Looking for a fight.

[soltran]

G’day Everyone,

I am not really looking for a fight but would like to know peoples thoughts on obtaining their qualifications through testing, portfolios and online providers.

I have read a number of posts as well as experiencing a number of comments personally about how certain organizations do not recognize qualifications obtained from online providers, or how getting a degree online doesn’t compare to getting one through traditional means so I thought I’d start a survey to see what other forum members might think.

Personally I think my wife’s response to someone’s reaction to my first day of CLEP tests was spot on. The individual commented on how it only took 1 day for me to get 9 credits and how unfair that seemed. My wife agreed, 1 day plus a lifetime and only 9 credits

Anyway, I look forward to seeing how this survey goes and reading other member comments.

Regards

[blueyzz28]

As long as you have the knowlege what difference should it make how you earned the credit. And, as long as your online school is accredited then it is just as credible as any other college. There are some online colleges that are frauds, but many, many are legitimate. I decided to take CLEP exams and other exams because I do not want to spend 16 weeks in a classroom when I feel I can master the material in a far shorter period of time.

That is the problem with education, you have to learn at the pace the college deems appropriate which is 16 weeks. I think that time frame is abritrary. I can learn faster, so why not take advantage of any means that helps you reach your potential faster.

Just one man's thoughts!!

[SimonTam]

I agree with Blue. Without CLEP and DSSTs, it would have taken me 4 or 5 years to get where I am in the degree path. Time is the reason I kept delaying in getting a degree. Testing allowed me to show I had prior knowledge and get credit for that in a legitimate way. Also, in a traditional setting, my schedule would allow me to take 1 or 2 classes per semester. According to LSU, the correspondence courses I'm taking through them contain the same amount of work as a traditional classroom course. I can finish the LSU courses in 5 to 6 weeks each and I can start whenever I want and study whenever I want.

In the comparison to traditional education, I've seen some really easy traditional college classes and I've seen some really difficult college classes. I've seen people graduate with an AS degree with a greater than 3.5 GPA and still not know anything more than when they started. It truly depends upon the student. Quality education is how much knowledge and desire the student brings in at the beginning and how much knowledge the student holds onto when they're finished.

[Katterina]

My father in law thinks that online degrees are all scams. He is an intelligent man, but never finished high school and seems to have little knowledge of the post-secondary academic world, including what accreditation is all about.

I'm very happy with my goal of a non-traditional degree. I researched my school options for six months before deciding on one that would fit my lifestyle and career needs. Like SimonTam, it would have taken me years to complete it traditionally. And I know from the experience of an accredited brick and mortar associates degree that sitting in a classroom does not guarantee quality of education or individual competency.

Earning a four year was once a fleeting dream for me, but now it is a reality. Now I'm looking at online grad schools. At 19, I would have called someone crazy if they'd told me I would one day pursue a master's degree, but thanks to non-traditional education, it is now well within my reach.

[ShotoJuku]

Originally Posted by Katterina

At 19, I would have called someone crazy if they'd told me I would one day pursue a master's degree, but thanks to non-traditional education, it is now well within my reach.

I feel the same way and today (at 47) the reality is that distance learning is the NEW tradition in education. Let the kids have their B&M schools!!!

[kckusek]

Hi everybody,

I agree on the said above and I wanted to add, that a big factor for me was also money. I'm working full time to support my family. There would be no way for me to spend 500-1000USD+ per month on school. And even with Financial Aid, I still would need to pay this money back (just later + interest).
Coming from Germany, where school is pretty much free (at least compared to the US), it was a huge shock for me and at the beginning, I did not even look detailed into a Bachelors, as I would take 4 years and be much to expensive.
Now with testing, it's more affortable, especially with IC, as you don't need to buy all the books:-)
kckusek

[Basket Weaver]

While I'm scheduled to take my last test this week, I have already started reflecting on this degree and what I'm taking away from this experience. I use the word "experience" loosely as it's only been 7 months from AA to BSLA. I have tested out of everything except for an English Comp class, the only reason I did that, is because it takes Excelsior nearly 2 months to grade the English ECE test.

