Jonathon
United States of America#2General Comment
Sat, April 30, 2011
You are not concerned with any of the facts others have presented here. You just want to whine because you can. Where is this complex coming from? I'm on my sixth course at UoP and have had no problems. In fact, a few days ago I lost power and internet because of tornados. I sent in the "excuse" but was able to make up the work. I am not fictitious or a filler person, and you are not well.
Sunflwrgirl
Ocala,#3Consumer Comment
Thu, February 10, 2011
This University does not stand for cheating. We have to sign documents stating if we cheat,
there are consequences. It is up to the individual instructor on whether or not they pass or
fail a student. The Learning Teams are not fake like you may think. I have had some of the
same students in my classes on my learning teams now and this is because I asked for the
same ones. Did you get caught cheating at UOP and this is why you are posting this
ridiculous statement?
Joe
United States of America#4Consumer Comment
Mon, April 12, 2010
I work with an individual who is a known plagiarist (he's back-spaced over my name and substituted his own, and presented the work to managers) as only one of many examples, so I know for certain his tendencies.
Now, his wife is "attending" UofP, taking classes online. I have audit logs showing him doing and saving research material (copying articles from the 'net), though I cannot personally verify those works are making it verbatim into her presented schoolwork.
I do know for certain he is logging into her UofP eCampus login account from here at work, and then accessing very suspicious sites, such as "mathxl.com" right after logging into her UofP account, where he's accessing pages entitled (all with her name included) "Detect", "Player", then "Take a Test", "Review Test", "Test Results". Then, back to the UofP site again.
I just have to wonder what controls University of Phoenix has in place to prevent students from just having other people do their homework, and take their online tests.
I would think, at a minimum, it would be prohibited to allow others to use a students login. What measures they take to detect and prevent that from happening I don't know, but clearly those individuals who at apt to cheat and have others do their work would be attracted to an online format.
I'd like them to enforce some type of real user authentication, such as a usb key with a security ID, very preferably one with physical identity provision (like a fingerprint reader). It's not that expensive or far-fetched now-a-days (April 2010).
Matt_1256
Crossroads City,#5Consumer Comment
Tue, June 30, 2009
Should I get the hell out now? I actually thought this would be a pretty decent school but there are over 150 complaints in numerous states about UOP. Should I just go to my junior college instead of doing this? Is actually going to the school campus a better choice than taking online courses? Iv'e only just started taking some courses. I just started my 5th and 6th classes I believe. Thanks. Matt from Oklahoma. Also any advice would be great my email is [email protected] too if anyone has anything else that would like to send me.
Matt_1256
Crossroads City,#6Consumer Comment
Tue, June 30, 2009
Should I get the hell out now? I actually thought this would be a pretty decent school but there are over 150 complaints in numerous states about UOP. Should I just go to my junior college instead of doing this? Is actually going to the school campus a better choice than taking online courses? Iv'e only just started taking some courses. I just started my 5th and 6th classes I believe. Thanks. Matt from Oklahoma. Also any advice would be great my email is [email protected] too if anyone has anything else that would like to send me.
Matt_1256
Crossroads City,#7Consumer Comment
Tue, June 30, 2009
Should I get the hell out now? I actually thought this would be a pretty decent school but there are over 150 complaints in numerous states about UOP. Should I just go to my junior college instead of doing this? Is actually going to the school campus a better choice than taking online courses? Iv'e only just started taking some courses. I just started my 5th and 6th classes I believe. Thanks. Matt from Oklahoma. Also any advice would be great my email is [email protected] too if anyone has anything else that would like to send me.
Matt_1256
Crossroads City,#8Consumer Comment
Tue, June 30, 2009
Should I get the hell out now? I actually thought this would be a pretty decent school but there are over 150 complaints in numerous states about UOP. Should I just go to my junior college instead of doing this? Is actually going to the school campus a better choice than taking online courses? Iv'e only just started taking some courses. I just started my 5th and 6th classes I believe. Thanks. Matt from Oklahoma. Also any advice would be great my email is [email protected] too if anyone has anything else that would like to send me.
