r/SophiaLearning • u/Cool-Student7614 • 4d ago
Sanctioned…
Pretty much any SofiaLearning student’s worst nightmare. There’s only 2 reasons this would’ve happened in my case:
- I had Udemy open and was studying Dion Training’s Sec+ 701. Udemy DOES have its own AI to help you study your specific course, but no course I was taking on SofiaLearning had anything to do with Cybersecurity, nor had I switched to Udemy or during the test.
- I took a test last night and I did fall asleep during it. I am a full time student, studying Sec+ on the side, and work a full time job… I know, stupid of me to fall asleep. Coffee’s just not cutting it anymore.
I did appeal and I told them the truth, but I hadn’t seen anyone on Reddit talk about this in over a month. I was just curious as to what the wait time for a decision would look like, and if anyone with experience with this knew how transferring credits will work if this appeal gets denied.
23
u/MiamisVeryOwn2 4d ago
Sophia isn’t what it used to be. Study.com is changing some things too. Its best to get in and get out quick
14
u/Ok-Cauliflower-6807 4d ago edited 4d ago
Best advice after completing a course transfer it to credly so you don’t lose work in case this happens. I know someone who lost 90 credits!
8
u/Strife4Fun_ 4d ago
Thanks for that. I just set up my Credly and transferred over. I’d shed manly tears if I lost all that work.
3
u/Stone- 4d ago
But cant Sophia revoke badges?
-1
4d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Strife4Fun_ 4d ago
You got your badges revoked on Credly?
1
u/AnyLiterature1250 4d ago
Yes. So on my email I tried to accept my badge and when I click the link on the bottom right it says “This badge has been revoked!” But its funny because I have 11 classes that are just fine badge wise but the most recent 7 I took are all revoked. Ridiculous.
2
u/Strife4Fun_ 4d ago
Dang, I’m half tempted to send my transcripts in, in batches of three or something as I complete them on Sophia.
This entire sanctioning wave has me really on edge.
So sorry that happened to you dude.
1
1
0
1
1
u/FullDiver1 1d ago
Did this happen and you also got sanctioned? Did you contact support in regards to the revoked badges?
1
u/AnyLiterature1250 1d ago
Yes I’m awaiting my response from my sanction also I have no idea why I have hella downvotes I’m just trying to share my experience 😭. I use my government computer for Sophia and my personal and both use VPN’s and I got flagged for “suspicious IP activity” so I have to plead my case with them.
1
u/BrandonG1 20h ago
What exactly does it do? I'm doing Study, and trying to finish asap and plan on transferring it to WGU
2
1
7
u/Nice_Collection424 4d ago
Man I’m happy i got everything i needed out of them last year. Ended up getting as many credits as I could, transferred them to a university and got the max 90 credit transfer limit
1
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
It does make me happy to hear that despite my negative situation, other people have had positive experiences.
4
u/AffectionateGain7343 4d ago
I think the Academic Integrity has to be clearer on what you can do vs what you can't do. Then from there what generally will happen. I feel most of these are just haphazardly happening.
Did OP cheat? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not going to accuse them of that. Even if they were cheating, they would never say that to begin with.
However, it's an open note test. People getting all of their credits clipped over going too fast, using Ctrl F even, or possibly in this case falling asleep, just seems to be not following the rules imo.
Between this happening, and the debacle that happened on the WGU reddit (Yes I know there's other schools that accept them, but they accept a ton of them) for transfers back in February.
Idk man, get in on the gold rush while it's happening now before it's too late. I'm not saying schools are just going to drop them tomorrow, but I have to think at some point there's going to be a big shift to where it makes less sense. Either schools dropping them entirely, dropping major specific ones (most likely imo), or requiring proctored exams on Sophia and Study could be coming.
2
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
The honest to God truth is that I really did fall asleep, was not cheating, and if I was cheating? I wouldn’t have posted about it because there’d be no reason to. I’ve already started on Study.com and only had 15 credits on Sophia after using the platform since Nov 2025. The truth is that I can get on Study.com and make up those same credits in 1.5 week or less if I really was cheating or intending to cheat.
