03-26-2021, 02:55 PM
Provider: Sophia.org
Course: Microeconomics (3 credits)
Score: 92%
Course content: This course is presented either in a video lecture or a PDF/text form. I used the PDF version. There are no other materials that are needed, just the text provided by Sophia. There are 4 units in total, each with 3 - 4 challenge quizzes (4 - 7 questions) followed by a milestone test (17 - 23 questions) on the material covered in that unit. The class does have a Touchstone essay type of assignment to be completed at the end of Unit 02, which must be submitted before you can take your final exam. The class then has a milestone final exam (25 questions).
Final exam format: The class has a final 25 question multiple choice milestone or final exam.
Final exam content vs course content/practice exams: The course materials, challenge questions, and final exams were mostly consistent with each other. The big inconsistency that I found in this course was that there are a few portions where the class has the student doing math problems, and it always prompts the student to "use the midpoint formula". The midpoint formula is a formula provided in the text which simply calculates the average of two values. Other formulas are provided which always involve calculating the change in a quantity over the change in price to determine elasticity. In every single question where the student is prompted to "use the midpoint formula", you actually have to use the other formulas (*not* the formula specifically labelled as "the midpoint formula") to come up with the correct answer. The math itself isn't hard (though the questions provide absolutely zero feedback when you get a question wrong, which is unacceptable to me as well for a math question), but the fact that the directions are telling you to use a specific formula that was specifically highlighted in the text and then you actually have to use every other formula but the specified formula is a tremendous mistake on Sophia's part, in my opinion.
Time taken on course: 12 hours, 43 minutes over three days. I didn't bother with the practice milestones because I was smooth sailing through the first three units.
Familiarity with subject before course: I was tangentially familiar with some of the concepts from the class from just general life experience, news, etc. I had also taken the Accounting class on Sophia and the Business Law recently, which gave me a little more familiarity before I started the course.
Pitfalls, high points, things others should know: The course will be easier if you do a little refresher on some math classes beforehand. My wife took this class and was very frustrated with it, but I took it after having knocked out Sophia's math classes and found it significantly more easy. The big thing I'll say on this, which I alluded to above, is that there are some portions of the class which involve doing some math which it says is "using the midpoint formula", but the midpoint formula isn't the formula you use. Ignore that "midpoint formula" instruction and use the other formulas the lesson provides you and you'll be fine.
1-10 Difficulty level: 5, only because there were a few areas requiring some math being done which didn't provide any feedback when you got an incorrect answer. Overall though, it wasn't bad in my opinion.
Course: Microeconomics (3 credits)
Score: 92%
Course content: This course is presented either in a video lecture or a PDF/text form. I used the PDF version. There are no other materials that are needed, just the text provided by Sophia. There are 4 units in total, each with 3 - 4 challenge quizzes (4 - 7 questions) followed by a milestone test (17 - 23 questions) on the material covered in that unit. The class does have a Touchstone essay type of assignment to be completed at the end of Unit 02, which must be submitted before you can take your final exam. The class then has a milestone final exam (25 questions).
Final exam format: The class has a final 25 question multiple choice milestone or final exam.
Final exam content vs course content/practice exams: The course materials, challenge questions, and final exams were mostly consistent with each other. The big inconsistency that I found in this course was that there are a few portions where the class has the student doing math problems, and it always prompts the student to "use the midpoint formula". The midpoint formula is a formula provided in the text which simply calculates the average of two values. Other formulas are provided which always involve calculating the change in a quantity over the change in price to determine elasticity. In every single question where the student is prompted to "use the midpoint formula", you actually have to use the other formulas (*not* the formula specifically labelled as "the midpoint formula") to come up with the correct answer. The math itself isn't hard (though the questions provide absolutely zero feedback when you get a question wrong, which is unacceptable to me as well for a math question), but the fact that the directions are telling you to use a specific formula that was specifically highlighted in the text and then you actually have to use every other formula but the specified formula is a tremendous mistake on Sophia's part, in my opinion.
Time taken on course: 12 hours, 43 minutes over three days. I didn't bother with the practice milestones because I was smooth sailing through the first three units.
Familiarity with subject before course: I was tangentially familiar with some of the concepts from the class from just general life experience, news, etc. I had also taken the Accounting class on Sophia and the Business Law recently, which gave me a little more familiarity before I started the course.
Pitfalls, high points, things others should know: The course will be easier if you do a little refresher on some math classes beforehand. My wife took this class and was very frustrated with it, but I took it after having knocked out Sophia's math classes and found it significantly more easy. The big thing I'll say on this, which I alluded to above, is that there are some portions of the class which involve doing some math which it says is "using the midpoint formula", but the midpoint formula isn't the formula you use. Ignore that "midpoint formula" instruction and use the other formulas the lesson provides you and you'll be fine.
1-10 Difficulty level: 5, only because there were a few areas requiring some math being done which didn't provide any feedback when you got an incorrect answer. Overall though, it wasn't bad in my opinion.
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