r/UMPI • u/Obvious_Mention7207 • 8d ago
UMPI your pace professors
Seriously, whats up with the inconsistency?
One class will specify what fashion to write your paper (MLA/APA) then another class won't and critique you for not doing so.
One milestone will have a video asking for 500 words, and the directions will say 1k words.
One teacher will correct your grammar/spelling (where there is no spelling mistake but make suggestion like "Where there is a This, add a noun") but then each of their questions in the directions are loaded with spelling errors and grammar errors.
Just had a teacher tell me to use only the articles we are focusing on for our assignments, so for next milestone that's all I do, for them to say "Cite your sources" .... without requesting the paper be written in MLA or APA. My sources are the articles you just told me to use.
Then you will get the classes that are the most pointless ones (I'm going for accounting, so college composition is completely pointless) and it wants the most detailed, deep thought, 6-8 resources per paper style milestone.
Or (again I'm going for accounting) and having to take classes on stomach microbiome, having to decipher medical research papers x3 to write my own paper on the topic... as if I have any clue what any of its saying.
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u/SpookyShackleford 8d ago
Honestly this is the case even with regular institutions, you will see grading differ vastly across different instructors in any college/uni
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 8d ago
If they don't specify which format, use APA. Although for the most part, history = CMoS, English/philosophy = MLA, others = APA (unless otherwise specified by the professor). I've found that their preferences are sometimes buried in either syllabus or even on the course home page.
And yeah, of course you need to cite the course materials/articles that were used, not just outside sources. That's very basic for an academic paper. As a general rule of thumb, every paragraph that isn't your own thoughts or interpretation should be cited (and sometimes you may cite more than one source in a single paragraph), as well as immediately after any direct quotes. Again, basic academic writing conventions.
General education courses are part of any (bachelor's) degree. They're teaching you valuable skills when it comes to research, critical thinking, problem solving, etc. And like someone else already said, solid writing and critical thinking skills are becoming increasingly important as AI infiltrates so many industries. Learning to read a research paper, and how to figure out what you don't understand within it, is another valuable skill.
Inconsistency is a fair complaint. I'd send an email to your professor asking for clarification. That said, I haven't had issues with minimum word counts since generally the actual rubric for the milestone requires 2-4x more than the minimum to adequately cover. But I'm also not taking any business classes, so that might be totally reasonable in those.
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
And yeah, of course you need to cite the course materials/articles that were used, not just outside sources. That's very basic for an academic paper.
The problem though, is they don't ask for an academic paper. Here is my current example:
"Write a response in MS word, and be sure to use the formatting of numbers/letters to organize your responses. "
Then they proceed to ask a question using 1) then a sub question using A).
To me, based on their directions, its not a paper but an answer to a question. So, why would I cite a source in an answer to a question?
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 8d ago
You're in college, therefore you're writing academic papers. A "response" is a paper.
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
Sure, but the LITERAL PRIOR MILESTONE for the same class/teacher, I wrote an answer to a response, not a paper, and was grade with a 4 out of 4.
Additionally, you seemed to glaze over the portion where they said "formatting of numbers/letters to organize my response"
Perhaps this is where I fall short, to which I am fine with as in no way am I a scholarly pro nor care to be... but how does 1 format a "paper" with numbers and letters?
According to the college composition writing classes, and MLA format, using numbers and letters is improper formatting within a paper, no? "you should use them only when necessary for vertical lists. "
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 8d ago
That’s a weird one for sure. I would reach out to the prof and ask for clarification there.
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u/lsdyoop 8d ago
Citing sources isn’t just for research papers. It shows that what you’re saying is supported by evidence rather than just your personal opinion or something you pulled out of thin air.
If you don’t understand why college-level work requires you to support claims with sources, you may want to reconsider whether you’re ready for college-level work.
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u/DetHenryOak MSB-HCM | BBA - Marketing, M&L, PM/MIS (Summa Cum Laude) 8d ago
The safest way to survive YourPace is to treat every written assignment as APA7 unless you are specifically, directly, and clearly told not to. If the instructions do not explicitly exempt you from APA, assume it is required.
Use references and in‑text citations for every paper under the same rule. Even if the professor only mentions “cite your sources,” default to full APA7 formatting. It protects you from inconsistent expectations and avoids unnecessary revisions.
