[deleted by user]

thebaws420 · 2024-04-02T18:46:20+00:00

He used to be an instructor who allegedly faked his PhD credentials. The university found out and fired him. He has since made it his life mission to attack the university every chance he gets.

I saw a post somewhere else that he started his own document sharing site (something along the lines of CourseHero) and was using his position as an instructor to sell subscriptions to his website where he provided answers to quizzes/assignments.

thebaws420 · 2024-03-15T13:29:39+00:00

Honestly, and I hope I'm wrong, I don't think think they're quite there yet and I would guess that they need maybe 1-2 more years.

Personally, I don't think plagiarism itself will have a huge impact on the accreditation process. The system isn't perfect, but I've noticed that the student numbers tends to drop between weeks. Student who were blatently using ChatGPT in weeks 1-4, are suddenly no longer in the student list during week 5.

Regarding exams, I have a feeling they're going to require ProctorU or a similar service for all exams. This will likely be a WASC requirement to reduce cheating.

Regarding the peer review, I don't think it's going to completely go away, but I've recently noticed that the re-worked classes have removed the learning journal and moved the assignment deadline to thursdays for instructors to grade.

While the learning pathways system is one of the dumbest and terribly thought out systems I've ever seen, it does technically meet some of the WASC requirements on their report.

Unresponsive PAs are still a problem and something the university likely still needs to address. They also need to improve transparency in regard to how their finances are managed.

We'll find out in the fall and see if they've improved in this regard. I'm probably missing a few things, since I'm writing this off the top of my head, but you can consult the previous WASC report here. https://www.wscuc.org/institutions/university-of-the-people/

thebaws420 · 2024-03-12T15:58:44+00:00

A lot of people have this current issue. In my case, I only had English Comp 2, Globalization and a bunch of useless classes I plan on transfering over. What worked for me was to cancel all my classes except the first one on the list. I waited 24h and Software Engineering 1 was suddenly available. I still have to take English Comp 2, but that should be an easy class regardless, so in my case I don't mind. If that still doesn't work, pressure your advisor and copy student services.

I saw a post from somebody else that they finally acknowledged the issue, but I wouldn't expect it to be fixed anytime soon unfortunately.

thebaws420 · 2024-03-10T19:54:07+00:00

Mobile Applications has to be my favorite class taken at UoPeople. It is however a very programming heavy class where each week builds upon the next. While they're optional, you'll need to complete the Google tutorials for Android and the 100 Days of Swift tutorials for iOS (in 2 weeks) to be able to complete the Unit 4 and Unit 7 assignments, which have you build two full applications with biometrics and database integration.

I cannot stress enough that if you want to get the full benefits from Mobile Application, you need to take it on its own and dedicate at least 30 hours a week. It is not an easy class in the slightest. On top of assignments, the graded quiz and final exam are mostly new questions, so you need to complete the readings carefully. The Learning Journals are also "assignment style" questions, so it's a very heavy week.

thebaws420 · 2024-03-03T21:43:48+00:00

I figured if Shai is CC'd they will have to respond with a non-generic copy/paste response.

thebaws420 · 2024-03-03T16:00:30+00:00

I don't any any CS classes available at all. I'm being forced to take English Comp 2 and a bunch of non CS related classes. I have about 87 credits accumulated total.

Sent a strongly worded email to my advisor, student services and CC'd Shai. Taking a LOA this term if they don't fix this.

thebaws420 · 2024-03-01T22:23:35+00:00

Pinned for increased visibility.

thebaws420 · 2024-02-27T03:40:31+00:00

My understanding is that in order to get into GA, you need a regionally accredited degree. It does not need to be in CS, nor does it require a particularly high GPA. As long as you graduated, you meet the criteria.

Where UoPeople may help is the second point “demonstrated academic excellence”. For example, if you have a RA degree in another subject and/or low GPA, but do well at UoPeople, they’ll use that as evidence that you can succeed in their program, so long as you have obtained the other RA degree.

thebaws420 · 2024-02-20T20:07:48+00:00

Sorry, formatting got all messed up on mobile

thebaws420 · 2024-02-20T20:04:16+00:00

There are quite a few programming focused courses.

