"My UoPeople Story" by Doug (A Colleague)

My UoPeople Story

Online education at UoPeople is affordable, flexible and achievable, you can read more from the report from one of UoPeople students who got accepted into University and started fulfilling his academic dream. A dream can be fulfilled at UoPeople and a dream should be a load or burden, it can actually be fulfilled and UoPeople is that great helping hand you need. Read the testimony from Doug:

“Every now and then I’m asked to document my experience as a University of the People student. As I was writing it down this morning, I thought it might be helpful to post on this blog as well. My experience at the University of the People has been better than I ever could have imagined.

After graduating high school in 2003, I made two attempts to earn a degree. In both cases I was only able to complete a few semesters before having to drop out for personal reasons. I felt like a failure and to make things worse I had racked up nearly $20,000 in student loan debt. At that point in my life, I felt as though I would never be able to get a higher education and earn a degree that would open up new doors, personally and professionally.

In 2011 I read an article online about University of the People. UoPeople claimed to be the world’s first tuition-free online university. I was skeptical – a tuition-free college education sounded too good to be true. But the idea stuck with me and from time to time I would search the internet for any news or reviews about UoPeople. After seeing a few more articles about how UoPeople had partnered with reputable partners like Hewlett-Packard and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation I decided it was worth the $50 application fee to take a risk and apply for the first term in 2012. I was accepted shortly thereafter.”

UoPeople- Yammer. Follow UoPeople on Yammer and be more informed as much as you want

UoPeople Yammer Network: 

Yammer is a very interesting social platform, the pages are simple and very clean and light, it has very interesting components and it is colorful also. The Yammer/UoPeople platform is customized for UoPeople students, alumni and instructors. The management of UoPeople has a good usage of the Yammer network. The Yammer-UoPeople platform was an answer to a long awaited social networking and communication facilitation. It is a good way to socialize and keep up with colleagues at UoPeople, especially those colleagues that are in another Program of study or in a different course. 

UoPeople Yammer network has lots of features similar to that of facebook, Yammer has the ability to have followers and ability to follow other colleagues just as available in Twitter. Making friends is easy on Yammer because the components are easily accessed. The color theme used throughout the Yammer network is also very simple and very attractive, so that it compels one's engagement and participation.

It is an achievement for UoPeople, and there are still lots of things that are achievable for UoPeople students that are using the Yammer-UoPeople network. For example the career center in Yammer is a place where students find internship programs and get listing of available job opportunities, many students have been assisted through this means.

Below is a capture of Yammer platform:

Response from Prof Michael Kessler as regards my UPAA application May 2015

Prof. Michael Kessler as regards my UPAA application

 

A response to the application for the UPPA role in UoPeople:


Dear Kolawole,

Thank you for applying for the position of UPAA. I and Advisor Sarkees were impressed with your application and we would like to conduct a skype call with you this coming Sunday at 8:15 am Eastern Standard Time(New York) to discuss the particulars of the position with you.

Please let us know if you are available then. If you are not, please indicate a day and time that you would be available. A call morning time in the Eastern Time Zone would be preferable.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,
Michael Kessler

This is just one of those things that UoPeople means, a collaborative culture of sharing. Students are encouraged to take leadership responsibility, for example students can opt to become student ambassador. This way they would be imbibing leadership culture and a sense of social impact. Succeeding is good, however, producing similar success in others is also beautiful. You too can become part of that story and not just an observer. The first step is to apply to become a UoPeople student at the UoPeople website.

UPAA in University of the People is acronym for: University Peer Assessment Advisor.

Another meeting time was later concluded on because of issues with Skype availability at my end. There are no end to the possibilities that serving UoPeople can bring, becoming an advisor is one of such opportunities. I like assisting other people find their bearing, and forge ahead in their endeavors. We have agreed on a voice teleconference on telephone, that is a more realistic arrangement. 

The University of the People is people focused and has a socialist side to their vision, mission and corporate agenda, this explains why there are so many well-meaning individuals supporting the UoPeople vision. It is a long term vision, it is a sustainable vision, it is a needed vision and it is developing vision. One of the present cruxes is the wide availability of MOOC (Massive open online courses), however, UoPeople excels above these in many ways.  President Shai Reshef placed exceptional value on UoPeople and mentioned that University of the People is not a MOOC but an online university.

Reiterating about online studies

Online Studies


Kolawole Oshiyemi

Studying at UoPeople for me has been an issue of a day at a time, abiding by a course learning and submission schedule that works for you. Online learning is a great experience especially because it is peer to peer and self-paced, these qualities give it a life form and makes learning flexible. It is not that difficult, it is challenging rather in the sense that hurdles have to be overcome. 