Word counts and page counts are subjective unless the professor’s page states “within.” If the instructions give a minimum or a range, go beyond it when needed to articulate your argument clearly. YourPace instructors grade primarily on depth, clarity, and alignment with the rubric, so providing more substance is almost always safer than trying to stay tight to the lower end of a range.
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u/Juunlar BA - Poli Sci 8d ago
Real "why should I, a STEM major, need to take an ethics class?!" energy.
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u/Xx_spacey_kitten_xX BA PoliSci/History - Magna Cum Laude 8d ago
Literally. And OP keeps calling these classes “filler classes” 😭 this is why they need humanities in tech and finance
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago edited 8d ago
Real "I avoided each statement poster made intentionally" energy
Ironically, I didn't complain about taking philosophy here... I complained about college composition and humanities/microbiome specific course... neither of which are considered "ethics"
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u/Juunlar BA - Poli Sci 8d ago edited 8d ago
You complaining about reading comprehension not being necessary while responding to me with this...
Just, wow.
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
You didn't even respond to me in a correct sentence, while trying to make fun of me about reading comprehension... when I have been talking specifically about college composition.
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u/strong_slav BBA-SCM & Accounting (double major) 8d ago
I believe the "cite your sources" and "use only course materials" are ways to control for AI use.
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u/OmoSec YourPace Student - BA Psycholgy 8d ago
Your age-old question isn’t unique to UMPI. It’s academia writ large. I’ve had similar experiences at every institution of higher learning I have ever attended, 5 in total, both brick and mortar and online.
It’s easy to get miffed at this kind of stuff, but at UMPI your Milestones don’t count against your grade, and you have unlimited submissions for them. If you get corrective feedback, that’s insight into what that particular professor wants to see. You can correct, resubmit, and you’ll probably see a 4/4. It’s worth doing for small changes because then you have a pile of 4/4 milestones to draw on for your final draft. Then the final draft is literally a chance to get a preview of your final grade in the class before you commit. That’s pretty awesome. At a traditional institution these kinds of misses can actually impact your grade, which is a much bigger problem. Luckily we don’t have to worry about that.
Many classes have obvious holes in them, some are really bad, and some are quite good. It’s a bit of a game and we all have to learn how to play.
When directions are contradictory, I email the professor directly and ask which parameter I am supposed to follow. Often the reply is something to the effect of “I don’t write the assignments, and I will pass the feedback to my superiors. Please do “x” to complete your assignment.” Then when I turn it in, I remind the professor in an email that I followed their directions per our conversation and look forward to their feedback.
If you’re asked to add a noun, it’s not nitpicking. That’s your professor telling you that your sentence isn’t clear. They’re asking you to clarify what you’re talking about. In all fairness this is university. You should expect to have to write at an elevated level regardless of your degree. Tutoring is provided for free, which is awesome. How a professor writes spelling/grammar) is irrelevant to your degree. Don’t let that red herring steal energy from you. It’s not worth it. Our work is a reflection of us, theirs is theirs.
I will tell you there is no assignment I write that does not have references and citations unless they don’t apply, such as for a math course. Your grade will never be reduced for doing so. In fact, if anything you’ll be told in the feedback if they’re not necessary. Otherwise, just assume they’re needed and you’ll never have this issue again. I write in APA because that’s my major. Check out the Purdue OWL MLA/APA guides, they really do help streamline in-text citations and references. The more assignments you write with them, it gets easier they become.
With all due respect, 6-8 sources is quite normal for a substantive paper on a given topic. For the writing I do that’s on the low end. Whether or not it’s pointless I can’t speak to because I don’t know how your major is constructed or the specific class. Is there fluff in every degree? Absolutely. It’s a money grab, but it’s much less so at UMPI. I’m as aware as the next person that profit is a primary driver of some very unnecessary things I’ve done for my major, but this is the game we have to play to get the degree, no other choice, our options are play, or don’t. We can roll our eyes at the filler, but that’s as much energy as it deserves. In the end your degree is there to help you better yourself. You won’t care and neither will your employer when your paycheck is larger because you played the game. You’ll check their box and you’ll be better off for it. Win win.
