StraighterLine Reviews

Straighterline has a partnership with WGU and in fact, is recommended by WGU.

I have an application in at WGU, but it's waiting on FAFSA verification, which should take a good 4 to 5 weeks in my case because of issues with the IRS.

So meanwhile, I decided to enroll at Straighterline because I can knock out a few General Education credits while I'm waiting.

Now that I am reviewing straighterline, I am about 50% done with Business Statistics.

I bought the eTextbook which was a little over $100, I bought the course for $49, and I'll take at least one month at $99, and maybe it'll be two.

Straighterline is for self-learners, there is no way around it. They supply links to textbook reading. They have their own lesson plan as well.

You have to work through all the assignments in the books and the practice. You cannot simply read them. There are a lot of formulas and you need to have practice using them.

Frankly it's a lot of work, but the Straighterline service is great, I can have additional credits already completed before I begin my work at WGU. The more credits I can transfer in, the shorter my time at WGU , since WGU charges per semester, if you can go there one semester less, you've saved a lot of money.

Straighterline is an excellent resource if you have some prior knowledge in the course you are taking. I took Prep Algebra as a refresher and than Algebra because my previous Algebra had expired. Because I used it as a refresher, I got through each in 1 months time. During my time with them I was constantly receiving coupons for free or reduced courses.

Usually starting costs are the price if the course- 49.00, a monthly fee of 99.00, and the cost if a book which can usually be found used online for less then 100.00. No other college course will cost you less then 250.00.

If you think you can finish the course quickly it is well worth it and very inexpensive. If you think it is going to take you more then 3 months to finish a course you may as well take it at a regular college because you will get killed with the 99.00 a month fee. This program is only inexpensive if you can get through it quickly. If used this way it's a huge benefit.

This is a great thing to use for people who want to save time and money at school. I have successfully transferred 4 Straighterline courses into my University and I am working on 4 others. I have recommended 6 people to take classes with Straighterline and they have all been accepted by their univeristies.

It doesn't take much effort to realize that all of the poor reviews on this site are 100% fake.

StraighterLine is legitimate, has 40 regionally accredited college partners, handfuls of corporate partners, and leads to actual college credit.

Fast Company, The Chronicle, and Inside Higher Ed all praised StraighterLine in December, 2012. These are major publications.

Links:

Fast Company says StraighterLine is "democratizing higher education." - http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681058/an-ebay-for-professors-to-sell-college-courses-directly-to-students

The Chronicle says StraighterLine is leading the education revolution https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chronicle-of-Higher-Education/115762938437732

Inside Higher Ed says the cost of college is being lowered by StraighterLine http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/12/14/two-companies-give-faculty-more-control-online-courses

Straighterline is actually a Transfer Credit opportunity. I strongly advise students to take 30 transfer PROFESSOR DIRECT credits here to reduce college cost.

Straighterline has some partner colleges that accept most courses, but most students will want to transfer these ACE accredited courses to ACE colleges. The professor direct feature makes it more likely that the transfer will be successful and useful. For example if you're taking college algebra you want the college to accept the course in place of college algebra and not just throw it into their elective pile. So, overall, Straighterline is good as a source of inexpensive transfer credits with the proviso that you take the course with a real professor, preferably someone who already has a college affiliation.

I just completed Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab. I found this course very challenging. I am usually an A student, so getting a B was sad, but goes to show that this course is legit. The labs were very time consuming, but enabled me to learn the content much more with the practical components.

The only thing I did not like, is that the exams are suppose to be open book, but since they do not provide enough time for the exams, it's impossible to use the book for more than a few questions. I suppose this is to ensure that you really take time to read the chapters prior to taking the exams.

One thing to change is to extend the time of the exams and the 28 day billing cycle should be 30 days.

I am on my 3rd course with Straighterline and I feel this is definitely a good option for those persons that want to decrease the time and money associated with a conventional college degree. On average it has taken me six weeks for each course. I will fully admit they are challenging but what are people expecting?

You need to read and understand the course material to do well in the class. Open book does not automatically mean a passing grade. I particularly like the presentations as I do feel they add to my overall understanding of the material. The only thing I would change is the time period allotted to take the exams.

