Empowered UCLA Extension

As Shell S. stated, this is purely a for profit corporation.
My review is of the Marketing program.
When I first signed up, it was because of it’s connection with UCLA Extension, and that it was (at the time) marketed as a high-​tech way of continuing education; via iPad — turns out, that was a gimmick, you don’t need an iPad. Just several thousands of dollars and the patience to do the assignments.
They also market it for those looking to make a career change; a certificate from a color by numbers online course will most likely not land you the dream job.
It’s typical on-​line learning, but worse. You’re given a syllabus, you purchase (or rent) overpriced books (some written by these professors) and you write your assignments online or upload them. Then you have to comment on two other students responses; I think my shortest response was «Yes, I agree with you on what you said,» and was given credit — its like giving a kid a trophy for showing up and picking daisy in center field.
The instructors, or, eh, professors, ask some pretty crummy questions. The source material is weak — usually dated case studies. While the marketing program is called «New Media Fundamentals,» its a mix of outdated marketing material and social media insights you can easily Google or find on LinkedIn.
Nothing about this program will really help you peruse a new career; I took it to simply have some greater insight into marketing in an overall business environment.
Prepare to invest more money than you should for something that just might disappoint you. And make sure you get a refund within the applicable time frame, they are for profit and will gladly take your money if you walk away.
I doubt it’s worthy of going on a resume too — you might as well say you have a Certificate in Anything from Google.

I’m in the health care management program. I tried a few different online program before, this is the best one by far. I feel that there are a lot more interaction in this program. Their iPad app is very cool. most of my class materials are pre-​downloaded to the app, so i can take the iPad anywhere i go and get access to my classes without internet connection. i get to watch my instructor’s video lecture, do my readings and type up my hw. The materials they teach is also very up to date and very relevant. in my health care management class, we went over all the Obama care changes coming up in 2014 and how health care is different from what we had before. i liked the material, very interesting, not boring. you can even submit video homework. so instead of submitting paper, you can record a video and submit it as your participation.
if you do not have iPad, you can use the computer. but it’s not as cool because you will need to be connected to the internet unlike iPad you cannot pre download class materials a head of time. but nevertheless it’s still good.
Empowered UCLA program also comes with career counseling. This is where the partnership between Empowered Careers and UCLA comes about. Empowered careers will provide two year career counseling to all EMPOWERED UCLA ext students. i think this is what sets this program apart from all other certificates. The career counseling is for two years. so 1 year while you are in the program and 1 year after, to help you get a job. I havent had the need to look for a new job, but it’s still nice for someone to look over your resume and update your linked-​in account, etc. they also helps with promotions and other job related stuff.
it’s a great program. my teachers are very interactive so far. i think the iPad app and career counseling really sets this program apart from others. 5 star!

ENROLL IF
–You are comfortable in a 100% online environment
–You learn well through textbook lessons as opposed to leture
–You only want to go through the motions to earn CE credit or to punch up your resume
DO NOT ENROLL IF:
–You are serious about investing in yourself
–You learn better through traditional lecture and textbook style courses
–You are not comfortable in a 100% online environment
The entirely online program is a for-​profit collaboration between UCLA Extension and Empowered Careers. It is geared towards working adults who have degrees and are looking to update their skills. It offers certificates in areas of study such as Project Management, Human Resources, and Nonprofit Management (the list grows with time). In general, each certificate takes a year to complete taking 2 courses per quarter. Post-​certificate career counseling is also provided.
Learning is facilitated by an iPad app and I have to say, the app is fantastic. You are able to manage your courses, participate in discussions, watch lectures and videos, read articles, submit assignments, take tests, check grades, communicate with professors and classmates, and so on. In a nutshell, everything you could do in a regular classroom has been well translated to the app. Course content can also be accessed through a web-​based system called Canvas (though not as fantastic).
The price is steep at a bit over $ 8,000 per certificate. There are discounts available and admissions counselors are available to answer questions before you enroll. Once ready, enrollment requires a contracted commitment — ask plenty of questions and ensure that the program is for you before signing up. Per the admissions website, the refund policy is as follows:
«14 Day Tuition Guarantee: We offer you 14 days after your first tuition payment to confirm that this program is right for you. If not, we will provide you a full refund (excluding the enrollment fee). If you change your mind after 14 days, but prior to the first day of instruction, you will receive a 50% refund. Once you start classes, you are committed to the full cost of the certificate.»
Once enrolled, Orientation sessions clearly explain all the features of the iPad app, Canvas, and supporting tools for group collaboration along with helpful topics such as time management. Your textbook list is sent out about a week before classes start, many are available for digital download which was quite a cost savings.
On the first day of class, your professor will post the syllabus and a assignments for the quarter. Here is where I ran into a major problem with the program. I selected the Project Management certificate, which starts off with 2 – 10 week courses: Fundamentals of Project Management and Managing Project Quality. My admissions counselor assured me that this program had been built from the ground up, using the resources of UCLA, to create coursework. Yet, once the syllabus was posted, I found that the lectures amounted to about 15 minutes of Power-​Point narrations per week which were essentially an outline of the textbook reading. The rest of your learning comes from self-​paced reading and high-​school level assignments. Many of the assignments, for example, are to post a 100 – 200 word opinion on a given topic, then to comment on the posts of 2 other classmates. The professor later comments on your contribution. I found the comments to be generic and provided little (if any) constructive feedback.
The infrastructure is in place for a 5+ star rating, however, the quality of instruction is seriously lacking and my experience finds that the programs offered are not yet serious tools to enrich your skills.