T
Henderson,#9Consumer Comment
Tue, October 10, 2006
Tony may be on to something here with his belief that the online UOP learning teams were fake. I now have my BS degree (double entendre) from UOP, and after countless hellish "learning team" experiences where only one or two of us participated, I believe it is entirely possible that the school either managed to find tons of people with 3rd grade educations who wanted a piece of paper to frame, or a vast majority of classroom participants were "simulated". Not only was I constantly staying up half the night to finish portions of group assignments that someone else was supposed to do, but attempts to get the instructors to monitor group behavior went nowhere. In fact, their insipid Algebra course had one "team member" who would wait until the two other group members had posted the completed assignment, pick someone's to copy (mine), change the font and the text color, slap his name on it, and submit it as his own work. I noticed immediately and notified the instructor and the associate dean. They responded by THREATENING ME, saying that accusing someone of plagiarism was a serious offense, and that I could be expelled if the allegations were false. I then set the offender up by posting WRONG answers on purpose. Sure enough, this clown posted the SAME WRONG ANSWERS as his own work! I went to the dean with my evidence (clearly provable since the assignments are time-stamped when posted to the server), and they still wouldn't do anything. They wanted me to jump through hoops to file a charge, when the simple fact that cheating took place was there in black and white! They took no responsibility, no action, no nothing. Except my money and my company's money. So, for those people who say "Oh, well you could have a bad instructor or lazy group members anywhere", I say bull. At a well-run company, when a group member doesn't do their assignments over and over again, the boss doesn't promote them or give them the same raise as a top performer. When they steal or cheat, they don't get a walk. I am a business owner and would NEVER allow an employee to function as UOP allows their "students" to! Am I happy that I put forth the effort to educate myself and get a degree? Yes. Do I wish it had been at a university with integrity and high standards, instead of the UOP degree mill? Absolutely! People LAUGH at UOP degrees when you put them on a resume. I only chose them because at the time, they were the only online school my company would pay partial tuition for. If you are thinking of attending this school, and have been reading complaints from less-than-literate posters, thinking they are just stupid and couldn't hack the "rigorous curriculum" at UOP, take it from Tony in Michigan: Let the [student] beware!
Deanna
Olathe,#10Consumer Comment
Tue, October 03, 2006
I am a student at UoP, which I am regretting that choice. I will have my so-called degree December 2007. It will probably be less valuable than the toilet paper in my bathroom. There is nothing consistent with APA formatting. Nearly all of the teams I have been on, there is always one or two who refuse to do the required work. They have you do a "team charter" but no one sticks to the rules. I have ended up playing "mommie", I have had to constantly email and call others on the team for them to do what they said they would do. You have team members who have no regard for doing things correctly, and there are team members who try to take over the team and become a dictator. You tell the team that the paper is due on Tuesday since the class is Thursday. You'll be lucky if the team turns in their section by Thursday afternoon and it's loaded with errors. I hate the fact that a bunch of losers are going to affect my grade! And then the next class, you're stuck with the same bunch of losers until you graduate or change schedules. The losers that get kicked out of learning teams just go to another team to continue being a loser. If I was a manager and my employee wasn't doing their job, I'd fire them. Simple as that, not transfer them to another department. I've turned in instructors that spent the whole class time bitching about how they can't get free cell phones and other instructors who were abusive and rude. Do they care? Hell no, but tell them that you're not paying them, then they really care.
Paula
Phoenix,#11Consumer Comment
Wed, September 20, 2006
I was told by my neighbor about this website and I am just browsing. I feel terrible for everyone who has been having problems with UoP. So far all of my learning teams have been exceptional. My Advisors are some of the greatest people that I have worked with. And I am about to complete my degree in accounting. At that time I already have a job lined up making twice what I am making now. I think that it is terrbile that a few people in an organization can make someone dislike the entity as a whole. I wish everyone the best of luck!! PJ Phoenix, Arizona UoP Student
Chaz
Anchor Point,#12Consumer Comment
Tue, June 20, 2006
I had the exact same report. Did anyone have the teacher, if you can call her that... Ronique Hinchen? Terrible terrible teacher. When I as well as 10 other students demanded a refund the director would not allow it, and only allow us to retake the class for free. That led to me withdrawl from that terrible terrible place. I wouldnt wish UOP on my worst enemy.