I am an adult learner and sometimes putting a short timeframe to take an exam just adds to my stress. I wish every exam was two hours long regardless if it is a quiz, mid-term, or final. Being able to take the exams in the comfort of my own home is a plus. Overall it has been a positive experience and I will be taking at least five more classes before transferring them.

I took a history course and it was fairly easy. The modules had little to do with the test, but the book followed right along. I finished it pretty quickly and it cost me $140 for 3 credits. It doesn't get any cheaper than that! Just remember, it's not a class at all. Think of it more like an easier way to get CLEP. I filled out an online form, and they sent my transcripts to my school for free.

I was short 1 credit to graduate from the school I was enrolled in and since they are supposed to be a partner of Straighterline with a guaranteed credit transfer I decided to take the Business Law course as it would be cheaper and quicker than another course at my place of enrollment.

It is accurate to say (as many here have) that there is no correspondence between the course, including the homework and labs, and the actual tests. Though they were open book if I was not a “speed reader” I would never have passed them.

The questions are obscure, and after the first test I took I started printing them out before exiting (once you exit you cannot get back in) and looking up answers that were marked wrong.

I found seven (7) incorrectly marked questions that I had actually gotten right. I had to contact the student adviser who sent my list of questions and answers (complete with page numbers from the textbook) to the “subject matter expert” in order to have it corrected. It took me twice as long to look up and type out my proof than it did to do the original lesson which I did not appreciate. I also felt a like I was doing their job for them because these "subject matter experts" who designed the course and tests clearly did not seek any unbiased feedback or try them out objectively prior to making them available.

Another thing I did not like was that the textbook was not available in an electronic format. I had to order the book, which took several days to arrive, which I felt was unfair as this is a subscription-based service and time dependent.

I was able to complete the course before the 28 days was up and after taking the final immediately cancelled the subscription so I was not charged for the second month.

I also had an issue with the transfer credit because an email from Straighterline was never sent to me informing me that they needed the address of my school (even though it was on their partner list) in order to mail out the transcript. I eventually found out from my school that the transcript had never arrived and was able to correct the matter but it was an annoyance.

Overall, it was okay for a 3-credit course, but I do not know if I would want to deal with the poorly written tests for any length of time. I have never had the experience at any other college of tests so disconnected from the material that it was like they wanted you to fail; and I probably would not take any course here that relied on a professor to grade given the time sensitivity of the subscription plan.

I took religion and ethics through straighterline. I passed the religion exam with a different version of the textbook....(Do not do this. You will most likely fail because you need the exact answer!!!) I already knew a lot about the subject area,

I failed my final in Ethics at 69%, due to not finding the answers in the textbook. They are very hard questions to find.

i am going to go to Straightline again. Mostly because I live in rural sask.

I will be trying anatomy and physiology this time though.

I'm near the end of my second SL course. I took one history class and am now almost done with a math course.

Here are some positives and negatives from my perspective:

Positive:

- You *can* get a course done quickly if you are willing to do nothing but coursework for a week straight. I have gotten through mine both in about seven days each.

- The textbooks that I've had for both courses have been affordable and well written.

- The course fees are reasonable. Search online for coupon codes and create a SL account to get their emails, which sometimes include discounts.

- It was the most convenient option available to me. I was working and didn't have the ability to take a five credit math class at a local college.

- You can chat online with an advisor to get questions answered.

Negative:

- My history class had non-graded practice tests, my math class did not. Since the book often goes much more in-depth than the tests, it was hard to know what I needed to have mastered to do well on the tests.

- Test times aren't long enough. I run out of time every time.

- The subscription fee is killer, if you aren't taking the class at a fast pace. If you are planning on taking more than one month to finish a class, or if you are working full time and hoping to do just a little here, little there, it is probably cheaper to take a course from somewhere else.

- The lessons themselves are boring and monotonous. As a result, I don't use them. For an online course with no assigned teacher, I expect better than a computerized voice reading the words on the slide.

- The syllabi are not as much help as they could be when you're starting a class. Mine for my math course has no mention of the fact that the final is closed book... I had to wait until getting to that lesson to read it in the final instructions.

