In the fall of 2008 I applied for (what I thought was) a teacher's aide position through a local classified ad online. After going through a phone interview for the alleged position I began receiving calls from University of Phoenix at all hours of the day pressuring me to enroll. Naturally I was reluctant but after weeks of coaxing and assurances that classes would be core classes that I could transfer to a campus close to me I signed up. I should have known something wasn't right for the simple fact I never gave these guys my info to contact me in the first place, but I have been so eager to get back into school it didn't occur to me. Hindsight is 20.20 I suppose.
Within a couple weeks of the first class I began having problems with an instructor that was sub par to say the least (and that's being nice). I contacted my counselors to alert them of the problem, that the classes were not what I was told they would be and that my instructor was, well, an idiot. (He failed to spell and write correctly, did not form proper sentences, awarded praise and high grades to obviously failing work for other students, etc. Etc.) This resulted in said instructor giving me a zero for a final paper that i handed in, saying he never received it. I was again assured (by my counselors) that this was not the usual case, to grin and bear it, that my next classes were substantial (ethics and a critical thinking class i was told), so on and so forth.
Not only were the next block of classes not what I was told they would be, but the instructors for these next two were even worse. (daily inconsistencies in assignment postings, inability to spell or write correctly, awarding praise to the students who did crap work, etc. Etc.) Upon contacting my counselors this time I was told that I was never told these would be core classes and that I needed to stop trying to "cause trouble"; subsequently, each instructor that I have complained on to date has been docking points from my grade for assignments that i didn't do wrong and it has been tanking my GPA.in response to this I told my counselor to drop my classes; this did not happen, obviously, as I am still enrolled.
I think it is also of note that any response to other students (in the daily postings) that ruffles their feathers for being wrong/corrected results in forceful notes from the instructor in addition to losing points, even if what was said to them isn't confrontational. All you need to do is try and correct something and provide the right information to someone and it is grounds for discipline.
I have spoken with several lawyers about this (in more detail) and while I am told I have a solid case I am also told that because it is not a lucrative one they will not help me. There have been individuals who have contacted me with the information to join a class action suit, but the suits are concerning shady finance practices and one would need to drop out and get screwed by UoP and sallie may to join.
I do not want to drop out as it would destroy my grades (what little the UoP hasnt already) and prevent me from going to a good school but I cannot finish this with them as their "education" is on the same level as material I covered in middle school; credits don't transfer appropriately and no employer will entertain hiring someone with a "degree" from these people.
I don't know what to do or even where to start looking for help with this, so if you or anyone you know thinks they may be able to help me it would be GREATLY appreciated.
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