Charles
Toronto,#13Consumer Comment
Sat, June 10, 2006
I already post this comment elsewhere, but I am going to paste it again! I writing this out of anger, so please excuse my grammer. In addition, I hate to bash any educational institutions, but I just find it in my heart to write this to warn all potential UOP students, about this unethical and deceptive behaviour adversting, recurriment of UOP. Anyways, on January of this year, I was spammed by University of Phoenix offering online distance course with offer of tutition wavier for my first course and textbook material. Since I hated those spammers, I took UOP for a ride, let alone I love learning. Two days later I got call from a conuciler from UOP, and she urged me to apply for the Canada-Ontario OSAP Government Financial Aid, which I refused, and I told her that was not necessary, and instead I give her a MasterCard that is about to expired in one month. Strangly enough, they do not ask me to send them a proof I identity for check if my Social Insurance Number or address is valid. (P.S. I used my uncle's address and fake Social Insurance Number generated by a online site). They only ask me by MasterCard or urged me to applied Financial Aid. At this time, I was already a second year student enrolled in Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Minoring in Anthrolopology at the University of Toronto. I had no plan to transfer, nor I inform UOP of my current status. So I decided to b.s. the counciler to belief that I used to enrolled in oversea university for two years, and I will have a copy of transcript within a month for them. As a result, I was allowed in to enrolled in a third year Accounting course. Next is what I found shocking... absolutely shocking. I tooked their 3rd accounting ACC440 course, and it was even easier than our first year MGT120H accounting here at the University of Toronto. Even worse, it was so easy, I think just about everyone got a A... This lead me to think UOP had no quality control, basically if you can hold a folk, you can get a A. At U of T, we don't have best program on earth, but at least they only hand out A(s) to only A students, our courses are hard, really hard, and class average are normally 68% to 69% (C+). Two days after I finished this course, I called up counciler, who unfortunately no longer worked there. I told new counciler that I no intention to enrolled any further at UOP, given what I felt about the quality of their program. She then demanded that I paid for my first course before I was allowed to withdrawal. By now, my credit card had already expired and I wasn't ready hand anything over this evil institution nor given them my real Social Insurance Number. Instead arged for 30 minutes straight on the phone with this b*tch and eventually she offered me another course free of charge provided I do not drop out. I must say, I never this much pressure in my life, so decided to give them another doubt (I dont' know why am I even bother wasting my time). So, I decide to use my next credit on different topic Marketing, my favorite. MKT463, holly micro, this course I think is half as hard as our MGT252, btw I worked my a*s*off and got 61% on that course. But guess what, MKT463, I got A+, without barely touching the textbook. Again, I demand a withdrawal, except this time for real, for already 20 minutes I wouldn't no for answer and eventually again she allowed me to cancel my enrollment provided I paid for the courses I had taken. Guess what, I said YES, send me the invoice since I told them my new MasterCard is on way in the mail. Now, I am sure they are on their way in the mail. Don't worry guys, these idoits get a penny off me, since the credit card I used belong to my uncle and his address and a bogus birthday and SSN. Thanks Uncle Jeff for allowing me use your expired CC and to mess around with his evil corporation. Now, here is my commments: First, if you are serious of getting a degree go to a real college, and get it. UOP have no quality control, like i said, if you can hold a fork, you can get a A. Both of the course I took, I got A+ (just to let you know guys, I haven't got a A for very long time at U of T), in fact most of my grades are either Cs. Secondly, the counciler are more like gold diggers, if you are going to take courses with them, do not allow them to hold of a government financial aid... i just don't trust them. Guys, I am not saying my school are superior than other schools, but I personally believe any school is better than UOP. Its just make me sick that some people can get a Bachelor degree this easy without having to work to hard for it, let alone getting As. For me and my friends, our business school (Rotman School of Management/ University of Toronto). We worked really hard and most get low Cs. Just to let you know that our professor could get into serious trouble if he/she hands out to many As, our class average must be C, no exceptions. Its just not fair. In addition, at least our tutition are only $9,000 per year and get access to real counciler. Lastly, believe me, after going thru their program myself, you can count that I believe would never hired anyone from this school. In my opinion, their degree are worth just as much as the paper that they printed on! In the end, I must say since I only did 2 courses with this institution, I can not say that all their program sucked, but as far as business, I will give them a failing grade. So, my advice to anyone choosing a college is to do your investigation and don't believe anyone. After all, you have live with your decision, not them. Here is link their Business Program: http://www.uopxonline.com/programs.asp Here is also a link to our Commerce Program: http://www.utoronto.ca/commerce/dm.htm
Tony
Sand Lake,#14Consumer Comment
Wed, April 12, 2006
I am not concerned with the concept of whether or not other universities practice the same methodologies regarding plagiarism or not. I am not here to justify one bad behavior by comparing it to another. Beyond this, the above paper contains BLATENT plagiarism that even the most uneducated fool would be able to detect and should have not only been "detected" by the UOP instructor, but also instantly failed and the offending students should have been held accountable for their academic theivery. I would have been slightly interested in reading the link you submitted, but the forum administrators must have found something within the link that didn't meet with their approval and it does not appear in your submission. Even if the link led to a site that VERIFIED that 75% of universities out there pass plagiarised works, I still wouldn't change my views regarding this obviously plagiarised paper passed by UOP though. I would have been interested in viewing the links' contents from a level of simple information gathering and would not use the information as a means of justifying bad and unethical behavior. Thanks again for your response.
