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I've been taking online classes from a local junior college. At first there was no such thing as proctoring about the first year or so. Then after the first year every class has at least 1 test they are required to have a proctor for. Generally it's the final exam which accounts for 40% of your grade. During this proctored test you can either go into the school if you live close enough and take the exam with the instructor and also show ID. However if you don't live close enough to campus you have pick someone you don't know to watch you take the test to make sure you don't cheat and show ID. You have to fill out paper work and the person has to be approved by the school. It can not be anyone related to you or someone you know. It has to be like a librarian, a lawyer, a pastor and so on. However if you go into the school, depending on if the teacher is cool or a hard butt about everything, they generally let you use notes or a book, you just can not use Google or you get a zero. The ones that want to be hard butts about it and at my college there are only 2 of those teachers (one on campus and one off campus) and they don't let you use anything. Tests are 9 times out of 10 multiple choice.
A relative of mine is taking some online classes at a local community college over the summer. He told me it is all a joke and is so much easier than taking a class in an actual classroom. Basically all the online classes at his Community College are is some reading and a few quizzes from the reading. The quizzes are open book because there is no requirement that you visit the actual campus to take any tests that would evaluate your memory for facts. There is no lectures, just readings and tests. Also because there is one Instructor for over five hundred students who are taking these classes he does not have time to grade papers so there is no papers. There is a class message board but few posts.
I understand there is quite a black market for smart students taking the hard math and science classes for other weaker students online. You pay a few thousand for tuition and then a few thousand more for someone to take the class for you. If they get an A for you there will be a bonus. What a joke!
When you take online classes at YOUR public University or Community College do you have to take tests on campus and show ID so the college administration knows it is really you taking the class? Details on how this online education really works please!
I have taken a few online classes offered by nearby community colleges. Most of them were 100% online. There were some videos which meant to be the substitute for lectures. Online discussion was also available but few people showed interest.
For one online writing class, I was required to visit the campus twice to take exams(midterm and final).
I didn't cheat, but the online education made it easier to cheat. I haven't taken math or science class online, but I guess they may have on campus exams instead?
Technically, online videos can replace in-person lectures, students can voluntarily meet together to form study groups, and a few on-campus exams can be used to reduce the possibility of cheating. But the experience is different, though.
It depends on the school. For example, Park University offers online courses and degrees. You do your entire course online, however, the final exam must be taken in person in a classroom where they check your identification. UMASS on the other hand does not require that you take your finals in class, but there is a time limit and once you start the test you cannot save it and go back later.
I think this is the part most people don't get about online tests. For my masters classes, having a book there wasn't going to help much, as the way the questions are written requires you to have a deep understanding of the material. They are not "The capital of Japan is _____" type of questions. There is also a time limit as well which usually works out to one or two minutes per question. On a multiple choice test where each question is three or four paragraphs long and each possible answer is a paragraph or more, the time limit can be very, very tight. I remember sweating bullets on several exams. One final had a three hours time limit, 150 questions. I finished the last question with 30 seconds left. Now I suppose I still could have hired someone to take the class for me, but cheating on the test by other means would be tough.
A relative of mine is taking some online classes at a local community college over the summer. He told me it is all a joke and is so much easier than taking a class in an actual classroom. Basically all the online classes at his Community College are is some reading and a few quizzes from the reading. The quizzes are open book because there is no requirement that you visit the actual campus to take any tests that would evaluate your memory for facts. There is no lectures, just readings and tests. Also because there is one Instructor for over five hundred students who are taking these classes he does not have time to grade papers so there is no papers. There is a class message board but few posts.
I understand there is quite a black market for smart students taking the hard math and science classes for other weaker students online. You pay a few thousand for tuition and then a few thousand more for someone to take the class for you. If they get an A for you there will be a bonus. What a joke!
When you take online classes at YOUR public University or Community College do you have to take tests on campus and show ID so the college administration knows it is really you taking the class? Details on how this online education really works please!
the online courses I took at a public university required exams to be taken on campus. So, everything was online(video and audio lectures, class discussions) except for the exams.
I think this is the part most people don't get about online tests. For my masters classes, having a book there wasn't going to help much, as the way the questions are written requires you to have a deep understanding of the material. They are not "The capital of Japan is _____" type of questions. There is also a time limit as well which usually works out to one or two minutes per question. On a multiple choice test where each question is three or four paragraphs long and each possible answer is a paragraph or more, the time limit can be very, very tight. I remember sweating bullets on several exams. One final had a three hours time limit, 150 questions. I finished the last question with 30 seconds left. Now I suppose I still could have hired someone to take the class for me, but cheating on the test by other means would be tough.
This was true for me, and I have just taken undergrad courses online.
ONCE, we had the option to use our book, and I thought I'd blow off studying and just look up the answers. Ha! I did manage to pass but it was insane due to the time limits. Absolutely nuts. Didn't do that again.
One of my online classes last semester didn't even use multiple choice exams. All exam questions required three paragraph essay type answers, submitted to the professor via email. Granted they were shorter than the usual MC but they were still timed and extremely challenging. I signed up for two more courses from that professor for next semester!
A couple of the classes I took used the Respondus Lockdown Browser. It stops you from doing anything else on your computer while taking a test. I don't know how much this cuts down cheating when so many people have multiple devices with access to the internet. Many colleges are starting to use ProctorU, which is an online proctoring service. Someone watches you through a webcam while you're taking an exam.
A couple of the classes I took used the Respondus Lockdown Browser. It stops you from doing anything else on your computer while taking a test. I don't know how much this cuts down cheating when so many people have multiple devices with access to the internet. Many colleges are starting to use ProctorU, which is an online proctoring service. Someone watches you through a webcam while you're taking an exam.
That's awful! I'd have to actually clean my desk.. or put on clothes that weren't PJs!?
I've been taking online classes from a local junior college. At first there was no such thing as proctoring about the first year or so. Then after the first year every class has at least 1 test they are required to have a proctor for. Generally it's the final exam which accounts for 40% of your grade. During this proctored test you can either go into the school if you live close enough and take the exam with the instructor and also show ID. However if you don't live close enough to campus you have pick someone you don't know to watch you take the test to make sure you don't cheat and show ID. You have to fill out paper work and the person has to be approved by the school. It can not be anyone related to you or someone you know. It has to be like a librarian, a lawyer, a pastor and so on. However if you go into the school, depending on if the teacher is cool or a hard butt about everything, they generally let you use notes or a book, you just can not use Google or you get a zero. The ones that want to be hard butts about it and at my college there are only 2 of those teachers (one on campus and one off campus) and they don't let you use anything. Tests are 9 times out of 10 multiple choice.
Well really no colleges, online or not permit Google or encyclopedias. There are some online colleges that have a residency requirement.
There is no way to an "easy" accredited degree. None.
I've taken an equal number of online and on campus classes, and found no real difference in difficulty level. The only exception is the math and science classes at the community college I attended are not available online. The classes I did online were mostly Gen. Ed. Some I had to take the finals in person at campus with ID shown, and some I didn't. In some ways online is harder since you are on your own as far as time management, but I've not seen any evidence that online is easier in any way.
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