature
Course content: All material is included. Content is a mixture of text and video, some on the Shmoop platform itself, and some linked to at external sources. (I found that some of the external readings were "optional," depending on my degree of familiarity with the material. It was comprised of 7 units. The first six each had a 20-question exam. The 7th is just covered as part of the final.
Final exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions, timed (2 hours)
Final exam content vs course content/practice exams: Most of the final exam content pretty well mirrored unit exams. There wasn't complete overlap, but they seem to be drawn from the same question pool.
Time taken on course: I completed the course in less than a week, during which I also homeschooled my children and spent a good bit of time learning Dungeons and Dragons with my family.
Familiarity with subject before course: I know the (Protestant) Bible as well as or better than most American pastors, so I was pretty familiar going in, with everything except unit 6, which deals with apocryphal and pseudoepigraphal books. I probably could have passed the final without taking the course, but it would be close, because Shmoop's interpretive commentary is also incorporated into many of the questions.
Pitfalls, high points, things others should know: Shmoop has a reputation for having "weird" questions. This is my first Shmoop course, so it could well be an exception, but I didn't find most of the questions to be weird or quirky; I simply found them to require an actual understanding of the material, rather than being able to repeat the material word-for-word.
1-10 Difficulty level: If you're already familiar with the Bible and its context, probably 2-3. If not, perhaps a 6-7.
-Rachel
BS in Interdiscipl. Studies (Health Sci. + Beh. Sci. [Coaching] + Business) at Liberty U
Liberty U: 36 cred finished
LU ICE exam: 4 cred
Christopher Newport U: 2 cred
Amer. Coll. of Healthcare Sciences: 52 cred (+14 non-transferable)
Study.com: Pers Fin, Amer Gov
Shmoop: Bible as Lit, Lit in Media
SL: Bus. Ethics, IT Fundamentals, Intro to Religion, Intro to Comm, Intro to Sociology, Surv of World History, Engl Comp I&II
TECEP: Intro to Critical Reasoning (didn't transfer)
ALEKS: Intro Stats
BS in Interdiscipl. Studies (Health Sci. + Beh. Sci. [Coaching] + Business) at Liberty U
Liberty U: 36 cred finished
LU ICE exam: 4 cred
Christopher Newport U: 2 cred
Amer. Coll. of Healthcare Sciences: 52 cred (+14 non-transferable)
Study.com: Pers Fin, Amer Gov
Shmoop: Bible as Lit, Lit in Media
SL: Bus. Ethics, IT Fundamentals, Intro to Religion, Intro to Comm, Intro to Sociology, Surv of World History, Engl Comp I&II
TECEP: Intro to Critical Reasoning (didn't transfer)
ALEKS: Intro Stats