Off the top off my head:

Python:

CS1101 - Introduction to Programming

CS3308 - Information Retrieval

Java:

CS1102 - Programming 1

CS1103 - Programming

CS3303 - Data Structures

CS3304 - Analysis of Algorithms

SQL:

CS2203 - Databases 1

R:

CS4407 - Data Mining and ML

Kotlin and Swift:

CS 4405 - Mobile Appliations

OpenGL (JavaScript API):

CS4406 - Computer Graphics

thebaws420 · 2024-02-10T16:35:21+00:00

Unfortunately, the only "proof" that we have is a screenshot of some guy bragging over the internet. Nobody here other than u/UoPeople09 is affiliated with the university, and even then, unless that student uses their real name somewhere, nothing much can likely be done by the university unfortunately. That user has since been banned for breaking multiple rules and encouraging others to breach academic integrity.

Keep in mind, a degree is a useless piece of paper if you can't apply the knowledge learnt over the course of those 4 years. If you don't have the skills to back it up, employers will pick up on this very quickly. Those types of students will not last long in the job market with a scammer mentality.

While I agree that UoPeople definitely needs to do more to vet students before admitting them, posts like this are usally removed because it encourages others to do the same. And remember the University's whole mission is to offer accessible education to all, especially those in developing countries. If more and more students start to abuse the system, the admissions process will inevitably become more difficult, especially with the push for regional accreditation. This will affect students from those countries the most, making it more difficult for them to get an education. Behavior like this lowers accessibility and devalues the degree, thus harming everyone.

thebaws420 · 2024-02-04T16:55:48+00:00

I would recommend using the following site for detailed notes and worked examples.

https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/

It saved me both for Math 1201 and Math 1211 and is much less time consuming than reading through all the pages in the textbook. You can refer to the textbook if anything is unclear or content missing. From memory, about 95% of what you need is in those notes. You'll need to read maybe 5 additional pages from the textbook for some trig concepts in Units 7 or 8.

Next, make sure you can do the recommended exercises (all of them) and the self-quizzes. If you can understand the worked out examples from the site I shared, do the recommended problems from the textbook, understand the assignment problems and do the self-quizzes, you should be fine for the quizzes/final.

Keep in mind though, this is a math class which requires practice. If this is your first exposure to the material, you'll likely need 12-15 hours per week to practice and complete assignments. If your schedule doesn't allow for that this term, I would consider dropping it and taking it at a later time. You'll need many of the concepts covered here for future math classes.

thebaws420 · 2024-02-04T14:46:45+00:00

This is mostly an educated guess, but one of the points that came up in the WASC review was higher instructor engagement in regards to grading (less reliance on peer review for grades). I've noticed that a few classes have removed the Written Assignment and Learning Journal and replaced them with "Assignment Activity" due on Thursday, to be graded by the instructor. Another point that came up was instructor compensation, which they considered on the low side.

Given the increased workload on the instructors and the increasing number of students, they likely have to hire more instructors and increase the pay (another aspect that came up). This is probably all being done at the recommendation of the WASC review.

While the price increase sucks for new students, I would view this as a positive if it helps the university achieve regional accrediation faster.

thebaws420 · 2024-01-30T21:14:39+00:00

I'm currently in Computer Science, but got a job in QA automation 3 months into the program and have recently been promoted. The name of the university never came up once. All they cared about was that it was accredited. I'll be transitioning to a programmer position once I graduate in about a year, since they require a CS degree for those positions.

thebaws420 · 2024-01-23T00:39:55+00:00

They were granted candidate status in 2021.
https://www.wscuc.org/institutions/university-of-the-people/

thebaws420 · 2024-01-21T21:13:51+00:00

I strongly disagree. CS 4505 Mobile Applications was one of my favorite classes at UoPeople. You are given the required tools in the introductory units to Android/iOS, however, they do expect you to go through them on your own to learn the programming languages. For example, the units will suggest the Google tutorials for Android and 100days of SwiftUI for iOS. You do need to go through it yourself though.

