Unfortunately, this former-student must presently give Summit Bible College a 2.5 STAR OVERALL RATING, based on my past academic experiences. The purpose in this rating is NOT to belittle the academic program at Summit. There are fine and Godly men and women here. However, there appear to be SYSTEMIC ISSUES that do not address concerns, so that SUMMIT CAN BE BETTER! Indeed, a first step in any organization is an appropriate conviction that systemic issues may exist, so they may be effectively addressed by prayer and action. I hope to change this to a 5.0 STAR RATING, after issues described below are satisfactorily modified:
Several live Instuctors were good lecturers, but not properly trained with the technical aspects of their live, digitally recorded presentations. Too much precious and expensive lecture downtime was the result in these otherwise good classes. A few instructors did not appear adequately prepared for their lecture presentations at all. In my view, they attempted to teach "by the seat of the pants". There was a significant lack of coherence, which reflected poor organization, in my opinion. I respectfully suggest that all live classes be monitored more closely for content, organization, preparation, and clarity in the future. Anonymous student evaluations at the end of each quarter should also be encouraged for each class offered at Summit.
Some of the the same classes for all degree levels (BACHELORS thru DOCTORATE) appear to be required. To be clear, the only difference between required assignments between a BA level student, and a Masters, or Doctorate level student, (who may be assigned the SAME course by advisors), are the number of pages required for the term paper. Beyond that, the reading was the same, with only one book typically required. It is difficult to believe that any ACCREDITATION AGENCY would approve such a minimalistic approach to learning for advanced professional degrees.
My primary major and degree objective at Summit was to obtain a Doctorate in Christian Counseling. However, to my knowledge, NONE, but one of my actual "live professors" in my doctorate program, was credentialed with a doctorate in Christian Counseling. The particular professor who did possess a doctorate was in the unfortunate habit of continuously advertising her local counseling/"life coaching" business during actual classes. I finally gently reminded her privately that this practice is an example of "dual-agency" and can be construed as an ethical violation. This speaks to the COMPETENCY of the instructor, who herself obtained her doctorate at Summit.
There was little or no written FEEDBACK provided for completed assignments, except for the final letter grade at the very end of the quarter. This was a common source of concern and dismay with other students as well, especially for prior term paper submissions in a given class.
There were several administrative errors involving transcripts sent directly to Summit, by various universities this student had previously attended. Eventually, I was forced to hand-deliver copies of two transcripts three Quarters later. There was another set of transcripts that never surfaced, even after continual inquiries on my part.
Summit offers many courses that appear to be digitally recorded and stored for long periods of time. The downsides to this short-sighted academic practice are: 1) Current students, who take older, digitally recorded lectures, are not privy to course handouts, and real-time interactions with professors. 2) Students miss recent developments in our respective field of study. 3) Too many courses offered by Summit are not 'live'. That is, these recordings are NOT "REAL-TIME". Some are several years old, or more. This may be cheaper for Summit, by keeping future instruction costs down, however, it does not put the needs of students first, in my opinion.
Summit Bible College charged this former-student for academic units I had taken at other graduate schools many years ago. I was not informed that transferred credits from other schools would be charged full-tuition regardless. When the issue was raised with my assigned advisor, and the business office, this student was only then informed that charges made by Summit were not refundable for my transferred units to attend Summit.
This practice surprised me, and this student became aware of these charges only a week before final graduation with a Doctorate and the MA. In other words, charges were made for tuition by Summit, for academic work already completed elsewhere. My 5-transferred courses from other universities to Summit were between 22 and 40-years-old. Other systemic issues abound and are described further in my fb review of Summit... read more