Happy to share this email I received from Sophia announcing their new courses: Anatomy and Physiology I, Anatomy and Physiology I Lab, Business Ethics, and Introduction to Networking. More about each course in this post.
Sophia.org
Business Ethics (3 college credits)
Learners cover ethical theories in relation to business and how they have evolved throughout history, how to identify and weigh the importance of stakeholders in making ethical decisions, corporate social responsibility in business, and how to rate companies using environmental policy, social influence, and internal governance scores. Learners will also explore ethics in the context of recent events like the 2020 pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence and the shift to remote work and a gig economy.
Anatomy and Physiology I (3 college credits)
Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab (1 college credit)
Learners will cover the structural organization and mechanisms that keep the human body running smoothly. Learners will explore anatomical terminology and discover the primary levels of organization: chemical, cellular, and tissue. Learners will also investigate how body systems are uniquely designed for support, protection, movement, and stability. The course concludes with an in-depth look at the nervous system which helps to regulate and control the human body through the integration of multiple systems. It’s recommended that learners complete the anatomy and physiology lecture course simultaneously with the anatomy and physiology lab to fully experience the application and real-world relevance of the subject.
Introduction to Networking (3 college credits)
The course begins with a basic exploration of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model for data networks. This section also looks at how the layers of the model interact. In later sections, learners will be introduced to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and their uses. This section will also explore methods for routing data through local networks. The course will expand into wireless and wide area networks and discussion on differences in how data is tracked and transmitted in those networks. Finally, the course will look at approaches to secure networks against malicious users. This includes a discussion on viruses, malware, and tips for troubleshooting several types of networks.
Using Sophia in your Homeschool
Sophia’s courses are offered as a subscription-based learning platform. You can work on 2 courses at a time, but there is no limit to the number of courses you can complete in a month.
Prices as of 7/14/2023: $99/month, $299/4 months, $599/12 months
Take 10% off with code HS4CC2023
Sophia subscription works best when you can lighten your homeschooling load and focus on 1-2 Sophia courses exclusively. Since finishing 2 courses in a month is very cost effective, that is the recommended strategy.
What you need to know about Sophia:
(1) No photo ID required. For teens that have a driver’s license or passport, this might not be a big deal, but if your teen doesn’t have an official identification card of some kind, getting past the ID checkpoint can be a pain. Sophia doesn’t require a photo ID, so no worries.
(2) No webcam proctoring. If you’ve taken other ACE courses, you know that webcam proctoring is an expected part of the final exam process. There are always concerns regarding privacy as well as providing a space that meets the proctor’s specifications (nothing on the walls, no one else in the room, etc.) so by using their new technology, they’ve eliminated web proctoring entirely. They are using a product called “keyboard biometrics” that identifies a person by their typing style. My son used it earlier this year and liked it a lot!
(3) Course platform is excellent. The appearance, style, visual attractiveness, and ease of use, intuitive style, etc. are constantly praised by our audience as being “their favorite” online course.
(4) All lower level. Their college credits will come in at 100 freshman and 200 sophomore level. To date they haven’t developed any upper level courses, but we hope they do!
(5) Responsiveness. Their customer service is excellent! In addition, they are in regular communication with HS4CC offering promotions, deals, and coupons exclusively to our audience, and we love deals!!
(6) No labs. At this time, none of their sciences offer lab credit. It wouldn’t hurt to send them an email asking for them to add a lab. A lot of colleges want lab sciences, and there are other ACE providers already serving this market, so we hope Sophia jumps into this area too. They now offer lab sciences!!
(7) Transcripts. You’ll need to set up an account on Credly to “house” any ACE credits (Sophia or others) as an official transcript. Partner colleges may ask for an official Sophia transcript or an ACE transcript – if they ask for an ACE transcript, they are asking for the one from Credly. EVEN IF your college does not need an ACE transcript, it is highly suggested that you go through the trouble of setting that account up. Having the ACE / Credly transcript holds your unused credits for 20 years. If a company goes out of business before you use the credit, this is your safety net.
(8) ADA Compliance. Sophia has a formal published policy.
(9) Homework. Most Sophia courses require homework (called Touchstones). Since Touchstones must be graded by a human, this WILL create a lag time in your schedule. The strategy for working through the lag is to pair 2 courses together: 1 with homework and 1 without. Work exclusively on the course with homework (course 1) until you submit an assignment and are forced to wait for it to be graded. During the grading lag, work on the course without homework (course 2). Once your assignment is graded, hop back over and continue on course 1. Repeat this process during each grading lag period. When you finish one of the courses, double down on the remaining course. That strategy will allow you to complete 2 courses in 1 month.
If most or all of your planned courses require homework, you’ll want to use the HS4CC Inactive Account Strategy: Sophia Like a BOSS!
Do these courses get accepted easily on the NCAA requirements for D1 and D2 athletes? Also is there a way to see a transcript or description of the yearly courses that the girl finished at Liberty University to get her BS?
I will refer you to the NCAA homeschool guide for help with making sure your homeschool courses meet the requirements.