Mari
Buford,#15Consumer Comment
Wed, April 12, 2006
This is a piece done on PBS on the education system here in america, specifically the higher education. You will see that no matter where you go, there are going to be some of the same issues. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Tony
Sand Lake,#16Author of original report
Sat, April 08, 2006
I have nearly completed a degree from the University of Phoenix. Since transferring from a local two year school, I have taken 23 courses online. I have been required to submit references both in text and more detailed following the conclusion of each assignment. I worked on a team with two individuals for a marketing course. Don't get me wrong, sources WERE submitted, as plainly indicated by the copy and paste of the assignment?Just far more than what is acceptable by APA formatting?PLUS, there's very little original material in the paper?Just quotes and maybe 10 filler sentences in the whole thing. One assignment was to create a product and use different marketing tools to gather information for our assignment. The two members of my team,also cousins, provided the final part of there information agreeing to post and it occured during the next day (1 day late). It was the end of the course, so I found out a few days later that the instructor thinks the survey they added to our marketing paper was plagiarized. It included answers from professional and collegiate athletes. It was obviously added at the last minute as the post in the newsgroup were able to tell the story and it was picked up on very quickly. Additionally, I have had work sent back less points and comments about citations and corresponding references. It is my experience that instructors, in addition to reviewing the material themselves, often scan the paper with plagiarism software of some kind. Well, here's the deal?Instructors will make commentary about the rights and wrongs of a work at UOP, and that's not my argument. My argument is the bottom line?UOP PASSING plagiarized works. Look at the original submission for proof?The paper, to my knowledge was PASSED? In 3 years I have been on many teams. I have heard many of the same excuses. I actually did not believe some of them. I think the total is about 6 deaths, a much larger number of ill children and hospitalizations, at least 4 computers that were down and numerous other excuses. After the first few courses the other team members are much more reliable and most instances where excuses were problematic dissappeared after about 3 courses. I do not find team members to be fraudulent as I have actually had at least a couple of conflicts. Conflicts, or the lack thereof do not prove or disprove the fraudulent nature or lack thereof within a given ?learning? team. In general they are no worse than whats out there in the real world and as I mentioned the more invested each student becomes the harder they work. To date, I have only had three team members make an excuse and actually miss work that other membes had to make up for her. Two were in the first course and the latter was much later on in the program. Only 3 huh? You're in the minority (of those I know that did their time with UOP)?and luckily so? Learning Teams Are Real I am a current UOP employee and I have worked for UOP for over 10 yers. I have taken courses both online and at their campus. The learning teams are real, I assure you. HOW specifically could you ?assure? me of this? You would know that if you would have tried to contact your team mates at work or home. Being able to contact a person via telephone or internet communication does not prove or disprove the fraudulent nature or lack thereof of a ?team? member. If fakes can run their game on the net?they could do the same via phone call. Am I wrong here? They are not "filler people" as you suggest. Proof? I have been in teams with people all over the world and if there is a problem, I've been able to resolve it 90% of the time. Well, me too?Most generally through me doing the entire work of the alleged team just to get past the garbage I've experienced with them. The other times I just had to grin and bear it and pick up the work the other learning team member did not do. In addition, it would be hard to "fool" the SEC that our profits were as fake as our students, don't you think? Perhaps it would and perhaps not. I am no expert at the workings of the SEC. Where is the money coming from if the students are fake? Fake students wouldn't require money?other than the paychecks allotted to the UOP employees playing the role as a part of their job duties?Keep in mind that this is merely a theoretical possibility I have arrived at based on the extreme similarities that have existed in the relationships I experienced in around 10 courses. The frequency of similar events seemed suspect to say the least and got me to considering potential avenues of realities based on my findings, hence a theory was born?. The instructors are not there to solve your learning team problems. No, they are not. I understand that. However, the instructors ARE responsible for maintaining SOME FORM of communication between themselves and their students, and should certain areas require communication on the instructor's part?then communication, interaction and intervention should occur. In short, UOP instructors need to do their jobs as any