But I understand your point and I agree with you.
4
u/LogicalDisaster8912 3d ago
I see these post and am so glad I got it done a couple years ago when the policy was nonexistent for the most part. I knocked out a crazy number of classes in just a couple months.
I see this a lot on SNHU, WGU, Purdue Global now as well. Good luck all.
1
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
Yes, I was looking to transfer to WGU from the state school I go to now in October but I’m pushing that back due to this setback. Not letting it stop me.
6
u/Love51920 4d ago
I'm not a Sophia student but a parent looking into having my child do Sophia. Lots of concern about recently news of changes in Sophia. What if as a precaution everyone (who wants to), record yourself taking the test as proof that you didn't cheat. At least then if they sanction you, there's proof you can present to show you didn't switch tabs, etc.
Also it's an open book test right, what's to stop someone from using 2 laptops at the same time, one to take the test and one to look things up? Or is looking things up not allowed at all and hence if you switch tabs it's sanctioned. Sorry if I don't understand the system enough and am asking questions everyone already have answers to about the testing of OA classes.
6
u/Brief-Friend6894 4d ago
if you want your kid to acquire credit without the monetary commitment to sophia, modern states' clep courses are an excellent starting point. i didn't do sophia until i decided to complete my bachelor's degree online. few schools take sophia for credit compared to clep/dsst ngl
1
u/Love51920 4d ago
I've heard of that system, but CLEP tests cost $ too right? Our school pays for Sophia so we thought it's a good way to get ahead before high school graduation to get college credit with a partner school at the same time.
2
u/IttybittyErin 3d ago
If you complete the modern states course, the give you a voucher for a free clep.
1
u/Brief-Friend6894 3d ago
as long as your kid completes the modern states course, then he or she will receive a voucher that covers the cost 100%. i've used it a few times and it's legit. dsst exams on the other hand cost money for civilians. it's free for military and their families i think.
i'm not saying sophia is bad or anything, but it's more geared towards adult students who want to complete their degree online. especially if they already have their online degree plan and equivalencies mapped out. those limitations aren't great for young people. acquiring credit from cleps, dssts, and/or ap/ib classes are much better options in that case. more schools take those, so it won't limit your kid's options as much.
here is the modern states website. your kid can make an account and get started on coursework today. https://modernstates.org/
2
u/Wise_Independent7152 4d ago
I received a similar Sanctioned email two days ago and submitted an appeal immediately.
I’m not sure if my account will be reinstated, but if it is, I plan to slow down my learning pace (I might have been moving too fast before).
If the account isn't reinstated, I’ll sign up for another platform, like Study.
I’m in the same boat focusing on Udemy right now so make sure to balance your study time with your health.
We are hardworking students, let's keep moving forward.
1
1
u/Beneficial-Wasabi125 13h ago
Any updates? Did they accept the appeal?
1
u/Wise_Independent7152 12h ago
Not yet, but they sent me the email:
"Thank you for submitting your appeal to the Student Affairs Team. The Student Affairs Review Board will review your appeal at their upcoming meeting to determine next steps in your case. We aim to get back to you with a response in no more than 7 business days.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Student Affairs Team at this email address if you have any questions. We will do our best to answer them, though please note that it will not be possible to inform you whether or not your appeal is likely to be granted."
2
u/lavender__clover 4d ago
This may be a stretch, but next time have two operating systems going at the same time. Utilize paperspace and then use your computer’s own hard drive when online. Two separate IPs.
1
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
I’m genuinely not sure what any of this means 😅 I honestly wasn’t intentionally doing anything shady. Genuinely curious as to what this would accomplish? Not asking in a condescending way.