Here in Nigeria, there was a time phase I had internet access issues, but that is no more, I had to resolve that by having different internet service providers. Improvising with alternative sources and options was one strategy that also enabled me to win in each Term. Talking about rewards of online studies, the rewards are endless and enormous, it is almost as afar as your eyes can see. 

Talking about the interesting aspects, you have to make it interesting for yourself, you have to socialize. It is your responsibility to make your studies enjoyable and fun. For example if you don't like using laptops and reading online and stuffs like that online institution is not your best choice. I excite myself by socializing with my colleagues on Yammer and directly in the UoPeople Moodle. I build a strong friend list with students and instructors. I have met UoPeople prospective students in Nigeria as a student ambassador. I have met the President Shai Reshef in Abuja during world economic forum. You have to engage yourself in the school, with the school and for the school, that is how to get going. 

And once you maintain a good grade your interest can also be hyped. Talking about motivation, motivation is a relative concept, what motivates me can demotivate you, what motivates me is a certification I can hold in my hands whether it is accredited or not. Believing in the school goals personally will motivate you, before the UoPeople got accreditation I told everyone around me that they will and they eventually did. Trust the community you belong and see their goals as part of yours and achieve your goals in theirs. I take two courses each term and three few times, to achieve balance you have to sometimes make a sacrifice. To succeed at UoPeople demand some sacrifice, if you achieve balance while doing so, then that is good and better. 

It is something I am still managing and so far I am coping. Coping is a better word to use, but God makes everything possible. I have dropped some employment because of UoPeople before, presently I manage to keep a job and study along, I grew overtime to learn how to do that.

You can read about the proof of UoPeople accreditation in the DEAC website, and you can join Yammer when you have become a Major student at UoPeople, however, the place to start is to apply to become a student today.

Congrats to all UoPeople-BAV 2014/2015 Interns

UoPeople- BAV 2014/2015 Interns 

UoPeople-Brand Asset Valuators (BAV) Consulting Internship completion letter/recognition was sent to me in April 2015.

It came handy, presently I am applying to be a University Peer Assessment Advisor, my application has been accepted, all I have to do is concrete everything with  a meeting with the AAVO (Academic Advising Virtual Office) leadership.

I know it is going to be an exciting work for me, I already assist in performing ambassadorial role for UoPeople, especially for Nigerian prospective UoPeople students. It is very nice that the issue of payment that prospective students once complained about is now resolved to a great degree, especially with the re-adoption of Nigeria as a Paypal listed countries. Nigeria is a privileged country, any business that refuses Nigerians in this present time, is actually losing a large market share in Africa. 

For example Nigerian UoPeople students are a great percentage of the UoPeople student body. Information about UoPeople got to Nigerians on time and interpersonal communication has increased the word about UoPeople in Nigeria. Although I got to find about UoPeople via online search and browsing for academic listing sites, so many people learned about University of the people through this same method. You too can join the community of world learners by applying to become a student at UoPeople.

I'm Featured in UoPeople 2014 annual report

UoPeople 2014 annual report

 

I was informed that I might be included in the UoPeople annual report and so it was, checking the annual report today. I found out my picture was included, where I rested on a car's door belonging to one of my friends. I thank God for such an achievement and publicity. UoPeople is a joy and it will remain so, I pray for others coming into the UoPeople community soon, they too can achieve their dreams and become great in their chosen career or path.

You can read about the annual report in the UoPeople website, it is archived there. Click to download report, I'm featured on Pg 16

Getting it right from the first day at UoPeople is a right thinking. It is advisable for students to devote their best shot to their studies from the onset of the Term and each Term is an opportunity to progress successfully. There are lots of distractions if they are allowed, one of my tactics is tp focus on the academics but never to forget to socialize. Having the mindset of leadership is also very necessary in making significant headway in the administration and management of your academic goal or vision. Have informats that keep you informed among your colleagues to notify you of deadlines but make sure you use the University calendar to stay on track for yourself, keep in touch with the right people. Socializing should be an active and regular activity for an online student. It is not in as much as how many friends one makes anyway, but how much more engagement is initiated with them. 

The University of the People is ever revolving and changing, that proves a lot about what the University’s management is capable of now and in the future. University of the people is a future school, it deserves a future award, and so far so good in the present it is already making so much progress among the corporate education and social driven entities, this is good for the University and its graduates. Because of the strong brand UoPeople has, graduates would have an edge when they opt for jobs in the corporate environment. It's an elaborate vision that UoPeople has and so far so good, adequate management and lots of volunteering support from strong and vibrant qualified institutional academia workforce has helped immensely.

