relating to them. Some solutions to these problems are pre- sented below.
COLLEGE CREDIT
Instead of attending on-campus classes, there are some really great alternatives to obtaining a college degree. In recent years, a subtle doctrine has begun creeping into our learning institutions. That doctrine is the idea that education takes place in the mind and not in the classroom; that it is the stu- dent who is responsible for his or her education and not the institution. Of course, many of the older, larger, and more established institutions of higher education vehemently oppose this radical heresy. Nonetheless, more and more schools are recognizing and granting credit for off-campus study. A good book on this subject is College Degrees by Mail by John Bear, published by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, California.
One of the best legitimate off-campus colleges is Regent’s College, which is part of the University of the State of New York and whose central office is located in Albany. There are various ways that credit can be earned at Regent’s and similar colleges. A few sources of credit are:
• Transfer of college credits
• College-level proficiency examinations • Credit by exam • Advanced placement • Portfolio-based assessments • Telecourses • Correspondence courses • Independent study
• Community college courses • Online courses
college degrees in one name and would like to have the same degree in another. But if you were one of those people who crammed just to pass the tests and never bothered to remember any of the material, you will find yourself learn- ing it all over again. That said, let’s look a bit closer at each of these options.
Transfer of college credits. The main problem with
attending college under a new identity is getting credit for courses you’ve already taken. Obviously, you can’t walk into the admissions department and say, “Oh, by the way, I’ve already earned an associate’s degree under my previ- ous identity.” Unless you happen to work at a college and have the ability to do some mucking about in its computer systems, receiving credit for your previous education is not an option.
College-level proficiency examinations. These are tests
offered by colleges where you can receive credit for knowledge you already have, regardless of how you obtained it. You may have to pay for the testing and the credits.
Credit by exam. If you convince your professor that you
don’t need to take his course because you already know the material, he may allow you to “test out” of the course. You will be given something similar to a final examination and, if you score high enough, you will be given credit for the course. Again, you may still have to pay for the credits.
Advanced placement. After you register with a college, you
may be given a battery of placement tests. This is especially true of colleges that specialize in music, the arts, or engineer- ing. This is often the best way to advance quickly because you will be given credit for any prerequisite classes you are
allowed to skip due to successful placement testing. You usu- ally do not have to pay for these credits.
Portfolio-based assessments. Off-campus colleges such as
your photography portfolio to a professor and explain how you made the photographs and why they are artistically signif- icant. The professor will then grade you based on his assess- ment of your presentation.
Telecourses. Some colleges, especially community colleges,
will allow you to earn credit by watching certain PBS televi- sion series. To obtain the credit, you will eventually have to sit for a proctored examination on campus or at some facility designated by the college.
Correspondence courses. This is yet another distance-
learning option where you receive study materials via mail, are given time to complete the projects, and then send them back to the school. This process continues, usually at the student’s pace. To receive credit, you will have to eventually sit for a proctored exam as described above.
Independent study. This is where you’re given a syllabus
and allowed to study on your own using your own sources of study materials. Eventually, within a liberal time frame, you set up a proctored examination with the college.
Community college courses. I mention these because com-
munity colleges are often less strict in allowing credits to transfer between institutions, so you can jump from school to school if you happen to have a need to move about.
Online courses. Now that the World Wide Web is com-
pletely woven into the fabric of our society, more and more colleges are offering courses online. You meet online with the instructor and other classmates at a certain time and hold class via a chat room. Or sometimes the material is left avail- able online in forum format, and the professor and classmates post in the forum at their convenience rather than in real time. The University of Phoenix was one of the pioneers of online study. Since I believe online study may interest many readers of this book, I’ve included a brief section below about the University of Phoenix’s online degree program.
of the first accredited universities to offer online degree pro- grams to students, beginning this service in 1989. Today it offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees online, including: 1
• Bachelor of Science in Business/Accounting • Bachelor of Science in Business/Administration • Bachelor of Science in Business/e-Business • Bachelor of Science in Business/Management • Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing
• Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration • Bachelor of Science in Health Care Services
• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology • Bachelor of Science in Management
• RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing • Doctor of Business Administration
• Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership • Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership With a computer, phone connection, and Internet Service Provider, you can work at your own rate, anywhere, anytime, to complete 100 percent of your education. The university provides easy-to-use software to help you retrieve lectures and assignments. You review the material off-line in text form so you don’t have to worry whether your computer has the right version or the right word processor. You can access the university’s online research library, interact with professionals, share ideas, debate issues, and learn from others’ experience. There is an online instructor who checks your progress, providing feedback and guidance.
Classes are not held in “real time,” so you’ll never have to rush to get home or to a computer at a certain time. If your computer crashes or needs repair or your Internet connection goes down, you can pick up where you left off when your access problems are solved.
subject. You can take breaks between courses if you need to. Visit their Web site at www.phoenix.edu for more information.