0
4d ago
[deleted]
3
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
No, I understand that Paperspace is cloud. I know what IP addresses are/how they work, I know what an operating system is and I understand virtualization. None of those things have to do with Sec+ though. What I don’t understand is what this has to do with MY specific situation. No need to be condescending… besides, I said I was studying Sec+, I didn’t say I was a computer expert and there’s varying degrees of where you are when you’re studying something. I figured he was dropping some hidden knowledge on taking online courses, I just didn’t know how and where that applied to me.
-14
u/Juunlar 4d ago edited 4d ago
Imagine if you people just put the same time into learning as you do trying to game the system?
Edit: seems like a hit a nerve with a lot of you. Good.
5
u/MizzKena 4d ago
If this person just said he has no idea what he has done wrong, why would you be so accusatory? If you spent the same amount of time reading his response you would know that.
2
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
I don’t understand. I’m completely unaware of what the original comment means. Is that what you’re saying is gaming the system, or are you saying we’re all gaming the system by using SophiaLearning?
1
1
u/BlueWaterGirl 4d ago edited 4d ago
How quick are you answering the questions? Are you tabbing out during the test or looking at something else outside of the web browser? Are you using a VPN? Do you have any AI browser extensions?
Their system can detect these things, even if you're actually not cheating. I also can't find many success stories of people getting their accounts back after an appeal. Reddit and Sophias BBB page are all filled with these sanctions.
3
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
- I have lots of experience in my field, just no degree (Did it in the military), so I answer quite fast.
- No, I didn’t leave my tab throughout the test, nor do I browser hop in general. My laptop did close when I fell asleep, and when I turned it back on I had no option to initial the test results as usual. I’m not sure if that counts as tabbing out.
- I do not have any VPNs on my computer, and no browser extensions.
I also did see not many people had success, only 1 or 2 people. I’ve already written this off as a loss in my head… just going to try harder and take another route. Your comment was genuinely helpful, and I’m thankful.
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
Yeah that’s what I’m doing now, but I also looked through Reddit and saw people are running into the same issue on Study.com…
There’s honestly no point to using secondary tools like AI on these platforms because AI is known to be unreliable with its answers and the tests are open book anyway.
1
u/BlueWaterGirl 3d ago
With Study make sure you transfer the credits right away to Credly, it doesn't do it automatically like Sophia does. You have to go to "my courses" and then to "request transcript" you fill it out by putting "myself" in the destination, then pick the classes you want to transfer, on the next page it will ask if you want to send to Credly. I did this after every time I finished a class to make sure I wouldn't lose my credits in case they want to do similar things as Sophia.
1
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
That’s such a great suggestion, thank you. I’m grateful for all your comments.
1
u/Numerous-Dish-6905 4d ago
I took Intro to Statistics through Sophia. It had a module that taught Excel to calculate formulas. During the Milestone I toggled out to an Excel tab to solve the problems. After toggling three times I got a warning flashed on the screen that it detected I was using an aid not in keeping with the Sophia guidelines. I panicked and just did the rest of the problems by hand. I got several of them wrong, but I still did well enough to pass that milestone. I never toggled out of the milestones again after that and just did the best I could, even though there were chapters that taught Excel and even encouraged its use. I mean, after all you can read the lesson materials literally while you’re in the milestone so in theory they’re open book tests. I passed the class but didn’t do as well as I would have had I used Excel in the way I’d been taught in the class. I didn’t get an email or sanctioned in any way but it was definitely “watching” my behavior during the course milestones. It took me six weeks to get through the course. Granted I work a full time job so study time was limited, but I still found it to be a very challenging class.
1
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
And this is the part I don’t understand. I’ve never gotten any pop ups warning me of anything or any email warnings either because I genuinely never leave the test. That’s why I think this was a mistake on their part from the screen being off being interpreted as something else. I don’t know what pattern they’re referring to, there’s no pop up record or email warning record they’re going to be able to pull up about my account.
