Is this a scam? Laureate Online Education & University of Liverpool MSc programmes

isplumm

lehonestanswer wrote: »

I worked for UoL online / KIT / Laureate.

It is a scam. Sorry ... That's the truth.

Who am I ... I worked as a admissions adviser (AKA salesperson ... monthly targets, commission based pay, in the Amsterdam office) ... I am now a PhD student at a real university.

UoL is a real university offering quality studies to a high standard (Russell group, etc.). However the UoL Online is essentially a franchise sold to a company called KIT (bought by Laureate Online in 2005) who solely offered, ran, and graded their own students, and paid UoL a license fee for each student. The deal was that UoL would provide "legitimate" degrees for the students that KIT pushed through their own in-house programmes for a fee. The "instructor/lecturers" are the cheapest of the cheap, often without PhD's themselves, who are just earning a pittance to supplement their own day jobs as academics elsewhere (but not at the UoL!)

The quality of the studies was very low (appalling really!), the admissions standard was very low. The main criteria for admission was the ability to collect on the tuition fees (seriously!), and the ability to complete coursework in something close to English.

My job as an "Admissions Adviser" was to sell the programme to prospective students, whilst not letting on I was a sales person being paid a commission. It was telesales, we underwent a week of "sales training" focusing on qualifying leads, establishing motivations, establishing and addressing objections, pitching a product, and closing the sale. Everyone got a "time limited scholarship" of 10-20% if that was required to close the sale this student intake. If we didn't hit targets we got terminated (I hit targets ... but left to do a masters programme at a real university)

I even attended two courses of the MBA programme so I could understand what I was selling! Absolute garbage ... My high school teachers would have been disappointed with the standard of work considered passable!

The honest truth is that almost all distance studies programmes are garbage ... no matter what the sale person tells you there is no substitute for in-class face-to-face learning. No online forum is remotely comparable. All these courses do (if you are lucky) is qualify that you have read and can quote from a textbook, not that you have understood it. UoL barely even does that.

If all you want is a piece of paper for someone in the future who won't look too closely at it ... this is perfect for you! But it's an expensive piece of paper. For that price you may as we actually do the real work some where legitimate!

If you want to learn something, and actually improve yourself? ... look for a "in person" course with a real university. Learn directly from people who know what they are talking about.

To Summarise ... UoL is a real University ... UoL Online is a franchise selling !!!!!!!! wrapped up as quality. You are worth more than !!!!!!!!! Don't fall for the sales spiel!

Hmmm ...

If it was a scam how did I manage to get a Masters through them??? A lot of people like don't have the time to go to uni full time so studying like I did was the only way.

Yes it wasn't cheap - but if you worked hard & ignored the useless IT applications we had to use then you could do well.

Mark

lehonestanswer

Mark ... I'm sorry ... If you did a UoL Online degree I'm very sorry you were conned by bad people. I was once one of those people. I'm sorry. In my defence I needed to pay my rent.

The masters degrees offered by UoL Online (Kit/Laureate) is sold as a masters level study, but honestly it is not. It is barely lower level undergraduate. I understand that you may not have had other options, but that does not make anything they offer even close to a masters level of education. I'm sorry to disappoint you.

If you ever do a real masters degree you will understand ... this just isn't it ... not kosher, doesn't cut the mustard. IT IS FRAUDULENT!

Joana_Kompa

There seems to be a huge misunderstanding in many of the posts. Laureate Education is 'only' providing the Online Access to UoL programs (Laureate Lens) as well as student services for its online programs. UoL programs are conducted by UoL professors and are based on the university's curriculum. I am finishing my MSc in Applied Psychology and the academic standard over the past years has been nothing short of excellent. Student support by Laureate was great too and my student advisers have been friendly, prompt and supportive all the way.

The issue is that Laureate is a huge for-profit organization and, on a global level, it has received mixed reviews. Living in a country (Thailand) that has no internationally reputable universities, the UoL-Laureate cooperation gave me a rare opportunity to obtain a very good Masters. No regrets. I did undergrad online courses at Oxford before and what really counts is, in my view, the quality of professor's comments and the time they have to converse with you. By comparison, both are great in this respect. I am not British, but you can tell that these courses are built on a solid academic culture and tradition. UK education still rocks.

Joana_Kompa

I agree with your conclusion. To me, Uol + Laureate was a great experience.

The value proposition of academic quality is with UoL. At the end, all depends on the university behind. E.g., I did an EdX course (Harvard Online) which was excellently designed. My professors at UoL were great, the learning materials well coordinated and the online library offered access to all major publishers.

Froggitt

Joana_Kompa wrote: »

UoL programs are conducted by UoL professors and are based on the university's curriculum.

No they are not. Its a UoL badge on a Laureate course, for which UoL take a licensing fee or commission. No UoL staff or courses or resources involved.

Froggitt

Joana_Kompa wrote: »

I agree with your conclusion. To me, Uol + Laureate was a great experience.

The value proposition of academic quality is with UoL. At the end, all depends on the university behind. E.g., I did an EdX course (Harvard Online) which was excellently designed. My professors at UoL were great, the learning materials well coordinated and the online library offered access to all major publishers.

Why are you agreeing with your own conclusion? Any half decent spammer or plant would know you need to log out, create an new ID, log in again, and then post your agreement with your own conclusion.

Froggitt

Our online programme instructors are professionals and practitioners in their fields, based around the world in over 45 countries ranging from the UK to the USA, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and New Zealand.

Laureate delivers and administers the programmes.

Doesn't sound to me that they are living on the Wirral or in the Georgian Quarter.

BTW I'm not disputing that UoL have to validate the courses, but that's totally different from teaching them.

Froggitt

Joana_Kompa wrote: »

UoL programs are conducted by UoL professors

Either whoever told you that is incorrect, or you are incorrect.

Darren_Gudmundson

If you're expecting credibility and support from the University of Liverpool, then it's a scam.

If you want a piece of paper and access to a large repository of Academic Research, then it's worth it.

Caution to Canadians: The University of Liverpool cares nothing about you or your course load. To make their lives easier they classify all online students as being part-time. This means that the CRA will not let you claim the Tuition Tax Credit.

If I could do it again - I most definitely would not!

[Deleted User]

Darren_Gudmundson wrote: »

If you're expecting credibility and support from the University of Liverpool, then it's a scam.

If you want a piece of paper and access to a large repository of Academic Research, then it's worth it.

Caution to Canadians: The University of Liverpool cares nothing about you or your course load. To make their lives easier they classify all online students as being part-time. This means that the CRA will not let you claim the Tuition Tax Credit.

If I could do it again - I most definitely would not!

In the U.K. Online students are always classed as part time, nothing to do with the UOL. It's the same if you study with open university or any other university.