other instructor would?.There's no excuse for negligence? That is YOUR responsibility. They are there to answer questions about assignments and to guide you. If you have a grievance, you should have submitted on through the formal process which is outlined in your student catalog. ?and I did make my complaints known via survey forms and through phone communications with various UOP workers. What I ask is that you take responsibility for your own education and not blame others. I did and have taken responsibility for my own education. Part of that responsibility is acknowledging the actions and reactions that occur around me. If an injustice occurs or has occurred, as a responsible member of the academic world, in my role as a student, I am forced by my own moral guidelines to make issues of fraud, negligence, and further negativity known as a means of educating and preventing others from falling into such traps themselves. I blame only myself for getting involved with UOP. I think you just had a bad experience with your team mates and as another post had suggested, that is just life. I had CONTINUAL bad experiences with these alleged ?teams,? made my grievances known continually with no intervention on ANY instructor's part, no corrections on most of the ?team's? part, and really just got so numb to it all that I became the team rather than dealing with incompetence. You're right?that is life?at any given location where you're dealing with irresponsible people? If this is your paper you posted here,then shame on you for plagarizing! You get out of education what you put into it. If it is not, I would have to wonder where you got this paper? Hahaha?UOP logic?It ain eva our faults?It HAS to be your fault?No, this is not my paper. Compare the writing style verses my postings?Although, it is hard to compete with legit authors' work that the team lifted for this paper. If it is not, I would have to wonder where you got this paper? Um?Where do you think I got it? I was in a class, right? Being that I was in a class, I had access to my and others' papers, did I not? In short here, I EARNED my grade on a far superior paper, the old fashioned way?through actually researching and citing my work. I did review this paper though?which resulted in an in class conflict that reaped no instructor interaction or intervention? As for the plagarism, I cannot answer to that as all instructors are different and may not use the plagarism checker; however you have only submitted one paper as proof. One out of over 300,000 students is a pretty good ratio if you ask me. BUT, you do not know that this is only ONE out of 300,000 students?As it is, this was a team paper, so that cuts your number just a hare as it is?This sort of thing could very possibly be more of a norm than either you or I know?and maybe not?However, this particular paper, and the offending students should have been failed?and any instructor responsible for allowing the thing to slide should be fired?and any institution that allows this sort of thing to go unchecked should be investigated to verify whether or not this is a rarity or a norm. Plagarism happens in all educational institutions, unfortunately. How can you blame UOP for that when it is the student submitting it? I do not blame UOP for that actual act of plagiarizing the paper. I blame UOP for PASSING the plagiarized work. We don't catch every single dishonest student. Sorry, we're not perfect. You got that right?I'm nowhere near perfect either, but at least I care a bit about honesty?unlike some of those involved with UOP. I am amazed... Tony,I believe you need to re-think your plagarism argument. I have re-thought the issue?and each time I do, it makes even more sense. This is not a UOP-specific issue, and if you think it is, you'd better do more research. I don't care if it is or is not a UOP specific issue. UOP is the specific target of this argument and it is UOP that has been irresponsible in regard to the content of the argument. Plagarism--intentional or unintentional--is a fact of life for all colleges and universities. UOP has a strict anti-plagarism policy and plagarism tools to help thwart this. ?and that's why a paper such as this was passed?Did the UOP employee ?thwart? her responsibility of actually adhering to the ?policy? or fail to use the allotted ?tools? in her instructional arsenal? I'll tell you what, it doesn't take ?tools? to see that this paper was plagiarized anyway. Perhaps in the future, if you see plagarism, then you should report those that are participating and help all of us that careful not to plagarize. It has to be better than taking a victocrat stance... I have no intentions of having a future with UOP, and as it was I reviewed this paper, which reaped an argument from the other team, which was ignored by the instructor. How am I supposed to ?report? those that committed the academic offense of plagiarism to the instructor in charge when she wouldn't even jump in and communicate where it was necessary at other times throughout the history of the course? At the point where the instructor decides to remain mute to all concerns occurring in the classroom, it becomes his or her duty to acknowledge the facts occurring in the class, and at that point, if plagiarism has occurred, she should have failed the offending students. Thanks to all of you for your responses.
