Trident university TUI increasing tuition rates

[Azimuth]

I have never, ever heard one single person say that they think a Master's degree is a good discriminator on a PRF or that in any way, shape, or form it betters the Air Force...in general it's a colossal waste of time and taxpayer money. How has this shit not gone away yet?

Apparently the last O-4 promotion board did. There's a guy in my sq who was passed over solely because he didn't have one.

[magnetfreezer]

I have never, ever heard one single person say that they think a Master's degree is a good discriminator on a PRF or that in any way, shape, or form it betters the Air Force...in general it's a colossal waste of time and taxpayer money. How has this shit not gone away yet?

NSTFS, we were briefed by one person that it's intended to be an AF measure of your time management skills (if you become a CC you'll have lots of additional sh*t to take up your time so taking up your time with a masters is supposedly a good forecast of that).

[ucf_motorcycle]

I don't know if things have changed at TUI recently but I don't think you can get away with getting an A for sending a corrupt file. I send papers that are well written but get marked down for missing very minor details in the assingment. So I know they are reading it carefully.

I spend enough time on the coursework that I can't possibly take more than one class at a time, which I considered since the rates have gone up. I would love to just knock out the 4 classes I have left right before the rate goes up but I really can't dedicate all my time (which is what it would take) to this BS degree.

[Ram]

.....dude....solely? ....So they opened his PRF and there was just one piece of paper in there that read: "No AAD," and boom, that was it. Passed over.

Why do people say/think/believe dumb shit like this?

Because it feels better to say "hey man...the system is broken" than "well, I guess I didn't make the cut."

NOTE: I am definitely NOT saying that the system isn't broken.

[Azimuth]

.....dude....solely? ....So they opened his PRF and there was just one piece of paper in there that read: "No AAD," and boom, that was it. Passed over.

Why do people say/think/believe dumb shit like this?

EP, SQ Exec, Flt/CC, Second assignment FTU instructor, SOS Coor/in-res complete, no UIF/LOR/LOC whatever

You tell me.

[ThreeHoler]

EP, SQ Exec, Flt/CC, Second assignment FTU instructor, SOS Coor/in-res complete, no UIF/LOR/LOC whatever

You tell me.

P or DP? There has to be something else...

[Azimuth]

P or DP? There has to be something else...

P based on the fact he had no AAD

[Scholar]

I don't know if things have changed at TUI recently but I don't think you can get away with getting an A for sending a corrupt file. I send papers that are well written but get marked down for missing very minor details in the assingment. So I know they are reading it carefully.

I spend enough time on the coursework that I can't possibly take more than one class at a time, which I considered since the rates have gone up. I would love to just knock out the 4 classes I have left right before the rate goes up but I really can't dedicate all my time (which is what it would take) to this BS degree.

Clearly if you have read the prior posts either students CAN get As for meaningless papers, and get commended for them, or the other posters are not telling the truth.

That someone read your papers does not prove that all papers are properly graded nor that it is impossible for some students to get As for meaningless papers. As a matter of fact, in February of this year a report was submitted to both the President of TUI and copied to WASC examining the academic integrity of the institution and raising just that very issue. It reported other instances of exactly the same problem, instances where people were assigned to grade papers in graduate courses about which they knew little to nothing, assigned As to plagiarized papers and pointed out that this issue had been reported and identified back in 2008 and that little to nothing had been done to address it. The report identified various systemic weaknesses in the university's assessment system, which uses low paid, part time faculty to grade large numbers of students' papers in a short space of time and argued that this and other issues raised questions regarding the academic integrity of the institution and called for an audit of student grades and degrees to be conducted to identify the extent of the problem.

It is sad that the systemic inadequacies of Trident University International bring into question the entire assessment process there and that as a result students who put in the work and effort to learn face the possibility that their efforts will be devalued as the reputation of the institution is questioned and eroded as a result.

I was just wondering: by "BS degree" are you referring to bovine excrement or business studies?

[Guest]

Enough already.

[Scholar]

Enough already.

I tried writing to you privately to get a better understanding of your concern but the message could not be sent for some reason. Perhaps you could write privately to me and let me know? Thanks.

