Aplia Woes

This semester, my next to last at AC, I am finally taking my Student Success course. And because I have 'so many' hours already I was allowed to take it online. The class didn't actually start until a week or so after the official first day.

An orientation was scheduled. I went. It as a waste of time. The three online class teachers had a shared orientation. One didn't show. The other couldn't get the school computer to work. The third couldn't get the class program to work.

This was a BIG preview of the upcoming semester in this class.

I have eMailed the teacher 2 - 3 times a week since the orientation. Directions/Instructions for assignments conflicting. Since there are, like, three places where the same assignments are. In this online class we are to do group discussions. These discussions are to be done on blackboard under the forum section. eMail can be exchanged through blackboard, your school Gmail account, and your private eMail address. Assignments are to be done through Aplia.

What brings me to this post is this week Chapter 1 Problem Set on Aplia is due. I read the chapter, go on Aplia to perform the problem set. Its not there. I eMail the teacher (yet another eMail due to an issue) and tell her so. She eMails me back saying that eMail correspondence is obviously not efficient with me and that I am to call her immediately.

I was about five minutes from the start of my next class and when I got home from my obligations elsewhere it was too late. This morning was quite busy and this afternoon/evening has been just a crazy.

So, before calling her, I go online again to make sure the assignment wasn't there, and guess what? The Chapter One problem set was there. Upon this discovery, I open ALL my eMail accounts to where this teacher could contact me (FOUR in total: AC posts, BlackBoard, AC Gmail, and private) and it turns out... there was an issue.

Hhmmm...

Which brings me to my next issue. Why all the extra programs? There AC webpage, Blackboard, Aplia, Cengage, MyLabsPlus, Facebook even! Why? When BlackBoard, the universal University program, does all of what the other's do!

The advantage I've thought of about using so many programs - it shows future employers that I'm flexible, easy to train, ...not the words I'm looking for. But, do you know what I'm saying...? Adaptable, maybe?!