TimO wrote:

Gunk wrote:

Isola wrote:

WACoug wrote:

Yeah, generally speaking correspondence classes are a lot easier that attendance classes. I just hate it when they make BYU look like the school for dumb jocks that can't pass at their own school. I know it happens other places as well but I wish BYU would discontinue the practice.

I think the reason why BYU offers so many correspondence courses is to try to help women who get married and leave school when their husband graduates, finish their degrees from distance. Worthly goal, but in this case is does make BYU look soft on academics.

Totally agree...Here's a thought, though. Why not make the online courses just as hard as regular courses and encourage women to finish their degrees while they are at school? Or better yet, encouage the husbands to stick around a bit longer so their wives can finish their degrees.

Online courses from the University of Pheonix are harder than online BYU courses.

or just advertise the courses as "just for stay-at-home moms, then when usc recruits have to take the courses they feel ashamed and play at some Division II school instead

How do you know his Momma wasn't the one that did the course work anyway?

For my last course before graduating BYU I took a poli sci 200 via independent study. I can honestly say that it ranked up there with the hardest courses I took at BYU becuase it required much more reading and many more papers. Though I had about six months to finish the course before I started law school, I just barely finished in time. Having my final exam proctored by one of the elementary school teachers where my wife was teaching was fun too. Fortunately I didn't have to sit at one of those little desks.

Yes, I know it is just an anectdotal experience, but not all independent study classes are easier. This one was definitely harder (though I'll admit that I was hoping it would be easier--you know, like getting 19 "A" credits for testing out of Spanish).

cougarfan87 wrote:

...like getting 19 "A" credits for testing out of Spanish).

Always thought there was something inherently wrong with that. How many credits would they give you for "testing out" of English?

What made me a little unhappy was the fact that they didn't offer a challenge course for Albanian that gave an "A" grade; it was only pass or fail, so there was no point in taking the test. (Yes, I know, "But there's no point in learning Albanian. lol." Albanian is still harder than Spanish.)

I am currently finishing my degree via independent study. Obviously there is a difference between the university level and High school level classes.

I left school 28 years ago to take a job in the Northwest. Now I am trying to finish what I started so long ago. Each class must be completed in one year. Most of the classes I complete in a couple of months, but some take several months.

Independent study classes have their pluses and minuses. I don't have the advantage of study groups, and I don't have easy access to instructors. Usually I don't have a lecture to help with my learning. On the plus side, I can study whenever I have time; but I have to fit my study time between 40 to 60 hours of work per week, church callings, civic responsibilities, and family needs.

Some of my classes are easier than those I took on campus, and some are tougher.

When I worked at Continuing Education at BYU a few years ago BYU was in some legal trouble with the likes of Michael Oher having others help him with his IS courses to qualify to play at Miss. St. So, ConEd started having the registration department ask each registering student if they were or planned to be NCAA athletes. If they answered affirmatively, we were to not allow them to register. Needless to say one could simply lie about their status, register for the course, and have their "tutor" take the course (except for the proctored exams). The website also had a warning that NCAA athletes could not use the courses for credit.
However, the requirement that we always ask if the individual was an NCAA athlete was never really adhered to and I left about a year after that started. I don't know how it is now but BYU has always been known as the easy way to qualify.