Rounding up at BAV Consulting

Internship at BAV Consulting, USA

 

I am almost rounding up at BAV internship program slated for February 2015. These are names of my colleagues at BAV internship. We are in the phase of country creative brief  and presentations.

Debbie Time

Adeyinka Oke

Manuel Daclan

Tonyizuagie

Fon Gildas

Ngol'esueh divine epie

Ademola

Louvedo Ilan

Chien H

Parmye

Judith Jean-Louis

Congrats to all of my Colleagues for the achievement of this great feat. The country pitch were the highlight of the BAV Consulting internship program. There were many generated insight for proper target marketing and advertisements for the different countries. The reason for the internship is not far fetched, it is a corporate job experience in a way, and it is good for employability. 

The adobe connect technology is a nice platform for learning process and presentation of ideas, that was the software used for our meetings, conferencing, participation and learning sessions during the UoPeople-BAV Consulting internship. I was able to do creative designs for two of my colleagues, and my submissions were well appreciated by Ms Sandra from BAV. 

She certainly does have a nice time facilitating the internship project and she has huge marketing and brand management experience, it's usually fun and mutually exciting presentation time. The sessions continually exude the right kaizen and idea generation, to say that the internship project was a life improvement opportunity is to say the least.

Started my Internship at BAV Consulting, USA. Today 11/09/2014

Internship at BAV Consulting, USA

 

It was a great experience today as we connected online to chat with Ms Sandra of BAV Consulting USA, as we started our internship program. It is duration of 20 weeks, lots of knowledge is gained already and it is going to be really exciting. Prompt response from Ms Sandra can't be over appreciated. Seeing her come up on the screen while she lectured is a rejuvenating sight. And her vast experience from the branding and marketing strategy background is revealed in the sage instructional materials she lectures every week. I want to say here that information is real and that one is practically deformed without information. 

BAV is grooming us to be research savvy and knowledge minded, one of the crucial and critical give away is that of the marketing nuggets that are targeted at getting the kind of detailed result that are needed, especially for that of University of the People's cross border marketing campaigns and advertisements. Low cost advertisement is a big concern area for UoPeople especially because of the present low revenue generation capacity of the institution when compared with other for profit online Universities. 

The University of the People's president is leading the advertisement face for the University, and so far so many media bodies have been reached, engaged and involved. Learning affiliates is a blog that is acting as a supporting voice towards the accomplishment of reaching more people with UoPeople’s goals and visions. Having a team to work with me in accomplishing this is also crucial for me at this time, the great starting point for you is to become a student at UoPeople. 

He is Chris Effi, he is now a student at UoPeople

Student at UoPeople

APPRECIATION FROM A STUDENT:

I'm Chris Sammy from Nigeria. I am delighted to express my profound gratitude to God Almighty, always leading me in line with His purpose for my life. I am where I am today because of His unwavering love for me.

Also I will like to use this platform to express my appreciation and joy to Dr. Strive Masiyiwa. The only African digitize entrepreneur. He has invested a lot of his time nurturing and molding the mind of young Africans who wants to excel in any area of life endeavour. You are my Hero sir.

It was through his page on yookos and Facebook I got know about the University of the People. I can't end this piece without acknowledging the esteem and relentless staff community of the University of the People. They made my admission processes simpler than I thought with their prompt responses to my mails at all times. You are people are the best.

Special thank goes to my senior student here in Nigeria, in the person of Mr. Kolawole for all the useful information you always made available to me. Sir, it has helped me to be a part of the University of the People today.

Thank you so very much.

--

Mr Chris Effi Sammy

08066666102

UoPeople Certificate finally reached me on 28th August 2014

UoPeople Certificate

 

 

  

 

 I BLESS GOD

Introducing Leke

Leke Oshiyemi 

 

Leke Oshiyemi is a seasoned HR practitioner with vast experience in the field of Human Resources, personnel recruitment and coaching. He is one of the motivations behind finding UoPeople. I remember all his talks about going back to school, but little did he know about my UoPeople and enrollment until recently. He has worked as an HR Practitioner and Manager in Honeywel, Reckrut Consulting, Verod Capital and presently works in consolidated Breweries. 
He happened to be my brother and a mentor, what’s more is that he is also a goal getter, which makes us have something in common. I also spoke with him about the plans to have a scholarship fund for those less privileged but in dare need for tertiary education, to this effect I am anticipating a close door meeting with him, as a sequel to our discussion on the issue. You can also donate to support UoPeople students that don’t have the funds to start or continue in their studies. You can donate be visiting the UoPeople website.