I feel like a kid that just got away with something, sort of hard to believe it was this easy. It has cost me nothing as the tests were free from the base. I just had to cram for a week for each subject, regurgitate it up for the test, dump the info, and cram for the next one. In the end, I don't feel as though this was anything near a quality education, there's not a lot to be said for this type of degree except you can get it done quickly. I went into this just to have a degree to put on a resume, and I will soon have it, however do I think it rivals a B&M type education? No way, not even close.

The same goes for schools like Embry-Riddle who offer 4 day "weekend classes". The goal here is to cram you with enough info to pass the exam and call that a class, the school is happy because they made major $$ on books/tuition for minimum effort, the students are happy because they received 3 credits in 4 days; in the end, did anyone gain any lifelong knowledge?

I expect to be flamed for this, but it is my honest assessment of my "journey" towards this degree and education as a business in general. I'm glad I did it, it will fill the resume block and back up my experience, but it's not something I'm particularly proud of; a child could do this. Anyone out there with thoughts on this angle?

[scoppage]

It depends on one's goals. If your goal is to be a academian, then you need the tradition of a B&M education. That said, university degrees require you to take a multitude of classes that you will not need on your path; whether that be earning a doctorate or knocking out electives and requirements so that you can get to the "meat" like me.

I'm definately going to take advantage of testing as much as possible. It saves me time and money (I have two children, a wife and a full time job).

My goal educationally is a double major in accounting and economics with a minor in linquistics, then after that law school (international trade law). I will have plenty of time to spend in a traditional class room, but dealing with the subjects that are important to my greater goal.

I in no way feel like I am getting away with anything. Everyone doesn't have the aptitude to do what we are doing. We are merely being rewarded for that like an athlete being rewarded for physical prowess.

There is no wrong in it.

[Basket Weaver]

I agree with you, you're knocking out the electives but are still going to a B&M school to get the meat. I was more referring to testing out of an entire degree like I, and many others are.

From what I've read on many posts here, we're nearly all in the same boat...Married, "older" , kids, full time job, a lot of military (distance learning a neccesity due to deployments) ect...

That sounds like quite a load you have to work on, good luck in reaching your goals.

[soltran]

Originally Posted by Basket Weaver

In the end, I don't feel as though this was anything near a quality education and there's a lot is left to be said for this type of degree. I went into this just to have a degree to put on a resume, and I will soon have it, however do I think it rivals a B&M type education? No way, not even close.

Well I started this so I will throw in my two bobs worth.

I voted for there being no difference between my getting a degree this way or having gone the traditional route. The way I see it is that I have 40+ years of learning to supplement whatever I do via ECE. I am not looking for a quality education, I am looking for recognition for what I have learned and experienced over the years. Nor am testing out the entire degree either, as there are a number of courses directly related to my employment that I wish to do. So in essence, I am trying to combine some additional education with some recognition to achieve my desired result.

I have been on both sides of the fence. I have been a student and I have been a teacher/trainer (adult education) and believe that classroom/group learning can provide some of the best educational experiences available. Having an experienced teacher/mentor and group interaction can provide insights that just aren't available when we go it alone. But I also think that experience shouldn't be disregarded simply because someone doesn't have a formal degree. Unfortunately that is happening with many employers today (I posted a message in the "have you ever been embarrassed" thread about this).

So does it matter how we get our degree? Some will say yes and some will say no. Personally I think that the value of the degree will be diminished over time. This is something that has happened to a certain extent in the IT industry with qualifications from Microsoft and Novell etc not being worth anywhere near as much as they were in the late 80s because they have become too easy to get. Now you have qualifications such as "Project Management Professional" (PMP from PMI.org) where you require a degree and so many years experience or almost double the experience without the degree. Similar for CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) requiring a degree and 5 years experience. I think it is qualifications like these that will become what employers look for.

It wasn't that long ago that I knew of college graduates who complained that they couldn't get a job because employers wanted experience. Now employers want degrees and experience. Soon they will be asking for degrees, experience and industry qualifications so we will all have to continue our self-improvement if we wish to remain competitive. Tests will play their part, as will courses (online and traditional) but it is the individual that will matter in the end.

This is just my opinion and maybe I am completely wrong but I agree with you BW, as an educational experience this doesn’t compare to traditional methods. But then again, if I was employing I think I’d look closer at the members of this forum before I took someone fresh out of college.

Regards