David
Kalamazoo,#17UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, April 07, 2006
Tony, I believe you need to re-think your plagarism argument. This is not a UOP-specific issue, and if you think it is, you'd better do more research. Plagarism--intentional or unintentional--is a fact of life for all colleges and universities. UOP has a strict anti-plagarism policy and plagarism tools to help thwart this. Perhaps in the future, if you see plagarism, then you should report those that are participating and help all of us that careful not to plagarize. It has to be better than taking a victocrat stance...
David
Kalamazoo,#18UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, April 07, 2006
Tony, I believe you need to re-think your plagarism argument. This is not a UOP-specific issue, and if you think it is, you'd better do more research. Plagarism--intentional or unintentional--is a fact of life for all colleges and universities. UOP has a strict anti-plagarism policy and plagarism tools to help thwart this. Perhaps in the future, if you see plagarism, then you should report those that are participating and help all of us that careful not to plagarize. It has to be better than taking a victocrat stance...
David
Kalamazoo,#19UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, April 07, 2006
Tony, I believe you need to re-think your plagarism argument. This is not a UOP-specific issue, and if you think it is, you'd better do more research. Plagarism--intentional or unintentional--is a fact of life for all colleges and universities. UOP has a strict anti-plagarism policy and plagarism tools to help thwart this. Perhaps in the future, if you see plagarism, then you should report those that are participating and help all of us that careful not to plagarize. It has to be better than taking a victocrat stance...
David
Kalamazoo,#20UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, April 07, 2006
Tony, I believe you need to re-think your plagarism argument. This is not a UOP-specific issue, and if you think it is, you'd better do more research. Plagarism--intentional or unintentional--is a fact of life for all colleges and universities. UOP has a strict anti-plagarism policy and plagarism tools to help thwart this. Perhaps in the future, if you see plagarism, then you should report those that are participating and help all of us that careful not to plagarize. It has to be better than taking a victocrat stance...
Tracy
Whittier,#21UPDATE Employee
Sun, April 02, 2006
I am a current UOP employee and I have worked for UOP for over 10 yers. I have taken courses both online and at their campus. The learning teams are real, I assure you. You would know that if you would have tried to contact your team mates at work or home. They are not "filler people" as you suggest. I have been in teams with people all over the world and if there is a problem, I've been able to resolve it 90% of the time. The other times I just had to grin and bear it and pick up the work the other learning team member did not do. In addition, it would be hard to "fool" the SEC that our profits were as fake as our students, don't you think? Where is the money coming from if the students are fake? The instructors are not there to solve your learning team problems. That is YOUR responsibility. They are there to answer questions about assignments and to guide you. If you have a grievance, you should have submitted on through the formal process which is outlined in your student catalog. What I ask is that you take responsibility for your own education and not blame others. I think you just had a bad experience with your team mates and as another post had suggested, that is just life. If this is your paper you posted here,then shame on you for plagarizing! You get out of education what you put into it. If it is not, I would have to wonder where you got this paper? As for the plagarism, I cannot answer to that as all instructors are different and may not use the plagarism checker; however you have only submitted one paper as proof. One out of over 300,000 students is a pretty good ratio if you ask me. Plagarism happens in all educational institutions, unfortunately. How can you blame UOP for that when it is the student submitting it? We don't catch every single dishonest student. Sorry, we're not perfect.
