Rigor

Rigor is one of those things that gets brought up a lot when talking about doctoral level programs and classes. I hear and read about the academic or scholarly rigor of a program as the mark of quality. As you can imagine there are many shots taken at University of Phoenix’s online doctoral programs as not as rigorous due to the eLearning element of the program.

By and large, I find the program as rigorous or more so than other terminal degree programs. The very fact that the programs and schools need to pass the muster of accreditation means that the program is as rigorous as others under the same standards. It is more rigorous in that I work full time, have a full time home life, and attend school full time. It is possible and I do need to dedicate all my attention to all things. There is no loss or glossing over of any one things when my attention is needed in 3 areas.

That said, I am seeing some changes in the curriculum structure that are not so appealing to my need for a rigorous program. The last class, one on assessment in education, used some alternative assignments to achieve the class goals. I am all for alternative assessment devices and felt these missed the mark. Frankly, interviews with learning leaders, position papers, and lists of assessment questions don’t meet my demand for rigor. These assignments felt a little elementary and as such I couldn’t get motivated to participate in the course completely.

Again, by and large, I find the program rigrous and worthy of my time and attention. These last few classes and particularly this latest one just didn’t make the grade for me. What does this mean for the student experience? In my case, it diminishes my interest in the class, the conversations, the assignments, the experience. So I find my attention spent in areas that are more demanding and worthy of my concerted effort and focus. Sure it seems counterproductive but it is the reality of the situation. There are some that will say, “Easy A”. No. Easy A is not in my vocabulary. I want to earn it and I want the course demand I earn it.

My next course is one with my mentor. I fully expect it to meet my demands for rigor. I’ve got a lot of work to do on my proposal and I will need to focus completely on the demands of the curriculum and my mentor. I’m looking to it.

Image Source: Canadian Veggie

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