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 Expert
Posts: 1482
  
Location: on my horse | Has anybody had experience with IS classes? I'm thinking about going this route for the coming semester because my living and job situation is so up in the air, I don't want to get off track on my degree but I feel like I need some more flexibility at this time...
I'm an Idaho resident, this is straight of the University of Idaho website..
Independent Study in Idaho (ISI) was created in 1973 by the Idaho State Board of Education as a cooperative of four regionally accredited Idaho institutions led by the University of Idaho (UI). Other cooperating members include:
Lewis Clark State College (LCSC)
Idaho State University (ISU)
Boise State University (BSU)
ISI delivers college-level distance education courses online. Although ISI does not offer degrees, credits earned upon course completion transfer to most colleges and universities.
Enroll anytime
Complete in one year or less
Over 100 courses in more than 25 subject areas
Idaho residency is not required
It is not necessary to be admitted to any of the ISI cooperating institutions to register for an ISI course.
Registering for an ISI course does not automatically grant admission to any of the ISI cooperating institutions
There are no additional, out-of-state registration fees for students whose permanent residence is outside of Idaho.
ISI's online courses are designed for students who work well independently with limited interaction with instructors.
I'M SO LOST IN THIS COLLEGE MESS! I'm financially independent and as I stated before have some personal things going on so that's why I'm looking at this option.   
Edited by redmansmyman11 2014-05-19 11:15 PM
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | I'm not familiar with that particular program, but I have done some online classes that are self-paced essentially.
I CANNOT DO THEM. I'm too much of a procrastinator. If somebody isn't setting deadlines and cracking a whip - I'm going to slack. I ended up doing 11 weeks worth of work in about a week and a half BOTH times I took classes like this.
I would just be honest with yourself: is this something that fits your personality, learning style, work ethic, study habits? If not... It might be just a waste of time and money.
Good luck!! |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| Consider what classes you would be using IS. I did a few IS classes and they were fine, also did online classes that were also fine. However, one was a pharmacology class which was just basically more vocab and learning the different between opiates and such. More memorization. I tried to do a math type class online and it was a disaster. Sometimes you need that inclass instruction to learn the material.
I agree with the previous poster, be honest with yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. It sucks paying $600 to fail a course. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Agreed with the above.
With my undergrad degree the couple online classes I took were a waste of time terms of what I actually learned and how much I procrastinated.
That being said, I'm looking at some graduate programs to do my masters in the next few years through online programs, much more rigorous than whatever it was I took online during my bachelors, I don't even remember what it was now, some history class I think. |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | Online classes are great, if you are highly self-disciplined and a very timely person. In my undergrad, I took many online courses due to my full time job. However, I will warn you, they are usually MUCH MORE work than in-person classes. The only way they have to evaluate your participation is through reading and writing. Therefore, you will do a lot of it! I am now in my grad school program which is 100% online and I am busting my butt. They are great if you can handle it. However, in-person, on-campus classes are usually much easier. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | This sounds like some of the older correspondence programs, only now based online instead of done through snail mail. They were self-paced as well. Harvard has a similar program where you can even earn a degree. One of their most well known IS programs is the Great Books program where you read a list of *I think* 100 of the greatest books ever written. They have other options too, just an example I can think of. So long as its done through a regular, regionally accredited university, most of the credits should transfer, as they mention. The big concern would be whether or not you felt it suited your learning style. If you can set goals for yourself and your own due dates according to a regular semester schedule or something reasonably similar, you'd be good. But you have to be pretty organized to do well in self-paced courses. I've done them but always where I could go in and visit directly with the instructor who helped me work out a personal schedule and always in the span of a regular semester. I did have fun with mine though. A regular online program may be more to your liking as it has a bit more structure. |
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Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | Thanks for the responses guys, historically I've done well with online classes and don't have a problem with procrastination. I wish I could just do my degree online but I would have to transfer to a different college because UI doesn't have many options for online classes. I MIGHT be able to squeeze a semester of online out of them. That's why I was kind of looking at the IS option because there are more classes available that way.
Finding an accredited online school kind of scares me. Those of you that did it, how did you make sure it was a good program? |
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The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | I just found an online program through a local university. I am in a Masters of Arts in English for Language Arts Teachers. You definitely don't just pick a random college. Do research. Your major will determine which university would be most appropriate for you, then you find one with an online degree. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | horsegirl - 2014-05-20 10:54 AM
I just found an online program through a local university. I am in a Masters of Arts in English for Language Arts Teachers. You definitely don't just pick a random college. Do research. Your major will determine which university would be most appropriate for you, then you find one with an online degree.
You're getting your masters in English online? From what University? I'm looking to do this in order to add a high school English endorsement to my teaching license but have had the most AWFUL time finding a good program!! |
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Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | svincent - 2014-05-20 1:23 PM
horsegirl - 2014-05-20 10:54 AM
I just found an online program through a local university. I am in a Masters of Arts in English for Language Arts Teachers. You definitely don't just pick a random college. Do research. Your major will determine which university would be most appropriate for you, then you find one with an online degree.
You're getting your masters in English online? From what University? I'm looking to do this in order to add a high school English endorsement to my teaching license but have had the most AWFUL time finding a good program!!
That's where I'm at... I decided to go with English as a major with a teaching emphasis, but nowhere in my state offers anything online and I'm so far behind and have so much going on in my personal life right now that I feel like online is my best option. I'm still working at my bachelors degree though |
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