John
Summerville,#22Consumer Comment
Tue, March 28, 2006
I have nearly completed a degree from the University of Phoenix. Since transferring from a local two year school, I have taken 23 courses online. I have been required to submit references both in text and more detailed following the conclusion of each assignment. I worked on a team with two individuals for a marketing course. One assignment was to create a product and use different marketing tools to gather information for our assignment. The two members of my team,also cousins, provided the final part of there information agreeing to post and it occured during the next day (1 day late). It was the end of the course, so I found out a few days later that the instructor thinks the survey they added to our marketing paper was plagiarized. It included answers from professional and collegiate athletes. It was obviously added at the last minute as the post in the newsgroup were able to tell the story and it was picked up on very quickly. Additionally, I have had work sent back less points and comments about citations and corresponding references. It is my experience that instructors, in addition to reviewing the material themselves, often scan the paper with plagiarism software of some kind. In 3 years I have been on many teams. I have heard many of the same excuses. I actually did not believe some of them. I think the total is about 6 deaths, a much larger number of ill children and hospitalizations, at least 4 computers that were down and numerous other excuses. After the first few courses the other team members are much more reliable and most instances where excuses were problematic dissappeared after about 3 courses. I do not find team members to be fraudulent as I have actually had at least a couple of conflicts. In general they are no worse than whats out there in the real world and as I mentioned the more invested each student becomes the harder they work. To date, I have only had three team members make an excuse and actually miss work that other membes had to make up for her. Two were in the first course and the latter was much later on in the program.
Tony
Sand Lake,#23Author of original report
Sat, March 25, 2006
Umthe topics here are plagiarism and the team's being potentially fraudulentNevertheless, let me reply I understand your frustrations with the lack of team participation at UoP. I recently graduated with a B.S. Business Management degree from UoP and I tell you that out of my 28 classes over three years, most of my teams had members who chose to put in a half-a** job. They had one excuse after another and a couple of them milked the 2005 hurricane season as much as they could, even when they didn't really live in a hurricane district. Regardless, the trend is just TOO coincidental to be true. Around ten classes here, ten teams in a row, where there was only an average of TWO team members per team actually putting in his or her contribution to the assignmentsEVERY team, the same M.O.That reeks of suspicious to me Nevertheless, this is the real world that we live in. At work, there are usually team members who take the back seat with respect to project work and their efforts are minimal at best. This is the same in sporting teams, fundraisers, volunteer work, and in just about anything dealing with life. That is why we were put into teams at UoP. Sure, it sucks sometimes, but isn't the point of getting an education go far beyond what a book teaches us? Yes, but my initial thread never discarded this truth. The original post dealt with passed plagiarism and more than potentially fraudulent learning teams. Isn't it suppose to teach us about how to succeed in an environment where you have team members of ALL walks of life, levels of commitment, and levels of competency? Yes, but UOP taught me moreIt taught me critical thinking skills that have made me see what might be the truth hereThat the teams are fake, made up for some sort of contractual need of some sortActually, I don't know why they'd do thisI don't live the criminal lifeand I will admit that I could be wrongThe SAME experience occurring and occurring and occurring leads a thinking person to see patterns, and those patterns ARE COMPLETELY suspicious here in regard to the learning teams. I also learned that people of all walks of life, levels of commitment, and levels of competency can be completely silent or come up with the lamest excuses possible NOT to workand it certainly amazed me that the general slackers always numbered the total of the team minus one or two team membersIsn't that amazing? As you, I always did my fair share of the work as well as far beyond my fair share to ensure that the team delivered a great assignment. That's MY goal -- to get that "A", but what we have to realize is that is not EVERYONE'S goal. Therefore, if that's what WE want, we have to pick up the slack for others who choose not to give 100%. Isn't that part of life??? Of course it is, but the point of my original posting, ONCE AGAIN, was to address the fact that UOP Online PASSES plagiarized papers and the team member bit reeks of fraud. What you DON'T know is the overall grades that these team members received from their UoP instructor. Although the team assignment may have received an "A", not EVERYONE on the team gets that "A" all the time. Plagiarists deserve FAILURE, so it doesn't really matter, to me, whether or not these people got an A or lessThese thieves deserve to be kicked out of school and the instructor should be fired, the school should be investigated to find out just how often this sort of thing happens, and if