UCR Extension

I am taking classes online through the UC riverside extension and find the classes ok for a particular certificate. I do enjoy when the teachers engage with the students and give direct feedback on a pertinent topic for discussions. But, I have completed two classes now and toward the middle and end of the class the teachers have disappeared; stopped responding, stopped grading… disappeared into thin air??? One time I got an administrative post indicating that the teacher was having computer difficulties? But she never returned to the class?
In addition, one particular teacher wrote a very poor final test that was of significant weight in determining the final grade. The test included poorly written questions and quite a bit of questions that were never even covered in the material assigned.
There must be a lack of oversight?

The instruction itself is okay, but there have been at least 3 interruptions per class for signatures from the professor, or trying to find paperwork– the classrooms were poorly labeled and hard to find, the faucets were leaking for days in a drought and only hot worked which was lukewarm … Once the faucets were fixed — the water was flaming hot! I went and put a sign on the mirror to let people know because the staff seemed unconcerned about the fact that people might get hurt :(I know these are all facilities issues, but where does instruction happen ??
They fixed everything super quickly and redeemed stars ;)

The extension is not really UCR. It is separate and independent. They have programs that could be good, but I think it’s more a business model. Get students to sign-​up and pay, not much care for how the program will help you reach your goals.
I decided on going through the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate program since it had the most lecture hours to learn and practice. I learned how to think and teach like a teacher. They turned me from someone that could not teach to someone that could teach. There were parts of the curriculum that I did not agree with, such as being forced to teach a botched lesson to actual students. Me and the other student-​teachers felt bad for the students. It probably helped clear the class out after that since the attendance dropped to almost virtually nobody.
I pity for the international students that go there to study English and come to the U.S. The curriculum is not challenging and wasteful in terms of time and money. The location is not ideal. It reminds me of Death Valley. It’s very depressing.

I completed a certificate program in Human Resources Management here and even though I «hate» school, I really enjoyed the experience. The classes can be pricey, it is an extension of the University of California after all, but they were worth every penny.
Each class was 10 weeks long, 3 hours per week. The Instructors were all professionals (this was not their full time gig) and very knowledgeable on the subject. There were a lot of international students in my classes and it was fun working with people of different cultures and getting to know them.
The campus is easily accessible, with a café and large multipurpose rooms for students to gather and socialize or study. There were computers and updated AV equipment in all of the classrooms.
I would recommend anyone wishing to further their education through a certificate program to check out what UCRX has to offer.

go highlanders!!!