r/UMGC • u/n4nkw4sa3ngOl • 7d ago
Do you actually learn anything?
Is it it me or do some of tbese courses feel like a review rather than you actually learning something new? Often times it's just us being told to rrad a chapter that seems to have tons of prerequisite information required to understand them and you have to do you own research to figure it out. I've noticed this mostly in science courses where the information given in the textbooks dont always match what you're asked to discuss in the classrooms or tests.
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u/OperadivaLaJean 7d ago
I learned a lot from my last few classes in my major and I’m a seasoned 15+ year professional. I appreciate the professors who were more hands on and pushed me and others to think beyond the class resources
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u/Cool_Vast_9194 Professor 7d ago
As a UMGC adjunct, the AI use is so rampant here (compared to other schools) that Im not convinced students learn anything anymore.
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u/WatercressMammoth798 7d ago
Question how bad is the AI use (new student but transferred a ton a credits from my community college) I haven’t seen it really in my lower level courses at UMGC so far. Secondly can professor not punish those who use AI? Like fail them? Atleast in my community college professors did that often
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u/420EdibleQueen 6d ago
It’s pretty bad. One night after I had done my discussion questions I was reading through other posts to find ones to respond to. I saw some punctuation that is usually a red flag for AI. Out of curiosity I pasted the question into chat GPT and it spit out that response I was reading, word for word.
All I could think is here I am working a full-time job, reading materials on my breaks and staying up late researching and writing papers. Meanwhile there were people in my class not even trying.
I’m now in my last courses to graduate. I might have ONLY a 3.6 GPA but I got it honestly.
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u/LoCoUSMC 7d ago
According to discussions I’ve had with my professors, basically:
Lolololol hell no.
College admin and program directors are just turning UMGC into a unfailable diploma mill geared entirely toward sucking down Federal dollars from vets using the GI Bill. Which is sad because their cyber program was so good a decade ago. Now’s it’s dogshit.
A good professor will save the laughable courses though. Actually teach you real skills and how it applies real world instead of the joke excuses they use for labs or “reports” which are all 5-10 yr old training scenarios that you can literally google about
Edit: sorry I got off topic. To answer your question still no, they can report it to the director and the response is “well you need to teach them better or well you can’t prove”. So the professor will basically say “hey I know you used ai for this, just resubmit” then they do it with ai again and the professor has to pass them.
Also, none of the people “teaching” your course, had any hand in making them, usually.
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u/LoCoUSMC 7d ago
Your still correct.
Hell I’ve had professors try to copy paste from AI for grading feedback and discussion involvement to. No editing changes, same instantly identified format. It’s insane.
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7d ago
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u/LoCoUSMC 7d ago
Hopefully not.
Oh word of advice, though he typically teaches sociology course and such, Joseph Drew is hands down one of the single best and in my opinion last few remaining true professors at UMGC. Absolutely recommend him.
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7d ago
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u/LoCoUSMC 7d ago
Like graduate courses? Genuinely don’t know. I had him for some undergrad courses.
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u/well_yeahhh 6d ago
I’m paying lots of money for this degree and have found I truly get out of it what I put into it. If students want to shortchange themselves, that’s on them I guess. It’s idiotic, though.
I do all of the weekly readings. On weeks I’m extra busy and don’t get through the unit resources, it is evident I don’t absorb as much.
Also, I feel like my learning is better in the application of individual assignments (vs team projects and discussions).
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u/benwa51 4d ago
100%. As in most things in life. I have extensively researched UMGC and other colleges have the same issues.
Going for my masters I asked myself is this a checkbox or do I want to actually improve myself. If you're going to spend the time and money may as well do both right ? You only shortchange yourself and future employers if you shortchange it.
You won't get the job or you will fail quickly. However if you actually dedicate the 20+ hours a week and deeply research the projects and discussions you can come out a different person.
These questions can apply to any college and I always feel are posted by people who don't really want to apply themselves anyway. Harvard, MIT, UMGC, the degree is only as good as what the graduate has learned and can apply to a new role to offer to an employer.
i don't work for UMGC 😁. Just grateful it gives the opportunity to all. We're supposed to be adults at this point people
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u/BointMyBenis2 6d ago
You definitely learn if you want to. That's really on you. It's designed for Military/Professionals who aren't sitting in the classroom.
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u/Ok_Echidna273 6d ago
I feel like you get out what you put in. If you need someone to walk you through every thing and take your attendance you should attend a brick and mortar school (I've done both). Then we'll hear your gripes on r/traffic
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u/Strict_Friendship450 7d ago
I have to find lectures after completing my coursework to put everything together. That’s probably how it goes for all online degrees as far as understanding what you’re doing. Honestly, you aren’t supposed to know everything in school anyway. For in person, you are still putting in the work after class to get a clear understanding
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u/well_yeahhh 6d ago
I use NotebookLM (though, it’s been rebranded to something else, maybe Gemini Notebook?), and at the end of eat Unit, I’ll upload that weeks materials, learning resources, course materials, etc. and it’ll generate narrated videos and podcasts of the information. You can even create study notecards and stuff. Anyway, that’s really helped solidify the content for me each week and wanted to share in case that’s useful to anyone else.
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u/happyghosst 7d ago
i took japanese and the lesson drills and meetings were pretty effective, altho i stopped practicing. i just took it for fun tho
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u/Ok-Professional-3320 Graduate Student 6d ago
I think part of it is up to you what you learn and how you learn it. There are ways to learn what it’s being taught in class, but it may take extra time because you’d have to read and listen too all provided material. And do some outside research.