[Guest]

I tried writing to you privately to get a better understanding of your concern but the message could not be sent for some reason. Perhaps you could write privately to me and let me know? Thanks.

No.

[ThreeHoler]

P based on the fact he had no AAD

I find it really hard to believe that someone with the creds you listed would only get a P solely because of no AAD since it is a 75% allocation rate. However, if all his bros had a degree and he didn't...he self-eliminated. I say this as someone who met an O-4 board without an AAD and has never been an exec.

[ucf_motorcycle]

Clearly if you have read the prior posts either students CAN get As for meaningless papers, and get commended for them, or the other posters are not telling the truth.

That someone read your papers does not prove that all papers are properly graded nor that it is impossible for some students to get As for meaningless papers. As a matter of fact, in February of this year a report was submitted to both the President of TUI and copied to WASC examining the academic integrity of the institution and raising just that very issue. It reported other instances of exactly the same problem, instances where people were assigned to grade papers in graduate courses about which they knew little to nothing, assigned As to plagiarized papers and pointed out that this issue had been reported and identified back in 2008 and that little to nothing had been done to address it. The report identified various systemic weaknesses in the university's assessment system, which uses low paid, part time faculty to grade large numbers of students' papers in a short space of time and argued that this and other issues raised questions regarding the academic integrity of the institution and called for an audit of student grades and degrees to be conducted to identify the extent of the problem.

It is sad that the systemic inadequacies of Trident University International bring into question the entire assessment process there and that as a result students who put in the work and effort to learn face the possibility that their efforts will be devalued as the reputation of the institution is questioned and eroded as a result.

I was just wondering: by "BS degree" are you referring to bovine excrement or business studies?

BS= bovine excrement

What I am saying is I think things have changed with the institution very recently. The fact that people were submitting corrupt files and receiving A's for them I do not deny but, atleast in the current class I am in, that would not work now.

The reason I say that the TUI degree is BS is because of their reputation. But now they are making it cost money out of pocket and require more work and time to get the same BS degree. Its just a bad deal now.

[Scholar]

BS= bovine excrement

What I am saying is I think things have changed with the institution very recently. The fact that people were submitting corrupt files and receiving A's for them I do not deny but, atleast in the current class I am in, that would not work now.

The reason I say that the TUI degree is BS is because of their reputation. But now they are making it cost money out of pocket and require more work and time to get the same BS degree. Its just a bad deal now.

Could you clarify why? You may be assigned a grader who does his or her work conscientiously, so any student assigned to that grader wouldn't be able to get away with submitting meaningless files. But beyond that how has the system changed such that you know that other graders assigned to other students in the class or to other courses are also doing their work conscientiously?

Until very recently the university would;t even use Turn-it-in to check for plagiarism. I understand that they have considered doing so to enable students to check that their papers are not plagiarized and maybe it is now being used, but if so that will be a very recent innovation, yet something being done by thousands of other universities for many years now.

[Guest]

Enough with the TUI crusade already.

[Stitch]

I'm getting my masters from a school that actually has a campus, a football team (with a recent National Championship), and anything else a normal college should have.

Don't be afraid to branch out and get a degree from a school you won't be embarrassed of.

So you're saying it's not a "real" school unless all your course work has been on the main campus, the school has a top notch NCAA athletic program, keg parties in the dorm on a weeknight, stately ivy covered walls and rich history of co-eds that have been "giving-it-up" under the bleachers since the early days of electricity? (Not that there's anything wrong with any of those things)

Therefore especially, on the E side, where using the base ed center and Mother Blue's tuition assistance is the only route to college, all that effort is a complete waste for a worthless degree that any civilian employer would discount for even the lowest paid janitor position?

Serious question not trying to be an a$$.

OBTW, I do 100% agree the requirement for an AAD is stupid and should be masked. A guy/gal should be promoted solely upon how they're doing the J-O-B, not just checking a square.

[Ram]

A guy/gal should be promoted solely upon how they're doing the J-O-B, not just checking a square.

Semantics here, but remember: Promotion is not a "reward" for a job well done. Instead, it's a recognition of perceived aptitude for more rank/responsibility. Just "doing the J-O-B" is not, then, a reason to be promoted. A PRF should be written to demonstrate worthiness for the next rank, not just all the things you've done in your current rank. I think it's often difficult to tell the difference between the two.