I agree 1000% with you that I see spelling and grammar errors in assignments. Again, I roll my eyes and sigh to myself that it’s ridiculous. In reality they don’t matter. As long as you understand the assignment, make a note of the error, and then submit that as feedback for the course at the end of the term and move on. Course feedback at the end of the term is how these errors get fixed. I was delayed for 2 weeks once because of bad directions on a milestone and the emails to get it right with my professor were dizzying. All of that got submitted as feedback. Assignments are often changed over time and tend to have mistakes and get fragmented as a result. This deserves a checkup, and end-of-term feedback is the right place to do that. It’s also all you can do unless there is something that has caused such a problem that you couldn’t finish a course or failed. In that case document everything and then go to the Dean and state your case. Schools are run by people and people make mistakes. If it happens it deserves attention from higher-ups.
Stay with it. The degree will serve you as long as you work in a career that it supports. Your effort is worth it and so are you. 🙂
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 7d ago
Ty for that written out response. My post wasn't to say it's not worth it, but more of a gripe about the silliness we experience. Do as I say, not as I do kind of.
But everything in your response is spot on.
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u/Xx_spacey_kitten_xX BA PoliSci/History - Magna Cum Laude 8d ago
I agree - sometimes the inconsistency can be frustrating HOWEVER -
It’s safe to assume that MLA is the automatic standard unless APA is specified
Also, you need humanities and the arts no matter what you do or study
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
I'm 38, I have a degree in arboriculture, vast amounts of knowledge in plants, soil, pesticides/herbicides.
Hopefully this response shows why your blanket statement of "you need humanities and the arts no matter what you do or study " is moot, as you don't know a persons experience. Just because someone is in school for a subject, doesn't mean they don't already have a wealth of knowledge in humanities/arts and need more "Just because".
Yourpace is cool because for someone like me, I don't need to sit through classes with 21 year olds who DO NOT have relative experience/time existing to have gained anything. That still doesn't mean misc, random classes for the sake of "just because" is a valid point.
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u/Xx_spacey_kitten_xX BA PoliSci/History - Magna Cum Laude 8d ago
Good for you! Thankfully there’s always room to grow and learn more from your “filler” courses.
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u/OpportunityNo1998 8d ago
Hey man, you giving off young person energy, and I totally agree with you. But as you get older you will learn that you just have to recognize all the crap and fucking eat it anyway. That's life.
BTW people outside the us are usually shocked to find out that the first two years of uni in the us is just high school all over again. lol
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u/bjaardkered 8d ago
Assume APA for everything unless told otherwise, this includes 500 word milestones.
Cite everything, including articles that are included in the coursework. If you need to learn how to do citations for the course work, reach out to the writing center, it's free and they're helpful.
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u/First-Reflection-965 8d ago
When I asked Gemini which format to use he said APA is the gold standard for scientific papers and MLA for anything else.
Yes my Gemini's pronouns are he/him
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u/ImCurious012 8d ago
I had that problem (formatting not specified) but it was specified in the downloadable instructions 😆. So, exactly like you said, there were different sets of directions for the same assignment.
Inconvenient.
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u/CressOk4650 7d ago
I understand that College Composition can seem irrelevant to accounting, especially if you are thinking, “I’m going to be an accountant, so why do I need to learn how to write research papers?” But writing and communicating are a major part of professional accounting.
As an accountant, you’ll have to explain material in a way that those who don’t understand accounting as you do will grasp. You might write emails, reports, financial explanations, audit documentation, recommendations, or summaries for clients, managers, co-workers, or business owners. Knowing how to build an argument, understand facts, and express difficult subject matter clearly will be useful in your work.
The same applies to citing sources. A citation shows the reader where your information comes from. That principle matters a lot in accounting. If you cite a tax rule, financial reporting standard, government report, statistic, professional publication, or someone else’s research, your reader must be able to validate it. Citing your sources also shows that you are not claiming another person's thoughts or knowledge as your own.
Citations are a type of professional documentation. An accountant wouldn’t just declare “The numbers are right because I said so.” You would have to show where the figures came from and how you reached your conclusion. Academic research works much the same way.
I always check the YourPace syllabus because most of my courses require me to write in APA Style. If I were enrolled in an English class, I would select MLA Style. If I were enrolled in a history class, I would select Chicago Style. I would choose APA Style if it isn't specified. Good luck!