they get busted for such behavior as a learning institution, the government should cut ties with the place and they should be sued for committing academic fraud. Because the instructor has the ability to monitor the Team folders, he/she can evaluate which team members are contributing and which ones are riding on the coat-tails of others. Therefore, their grades were adjusted accordingly. Isn't this just like real life in the work place??? Yup, again I never questioned this fact. Are ALL employees ranked equally on their performance??? I'm starting to feel like the typed equivalent of a parrot hereNever questioned this At least I knew that I could walk away from the team experience and know that I did everything I could to do the best job that I had in me. If this meant that someone took advantage of me...oh well! Then that's MY fault for not calling them out on it. Other team members and I have left off the non-participants' names off of the team assignments if they didn't participate in the team assignement. Isn't this just like real life when you make a point to recognize those who went above and beyond in a project??? AGAINOh well, you get it by now I hopeHere's the deal, I AM NOT the instructor, I AM NOT these lazy fools' father, and I AM NOT responsible to urge these people to do his or her partsHowever, in my courses I stated my case continually to the team, that the work needed to be done. In EVERY class, I WAS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE for having lazy team members' names removed from assignments and I was the one that corresponded with the instructorsIN EVERY SINGLE CLASSAgain, this is about suspicious patterns hereI called these people out every chance I got with NO instructor interventionwhich is patheticIn a real school, when an instructor is made aware of a situation, intervention more than generally occurs, IT IS A PART OF THEIR JOB! These sort of situations, again, happened in EVERY COURSE I TOOKThere is NO instructor accountability in regard to these alleged teams! However, you have EVERY opportunity to set team expecatations upfront with ALL team members (remember the Team Charters?). Then when they do not participate, you have every right to call them out on it. Isn't this just like real life??? Again, my posting was not about any of this, but rather was about the potential academic fraud that are these learning teams and the fact that a plagiarized paper was given credit by an instructor in this institutionExpectations were set, conflicts were addressed and reported, resulting in absolutely NO intervention on the part of the instructorYes, this sort of thing can and does happen in real life, and when it does, people are failed, fired, or at the least reprimanded in some way or anotherUOP Online NEEDS to be held to the same standards as any other school or business, plain and simple
Linda
Boise,#24Consumer Comment
Sat, March 25, 2006
I understand your frustrations with the lack of team participation at UoP. I recently graduated with a B.S. Business Management degree from UoP and I tell you that out of my 28 classes over three years, most of my teams had members who chose to put in a half-a** job. They had one excuse after another and a couple of them milked the 2005 hurricane season as much as they could, even when they didn't really live in a hurricane district. Nevertheless, this is the real world that we live in. At work, there are usually team members who take the back seat with respect to project work and their efforts are minimal at best. This is the same in sporting teams, fundraisers, volunteer work, and in just about anything dealing with life. That is why we were put into teams at UoP. Sure, it sucks sometimes, but isn't the point of getting an education go far beyond what a book teaches us? Isn't it suppose to teach us about how to succeed in an environment where you have team members of ALL walks of life, levels of commitment, and levels of competency? As you, I always did my fair share of the work as well as far beyond my fair share to ensure that the team delivered a great assignment. That's MY goal -- to get that "A", but what we have to realize is that is not EVERYONE'S goal. Therefore, if that's what WE want, we have to pick up the slack for others who choose not to give 100%. Isn't that part of life??? What you DON'T know is the overall grades that these team members received from their UoP instructor. Although the team assignment may have received an "A", not EVERYONE on the team gets that "A" all the time. Because the instructor has the ability to monitor the Team folders, he/she can evaluate which team members are contributing and which ones are riding on the coat-tails of others. Therefore, their grades were adjusted accordingly. Isn't this just like real life in the work place??? Are ALL employees ranked equally on their performance??? At least I knew that I could walk away from the team experience and know that I did everything I could to do the best job that I had in me. If this meant that someone took advantage of me...oh well! Then that's MY fault for not calling them out on it. Other team members and I have left off the non-participants' names off of the team assignments if they didn't participate in the team assignement. Isn't this just like real life when you make a point to recognize those who went above and beyond in a project??? However, you have EVERY opportunity to set team expecatations upfront with ALL team members (remember the Team Charters?). Then when they do not participate, you have every right to call them out on it. Isn't this just like real life???