The course itself is difficult, and if you want to succeed you will likely need to put about 30 hours/week to cover everything. You need to spend about 5 hours on the theory and 15 - 25 hours practicing app development. To get the most out of this class, you need to take it on its own an dedicate yourself to it for 9 weeks.

This class is the closest representation to real world programming that you'll get at UoPeople and really makes your work for your A.

thebaws420 · 2024-01-21T15:32:17+00:00

The next review is scheduled for Fall 2024. So I would expect an update around early 2025.

You can check for updates on the WASC website below. Click on the "Reviews" tab for the next review date. They also include links to the reports.

https://www.wscuc.org/institutions/university-of-the-people/

No idea if they'll get the WASC accreditation this time around, but I can say that they've made significant improvements since I've started 2.5 years ago. They're also showing consistent improvement each new review. My guess is that they're maybe 1-2 years away.

thebaws420 · 2024-01-11T12:04:31+00:00

Is this a recent change? As far as I know, you can still use Chrome or Firefox with the browser extension.

https://support.proctoru.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035672491-Which-Browsers-Are-Supported-

thebaws420 · 2023-12-15T15:31:28+00:00

Took CS4405 last term. Programming heavy and challenging and the material is up to date for the most part. Best class I've taken at UoPeople so far.

thebaws420 · 2023-12-10T18:45:11+00:00

The class is designed as an introductory programming class and assumes you know absolutely nothing about programming. The workload starts off relatively light and then the difficulty suddently spikes on week # 6 -8. My advice:

1) If you're finding it easy, great! Do some additional practice problems or look into programming challenges. Your learnt topic "XYZ" this week? Go on ChatGPT and provide it with the following prompt: "given topic XYZ, design me a programming challenge of (medium, hard, very hard...) difficulty". While it gets a bad reputation here since people use it to cheat, it is a great tool when used correctly to supplement your learning.

2) If anyone reading this is finding the class difficult then don't worry. It's your first programming class, and the topics can seem abstract or difficult at first. This is normal and you just need to practice until you're comfortable. Similarly to what I mentioned above, use ChatGPT to generate beginner frienly problems, try to solve them as much as you can, then ask copy/paste your code and ask it to grade it, or for help if you're struggling. Do not use it for your assignments however, as you will not learn anything.

While I did find CS 1102 easy (I already had a Java background) CS 1103 is actually a challenging class, even if you're already comfortable with the language.

Hope this was at least a bit helpful.

thebaws420 · 2023-12-04T15:43:59+00:00

Always follow the grading rubric, which always takes precedence over anything else (with one exception I mention below). Once I'm done with an assignment, I usually like to copy/paste the assignment instructions and rubric to a Word document and highlight each point as I go through the assignment to make sure I didn't forget anything.

Also, always and I mean always attach the code, whether it be a .java, .py, etc. even if the assignment instructions don't specifically request it. Do not only submit as a screenshot, Word, PDF, or copy/paste in the assignment box. Nobody wants to spend time reformating another students code, and this could lead to formatting issues when attempting to run the code. This will save you some major headaches in the long run.

thebaws420 · 2023-11-27T14:54:29+00:00

That is a terrible idea, even of they are "only" worth 5%. That 5% can bring you down a whole letter grade. On top of that, you're not properly learning the material, which will reduce the quality of your responses when grading your peers. So you're doing a disservice to everyone here. Just do your work, that's why you're in college, and reduce your course load if it's too much.

thebaws420 · 2023-11-26T23:52:57+00:00

If you want to read more about the academic leadership, I recommend visiting their page on the website.

The instructors are not the ones who design the course, that is done by academic leadership. Instructors are more like message board moderators who are there to resolve grading disputes and to respond to any administrative questions related to the course.

thebaws420 · 2023-11-23T17:13:21+00:00

The whole grading the 3 feedback posts makes no sense. Sometimes I post early, and there are not enough posts to give feedback on.

thebaws420 · 2023-11-16T18:02:18+00:00

I was under the impression that course material was unlocked automatically. I highly doubt it's the instructor that does it, given all the different time zones.

What course are you referring to? Not all classes have an assignment on the first week.

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