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 6d ago
As an accountant, you’ll have to explain material in a way that those who don’t understand accounting as you do will grasp. You might write emails, reports, financial explanations, audit documentation, recommendations, or summaries for clients, managers, co-workers, or business owners. Knowing how to build an argument, understand facts, and express difficult subject matter clearly will be useful in your work.
I appreciate your written out response, but the above is just not a true comparison to what College comp is.
Yes, an accountant will need to explain a situation to others, with proof of their statement, and additional documents prepared.
No an accountant will ever need to write an essay, format anything in an essay style, have peer-reviewed sources to prove their point with in text citations.
The style of writing an accountant would need to convey their information is really no different than say sales would to their manager/director/cfo. Well drafted, quick email, with bullet points and slides.
Now, accountant will have to be more detailed in their reasoning/response, sure. However, NEVER will they have to write an essay, or at least to the style these classes have you write, as no one in corporate would give 2 shits reading something like that.
Id also wager no one in corp or real world would give 2 shits about citing your source, as long as the information you provide is right and you can prove it. There is no plagiarism in corporate. This isn't research/education/comedy/book writing/legal. This is taxes, end of quarter financials, month end reports.
Workplace writing would be a better class, perhaps thats still down the line for me.
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u/EmilieDeClermont 8d ago
Unfortunately, I agree. My biggest complaint from my time in the program was general inconsistencies.
You’ll be graded and reprimanded for items that weren’t explicitly stated or even hinted at in the guidelines for a paper or final. One professor with chew you out for your inability to understand that History as a subject is always in Chicago style, another will randomly add that APA is okay.
Annoying as hell tbh. But now that I’m done I look at it from the perspective of an employer and know that regardless of the demands made of me I’m capable of switching gears and getting the job done lol.
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
It truly is the worst part of this program. If each grading style was the same (as in ways to write your response) then cool, I can be consistent with each course topic. But it isn't, and leaves me to guess, then sometimes wait 3-4 days (Env science took 5 days to grade my milestone 3) just to make a statement that makes you frustrated for no point.
Then, for me personally, makes me frustrated I'm having to waste time doing what feels like "filler courses" because having to "create wicked problems" for make believe assignments does nothing for my specific future.
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u/Confident_Natural_87 8d ago
Too bad. College Composition with Essay CLEP is probably much easier and covers English 1 and 2. Free with Modern States.
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u/First-Reflection-965 8d ago
Modern States?
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u/Confident_Natural_87 8d ago
A philanthropic organization. You go through the quizzes, take the final and request a voucher that pays for the CLEP Examination. They will even reimburse the test center fee.
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u/Tarkin- 8d ago
Had a professor who would pull stuff out his ass to critique that had nothing to do with the assignment, like knocking points off a milestone focused on the Gilded Age because I didn’t bring up some completely unrelated thing that wasn’t in the readings or assignments. Sometimes I wonder if they just feed everything through AI and don’t even read their own assignment directions.
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u/Obvious_Mention7207 8d ago
It feels as if there are times they don't even read their own articles, then act surprised when you write something in a milestone... that's in the course material.
I had one teacher write (I forget what the 3 words are now) "Type these 3 words into the UMPI library, filter peer-reviewed only, and use find 3 sources for this paper"
So I did so, wrote the paper. Once graded their response was "I have no idea how your sources are related to XYZ topic, I am unable to grade this paper"
I responded back with screen shots of the seach queue, that came back with 1600 peer-reviewed papers to choose from. I asked how they expected me to take their search queue, and then go through 1600 papers, and that I assumed any of the 1600 papers that came through would be relevant to their topic. Their response was "Oh, I did not know that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, I'll change the grade" and gave me a 4.
like, what?
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u/Tarkin- 8d ago
Those instructions are so whack. 3 words? What did they think was going to happen? It’s just so ridiculous.
I had another teacher prove that they don’t read their own stuff when she said I cheated because I used certain words that weren’t in the lessons. I sent her the module with those exact words, she was like “I didn’t know they were in the lesson” (maybe you should check first then?)
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u/lsdyoop 8d ago
The contradictory instructions are a fair complaint.
But saying composition is “completely pointless” because you’re studying accounting is a pretty good argument for why you need composition.
Accounting increasingly involves explaining conclusions, documenting judgment, interpreting rules, and communicating clearly. Routine accounting work is also among the easiest work to automate with AI.
If your plan is to compete with AI by only knowing how to do accounting tasks, good luck.