- Advisors aren't always available when you need them, like during the late evening (when I do my coursework).

Overall...

I'm continuing with them. I can't say I've enjoyed my experience, but it helps me get credits out of the way. SL isn't a good choice for everyone, but if you're willing to put in the work, it can be a convenient option.

Straighterline was nice in allowing for completing classes on your own schedule, and provided a good option for my wife to take one lab which California required to get a nursing license. Fair warning to anyone considering though, like many things that have a "subscription" it's a way to milk any cent they can from you. My wife finished her one course at the end of the month, and we were automatically charged for the next month. We contacted them to refund the money since she had cancelled her subscription but were told they do not issue refunds under any circumstance. So we are being forced to pay one hundred dollars for a month that we did not use one ounce of their services, and cancelled from the start. Beware any potential consumers for shady practices like this.

Don't waste your money unless you can afford it. Yes the program is good, wont denied. But unless you are planning to finish it in a month is as expensive as any other online program that are already recognized. 165 I pay for a class, plus 99 monthly membership that I cancel, wisely. That plus the 65$ eBook that I did not own (yes only with the monthly membership).

So if you take at minimum three months to finish. I will be paying around 550 anyway. So better to go with AMU or APU, or any community online program, is not better than them and is as expensive. They sell themselves as cheap, no they are not, is a trick, cause they know that without structure not everybody will finish an online program on time.

The course was good and convenient. The cost was great. The content was excellent. The proctoring service makes a whole semester class seem like it wasn't even educational.

Make note that the final counts for 30% of the grade. But here is why I rated this service low. First off, I followed the directions and still had to wait nearly 20 minutes for the proctor before I could start the test. It is distracting with the hoops to jump through before a final that will drop you a full grade. It throws off your game face for a final! Generally, this isn't a problem except that you pay an additional $45 for the proctoring service and you reserve time for the test.

2nd I honestly thought I did better than the grade I got. I have an interest in the subject, I really studied, and I read everything. When I answered questions on the final I felt they didn't quite align with the course or the quizzes. Some of the questions seemed like they weren't even from the book or even recognizable.

After completing the final and having time to spare I went to review when the proctor dropped the session and I had no way to go back and check any I got wrong. I even asked the proctor if I could review and they agreed, but then dropped the session when I said I was done with the test.

Afterward, I reached out to Straighterline, they absolutely refuse to let anyone go back and confirm that the test questions and answers align with the book. They could be asking you questions that are not valid or they could be providing multiple choice answers that are wrong. You have no way to go back and validate they administered a fair and equitable test.

My last college semester I was a 4.0 student and I got a B in this class. I had absolutely no way to verify that is what I even earned.

Be forewarned. you are at the mercy of their process and you don't get any way to even check that it is correct.

I took classes here and they never transferred. Wasted my time and money.

I wish I had searched the reviews better..I was under the impression we could do the course work after purchasing the course and if we wanted to continue pay the monthly membership we could get college credit after completing it. The course you pay for is a waste of money unless you keep your membership.

Signed up on a referral from college and followed all rules for proctored exam. I kept getting kicked out of the Exam and IT support was unable to assist after and hour and asked us to reach out to straighterline. We were spun in circles by IT and customer service for an online group. There is no advocate for students when situations arise. A big let down that anyone would not reassure a positive outcome.

They do not offer refunds of any kind (in my experience a company generally knows the product is poor if that is the case).

My daughter signed up for a math course and said the materials were not clear and there is basically little if any technical assistance.

Buyer beware... you have no recourse if things aren't right once you sign up for a membership.

Scammy.

I am taking a Macroeconomics course. As others have stated, questions on the test are briefly touched on in the course material. I know all the definitions and book examples and am still stumped on questions that are only briefly touched on in the book and online tutorial. I have a 3.98 from a state university in two degrees.

I am dumbfounded by the methods Straighterline and Saylor U use to test their students. I would rather take an essay test or write a paper than sort through the bizarre and unexplained multiple choice questions that are posed in the tests, so that I have the ability to explain the reasoning for my answers. Wow. I am truly baffled by how courses are designed and tested.

It seems like a scam, they continue to charge your corporate credit card while providing no service.

Find a better more reputable alternative.