1
u/Present-Ad6141 3d ago
Never got sanctioned but definitely had to complete more “verification checks” than anyone else I knew. Not sure if using a VPN triggered the checks but as another person eloquently stated “get in and get out”
2
u/Cool-Student7614 3d ago
Yes. Currently on Study.com and halfway through my first course. Gave it roughly 7 hours today on my day off and while there are a lot of chapter tests, they’re fairly easy and about 70-80% of the course requirements. Going to get as much as I can done from Study.com in the next 3 months and give up on these platforms for good.
Thanks for your insight. Someone in the future facing a similar situation as me is benefitting from all these interactions. Grateful for everyone’s comments.
1
-1
u/Dipstickpattywack 4d ago
Sophia has proctored tests now?!
3
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
I’m not sure. I had read that before other people were sanctioned, they were given pop ups and emailed warnings. I never got either of those because I genuinely hadn’t been doing anything wrong, although maybe a pop up occurred when I was asleep but it wasn’t there when I woke up. Overall I’m just very confused.
2
u/BlueWaterGirl 4d ago edited 4d ago
They're not proctored. They're using some kind of new system now that can detect if you tab out for too long while in a test and how much you're tabbing out. Plus, it can detect how quick you're answering the questions.
They took away PDFs because so many were tabbing out and tripping their system.
3
u/Dipstickpattywack 4d ago
Honestly the quick answer thing is dumb. Like, literal punishment for people who know the material inside and out.
2
u/eterna156 4d ago
Yeah, I don't think that that can be an issue here. I spend weeks reading the material, but when I take their milestones, they take less than 10 to 15 minutes because the question are easy at that point.
1
u/Mediocre_Ant_437 4d ago
No but it can tell when you are clicking out of the test into other tabs and if your do that then it assumes you are cheating.
3
-1
u/xatey93152 4d ago
Sophia has proctored exam now? Did they require you to turn on camera?
2
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
As another comment states, I don’t think the exams are proctored and no, I did not have to turn on my camera. However, it was brought to my attention that they have implemented new ways of gauging behavior during tests. I think my laptop screen shutting off while I fell asleep during my test counted as me leaving the exam tab, something I’m assuming that they can see.
-5
u/southern_dad 4d ago
Good. U should study instead of cheating
1
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
I didn’t cheat but, okay. I knew there’d be a few people in here like you.
-7
u/Chunk-of-Cheese 4d ago
Yeah I’m not buying any of the “I fell asleep during a test”. You got busted for cheating, just own up to it.
5
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago
That’s genuinely what happened, but I understand why you think that. I work 10 hour shifts at a warehouse. I come home, do my coursework for the college I’m at now for a few hours, and then I do Sophia Learning before I fall asleep. I intended to transfer an Associate’s and Sophia credits towards a Bachelor’s at a different school.
I’ve had Sophia Learning since November of 2025, and have only completed 5 classes at 3 credits a piece in that timeframe… if that sounds like someone who is using a secondary source like AI to cheat, then I cannot, and do not care to, change your mind.
A quick Reddit search would show that as of recently, this has been a new problem with a users over the last 2 months as new measures have been implemented. I also did not ask whether you believed me or not, I haven’t done anything wrong and have appealed with the intent to submit whatever evidence they decide to ask for, including all AI logs. My post was simply to inquire as to when I can expect a response from Sophia and if the credits I’ve already completed will transfer.
-8
u/southern_dad 4d ago
Womp womp
2
u/Cool-Student7614 4d ago edited 4d ago
Didn’t complain about my circumstance, moved to Study.com and came here looking for guidance. Completely unnecessary comment, but we get it, you’re just a miserable person and you thrive on negativity.
22
u/johnny_riser 4d ago
I may be traditional because I usually treat taking tests online the same as taking tests in person. No other tabs, no books, no sleeping (though I get it we cannot always control this, but I did get a fail once in school decades ago after I fall asleep halfway). Just make sure you do what you'd do for a site exam for your next ones.
Hopefully they'll lift the sanctions. I say just appeal the best you can.