(Don't flame...I'm just quoting what the AFPC guys / leadership types have told me.)

[Guest]

Serious question not trying to be an a$$.

Great question.

Serious answer, while a pedigree will always matter for some jobs most employers are looking for people who can demonstrate practical application of knowledge. A good employer will honor the effort and experience of a hard working enlisted troop who busted his or her ass to get an education while working more than full time for peanuts.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Rainman A-10

[Hacker]

while a pedigree will always matter for some jobs

The reality for anyone in the military is this: any school that you can attend part time while being a full time officer in the military doesn't have a pedigree good enough for those jobs, regardless.

Guys who get wrapped up in the relative quality of their online degree are missing the bigger picture about what the name on your Masters really means to potential employers.

[Danger41]

EP, SQ Exec, Flt/CC, Second assignment FTU instructor, SOS Coor/in-res complete, no UIF/LOR/LOC whatever

You tell me.

Was the guy a douche? Not trying to flame, just curious.

[ucf_motorcycle]

Could you clarify why? You may be assigned a grader who does his or her work conscientiously, so any student assigned to that grader wouldn't be able to get away with submitting meaningless files. But beyond that how has the system changed such that you know that other graders assigned to other students in the class or to other courses are also doing their work conscientiously?

Until very recently the university would;t even use Turn-it-in to check for plagiarism. I understand that they have considered doing so to enable students to check that their papers are not plagiarized and maybe it is now being used, but if so that will be a very recent innovation, yet something being done by thousands of other universities for many years now.

Well the current class has a grader who is doing his job thats why. Also the coursework has become more time consuming then it used to be in my previous classes. I obviously can't be certain that other classes are the same but can only give my personal experience.

Enough with the TUI crusade already.

If you don't like it don't read it. Obviously it is of interest to many people, that is why I started the thread.

[Scholar]

Enough with the TUI crusade already.

This thread is about fee increases at Trident University International. If you want to broaden it to something else why not start one of your own?

I note that you have made thousands of posts to this forum and after my seven you're already telling me that's "enough" from me? Get back to me on that when mine match yours in number.

Well the current class has a grader who is doing his job thats why. Also the coursework has become more time consuming then it used to be in my previous classes. I obviously can't be certain that other classes are the same but can only give my personal experience.

Understood. The degree programs at TUI are designed (at least in recent years) to be of increasing difficulty and hence one might expect later courses to be more time consuming than those at the start.

I really do sympathize with you. There are many students at TUI doing their level best like you to work hard and learn. I am really sorry that the systemic issues regarding inadequate assessment which are coming to light there may potentially have an impact on all students there.

[Azimuth]

I find it really hard to believe that someone with the creds you listed would only get a P solely because of no AAD since it is a 75% allocation rate. However, if all his bros had a degree and he didn't...he self-eliminated. I say this as someone who met an O-4 board without an AAD and has never been an exec.

That's what happened, he drew the short straw. We had a guy get passed over last year for O-4, finished his degree, submit his Palace Chase paper work to a Reserve unit and get hired, only to make O-4 this year a few weeks after he separated. He got a P this year, but ha his AAD complete prior to the PRF review.

Was the guy a douche? Not trying to flame, just curious.

Nope, great guy and very sharp. One of the top IP's in the Sq and the Flt/CC for the flight that teaches our instructor course (FTU).

[BigE]

Scholar - I'll ask the question - what is your interest in being on this forum discussing TUI?

Admittedly, it sounds like you are a former employee who got let go and you have a bone to pick with the school, on this site collecting information to use against the school for personal means.

What ever your reason - it does not appear to be genuine and the nature of your posts and questions indicate an agenda you have not shared or made clear.

Perhaps I am wrong and you are just sharing information to help bros make an informed decision on where they spend their money and time working on an AAD.

e

[Guest]

If you don't like it don't read it. Obviously it is of interest to many people, that is why I started the thread.

Calm down, I wasn't talking to you.

There's nothing wrong with the original topic I get that people are interested. It is a bad deal if they raise fees and it is also a bad deal if they become a pain in the ass. It is also a bad deal if people lose an option to fill this stupid AAD square in the easiest possible way.