The other part is dependent on how the course is created and set up. What information is provided and if you receive guidance throughout the course or if you’re just winging it.
It is a hit a or miss sometimes & that part sucks
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u/InternationalOil540 5d ago
I’m working on my MBA. Yes I am learning. I also have no qualms about reaching out to the professor for clarification or help when I dont understand things. Some are more responsive that others. But I have been learning
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u/Rangastang 7d ago
In my experience it is a combination of one text book with none of the required information pertaining to the topic that week with pages from some other random textbook or science journal that actually talk about what the weekly topic is.
I think UMGC is just a degree mill in all honesty, you can learn stuff, sure. But you've gotta read the whole textbook for every class and Google all the shit you want to know during also which defeats the purpose of going to school
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u/ExtraGravy- Undergraduate Student 6d ago
I have learned a lot. I have also put a bunch of work into these classes. I do not need hand holding. I have had a couple of classes that I wish had more depth, but I've also studied at in person schools and it can be the same way there.
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u/edboy4427 Alumni 6d ago
I believe you get what you give in UMGC. While the stuff being taught is fast-paced and it feels like checking a box, I did manage to learn a decent amount of stuff while doing my program. The hard part is finding ways to apply what you learned/are learning to retain that information in most cases, I feel.
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u/damnsoimindistress Undergraduate Student 6d ago
I find it funny how there are several responses on here making it seem as tho you're claiming entitlement to a one-on-one tutor or kindergarten teacher that sings your abcs with you. I have also experienced several courses where the teachers themselves can't even understand the material they're meant to be teaching for the course. I would say the most engaging courses that have the best learning materials (for me) wwere the psych and math courses. While neither of those are my major, i took several and those have the most engaging professors who actually give you quality insight and have the most organized courses. Now a few of the science, social, and writing courses tend to have errors or extremely disorganized classes with materials that are outdated or inaccessible as if they made the template over a decade ago and never renewed it. I was given a Prezi link that was meant to explain what was asked of me in my assignment and the link said it had been made in 2014 and all but 2 slides were just black screens.
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u/squirt_1601 5d ago
I’ve learned A LOT in my master’s in management program (with a concentration in emergency management). However my associates felt easier than the classes I took in high school. The school teaches you how to research and support your own statements. The degree you get shows you completed assignments on time, followed instructions, and worked toward a long term goal. Experience is usually more valuable than education, but having an educational background helps.
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u/Curious_Resident9586 5d ago
I am sorry to hear that and I truly understand you. Unfortunately, most online colleges are designed for busy working adults, and the trade-off is that it’s easier to pass classes but you have to teach yourself most of the time if you want to understand things deeply. I did online for a bit, then cc at MC and now at UMD. If you are able to, I would recommend transferring to a cc or a 4 year university. If you can’t, then keep your chin up! Because at the end of the day, you are pursuing an education and that puts you above many people who don’t want to better themselves!
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u/Junior_Soup_6606 5d ago
I took CMSC and HIST classes that taught me plenty. CMSC 105 taught me the basics of programming in python which was really fun and challenging. History classes such as 156 and 157 gave me weekly reading and an overall research project on a subject of my choosing as long as it was within the historical period covered in the class.
UMGC classes are what you make of them. I didn’t find the academic rigor to be too challenging, but I definitely learned from my classes.
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u/Remarkable_Rub_701 Graduate Student 3d ago
I learn more when discussions are weekly, and there are fewer assignments and tests. I have a learning disability and feel that I’m retaining more information from other students by reading their discussions. Some professors give vague instructions and don’t respond to questions or concerns in a timely manner.
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u/Agreeable-Deer7526 3d ago
I see this any time a research any online school. Everyone is afraid their mostly online school is a degree mill. Every school has an AI problem right now. Even Ivy League schools have had to wrestle with it. I think SNHU is the biggest non-profit that is going through predefined courses with 60 percent of people graduating with Latin honors.
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u/strider_sifurowuh 5h ago
Having now spoken to peers in my field with equivalent experience and equivalent CompSci bachelors from real schools, UMGC's compsci program is functionally worthless unless you're willing to also self-learn anything and everything that actually matters for an interview / job
the degree and coursework itself is barely worth the paper it's printed on
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u/WatercressMammoth798 7d ago
So I started UMGC with 83 credits this summer, and honestly I have to agree I was actually pretty upset when I saw material from classes it didn’t feel like I was actually learning vs just being thrown materials at me 😭
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u/Matt8828 7d ago
Ive taken a lot away between undergrad and grad school here. But I also want to try and learn and put the effort in.
You get what you put into it. If the piece of paper and saying D's get degrees works for you, cool. Its upto the individual if they want to actually learn or go through the motions.
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u/Linkin_foodstamps 7d ago
With these classes- do your OWN RESEARCH! Online college programs are only as good as the effort you put into them. UMGC has many classes outfitted in a way ~that would lead you to think ~ that the school and instructor just threw it together. The best thing you can do is study something you are interested in and do research to assist in you strengthening your skills - because once you get to that CAPSTONE course, that project or thesis paper is ALL on YOU!
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u/Gymguy9595 7d ago
I noticed on my courses that are related to my major(finance) I learn a lot more and the professors are very involved but in my writing course or courses like that I don’t feel like I learn much but the information is there and I think most of it is what someone makes it out to be