OnlineDegree.com Is Finally Open

[eriehiker]

It seems like it would be nice, then, to have an option to simply get credit for a Great Courses or UCI Open Courseware course by creating a proctored final.  Why recreate the course, when these courses have already been created?  Why not just create the means for evaluating mastery?

That is actually what these courses are.  Onlinedegree.com does not create any actual content.  It just uses either material that is in the public domain or material that is capable of being used in classes for which there is no charge.  My first gut level feeling was that this is a little bit shady.  However, I have now taken almost three complete classes and I think that the course designers really know what they are doing in terms of gathering really excellent videos.  I also think that the quizzes are excellent.  I have noticed a few spelling issues and a couple of questions with incorrect answers, but the quizzes are challenging and require me to do some deep searching.  I am generally trying to complete the courses as quickly as possible, but I find that by the exam I actually know a lot of the material because the quizzes have forced me to look it up.  So that is some value-added.  The exams then assess knowledge of the videos, quizzes and that was all created by onlinedegree.com.  I think that the econ. exam was easier than other econ. exams and the public health exam was more difficult than expected.  I think that every provider fine tunes exams as results come in.

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BTW, I just came across an assignment in the English/Education course. Here are the assignment rules:

Assignment: Develop and Upload a Conceptual Framework
ED103 Course Assignment
As part of this course, you need to develop a conceptual framework that illustrates the intersection between theories you’re learning in the lessons and practice. Select 3 to 4 foundational theories learned in this course and describe how and when it may be applied in an educational setting with students, as well as potential barriers and corresponding solutions that may arise during the application. Create a visual diagram to show this.

In addition to the visual diagram, then explain the diagram using narrative paragraph form. Minimum of 3-4 paragraphs.

Sample Diagram & Explanation

Here is a sample diagram that you can use as a template to create your conceptual framework assignment. However, other diagrams would be acceptable as well (tree map, multi-flow map, etc.)

Grading

The assignment will NOT contribute to your final grade. However, it is mandatory to complete it, and upload it here. The following rubric is how your submission will be evaluated.

Steps You Should Take

Download the sample diagram or create your own to develop the conceptual framework for your assignment
Follow the instructions above and select 3 to 4 foundational theories learned in this course and describe how and when it may be applied in an educational setting with students, as well as potential barriers and corresponding solutions that may arise during the application
Write 3-4 paragraphs below the diagram in the same document explaining your work.
Upload your completed diagram in a Microsoft Word Document format at the top of this page
The assignment will NOT contribute to your final grade. However, it is mandatory to complete it, and upload it here.