Job Discussion Forums

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

La Trobe in Perth?

Yeah, people I've talked to who've gone to this school have told me it's a good school. Other than that, I don't know anymore about the school.

USQ is a degree mill.

KCA420 · Joined: 08 Apr 2004 Posts: 54

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

Yeah, La Trobe is in Melbourne. Sorry.

merlin · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 6:21 am Post subject:

madmad · Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 7

Hi all,

It's an interesting thread for me since I'm currently enrolled in the MA in Applied Linguistics program at USQ.

A lot of the criticism posted here so far is valid - staff in the MAPL program at USQ are generally underqualified, especially the people marking student's essays and assisting the few more or less qualified instructors.

As far as the few PhD holders are concerned, the work I've read by them was rather unimpressive.

Finally, I also have a colleague who did his MA through Leicester University in the UK, and there are significant differences between the two programs/schools in terms of procedure, content, and staff qualifications.

I think USQ is operating at the fringes of academic integrity, but considering Australia's overall comercial interest in the education sector, this is likely to continue/spread.

On a positive note, I would say that having done the program I will, despite all criticisms, have benefitted from it as a teacher.

merlin · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:02 am Post subject:

Nomad,
Regarding the Applied Linguistics department I'll take your word for it and I'd like to stress again that ALL universities are hiring less qualified ajunct faculty (I worked for a semester at a Leading traditional University in the ESL/TEFL field with nothing more than a BA in liberal studies thanks to knowing a friend of a friend but you'll forgive me if I don't divulge the name).

It's a bit unfair to hold USQ to a higher standard than other universities, isn't it?

I'm studing with USQ in Educational Technology and I've completed 5 courses so far. All my professors had PhD's and were very qualified. One experienced a personal crisis during the course but he still did a passable job and I would rate that course at worst average. Out of the remaining courses, two were far superior, one was exceptional and one was almost a religious experience.

I personally can't see any other way to study educational technology or CALL except online.

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

Madman,

Are you on-campus at USQ now?

madmad · Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 7

Rice paddy daddy,

no, I'm doing my degree via distance learning. I'm teaching in Thailand...

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

I thought your comments were well written.

That's how I feel about USQ.

In fact, I was concerned and disappointed when I found out that my assignments were graded by people who were not actually teachers at USQ. It seems they are former students who had taken the courses themselves and are given guidelines to follow when marking the essays.

I also feel that USQ instructors, with exception of Mangubhai, are not properly qualified to be teaching the classes they teach.

Seems some peopel here get quite defensive about that.

I'm still waiting for my Assignment 2 from last semester to be returned to me - I have sent 2 e-mails inquiring about the assignment - 1 to the instructor and 1 to the school.

No reply as of yet.

I will not recommend USQ to anyone looking to get into an TESOL program.

madmad · Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 7

Hi Rice Paddy Daddy,

I wouldn't recommend USQ's MAPL program either unless you are really strapped for cash - they are cheaper than pretty much any other program I have come across.

Yes, the markers/assistants do indeed seem to be mostly former students of the university some with rather paltry looking resumes. I found one online looking for an ESL job in China who just received his MA last year!

I do see why people get defensive about criticism though.

It was certainly difficult for me to come to terms with the idea that I have sunk my hard earned money into a third rate program. I have to work two jobs in Thailand to pay for the program, and I had hopes and future plans resting on this. I realize that at some level these discussions almost inevitably become very personal when they touch upon people's hopes and dreams and future ambitions; even if the original poster had never intended this effect.

merlin · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:51 am Post subject:

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

Gordon,

You aren't being honest - at schools like UBC and SFU or UVIC Ph.D students are normally marking papers. Professors also mark papers.

USQ is a degree mill and somoeone with no teaching experience could conceivably be grading your papers.

You call that "Knowing their stuff?"

Australian universities, not just USQ, have devalued the M.A. degree and I really believe that the quality of these programs are highly questionable compared to Canadian and American M.A. degrees.

Madman, I also undestand why Gordon and Merlin are defensive when we criticize their school / program.

But the bottom line is that USQ is a degree mill and does not operate honestly.

The teaching staff are underqualified and do have not contributed to the literature - do a google and see what you get.

Manguhbai and Hatoss are the only 2 that have done any related research.

I asked one of the lectureres where the papers and assignments are sent to get marked -- she laughed, rolled her eyes and elected not to tell me.

She knows it's a sham as well - "Yee Haw University" (banjos playing in the background LOL!!)

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

As always, nothing based on fact, only conjecture and hearsay.

So why did you go to USQ if you're so smart?

Still awaiting that list of good schools/bad schools. Might be waiting a long time.

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

Madman,

I was sitting on a city bus in Toowoomba. I started talking to the Asian girl next to me.

She said she was from Singapore and I her English didn't seem that good to me.

Anyhoo, she had just finished her B.A. at USQ in Business Administration and USQ had already had her grading students assignments in the distance courses.

They have so many distance education students that they do not have enough staff to grader assignments, so farm them out to current and former students to grade.

Many have very little previous work/life experience and have either not graduated yet or only graduated recently with only an undergraduate degree.

AMAZING!!