I have about 53 semester hours presently. I am looking into enrolling into Charter Oak to finish a BS. I have some questions in regard to GRE, portfolio assessment, credit transfer, etc… Some Charter Oak questions: A) How liberal/conservative are they in reference to portfolio assessment (personal experiences....) B) Do they award credit for computer certifications like Excelsior does? If not then do you think Charter Oak would accept credit from Excelsior if I received some credit for my computer certification at Excelsior and attempted a transfer to Charter Oak? C) I have read (BA in 4 weeks among other places) that Charter Oak awards 18 or 24 hours for a GRE test with a 40th percentile score or higher. My questions on this are: which GRE tests are accepted, and is 40th percentile a very high score, very low, or somewhere in the middle (sounds low to me). Also, anyone have any recommendations for study material? D) (Follow-up to GRE question) The 18 or 24 hours awarded based upon a GRE pass, does that count towards required classes like English 101…102, History, American Lit, etc…Or is this ‘free elective’ credit? E) I have about a decade’s worth of experience in my field. I have certifications to back it up as well as many completed projects. Would I be a candidate for portfolio assessment? I have about 15 semester hours of upper level credit that applies directly to my concentration. However, any additional credits I could obtain I’ll take. Any tips on portfolio preparation? Thanks
Originally posted by cru I have about 53 semester hours presently. I am looking into enrolling into Charter Oak to finish a BS. I have some questions in regard to GRE, portfolio assessment, credit transfer, etc… Some Charter Oak questions: A) How liberal/conservative are they in reference to portfolio assessment (personal experiences....) It's been said by several people (though I have no idea how this would be tested) that Charter Oak is reputed to be more liberal than Edison in portfolio assessment. And since, last I heard, Excelsior doesn't even *do * portfolio assessment (they send it to Charter Oak or to Ohio U-Athens) it would seem to make Charter Oak the best choice. However, if you have *tons* of portfolio, Charter Oak limits portfolio credit to 60 credits, where Edison places no upper limit on number of portfolio credits, so that could be a factor. B) Do they award credit for computer certifications like Excelsior does? If not then do you think Charter Oak would accept credit from Excelsior if I received some credit for my computer certification at Excelsior and attempted a transfer to Charter Oak? Can't help you on this one. I think Excelsior is a little more liberal in that area, but you should check with Charter Oak... they can answer that question as well as your questions about application of GRE credits... they have excellent pre-admissions advising. E) I have about a decade’s worth of experience in my field. I have certifications to back it up as well as many completed projects. Would I be a candidate for portfolio assessment? Yes, portfolio sounds like a good route to go... but don't overlook CLEP and DANTES either... you may want to do a "mix and match" between portfolio and exams, but with a lot of experience and certifications, it should be possible to complete most, if not all, of your requirements without additional coursework. Any tips on portfolio preparation? We hope to have permission soon to repost Steve Levicoff's excellent article on the portfolio process. It's called "The BS in Levitation" and pretty much walks one through the process of getting portfolio credits for even the most obscure subjects (such as, in this case, the ability to levitate -- which is actually taught at the regonally accredited Maharishi University in Iowa. Keep your eyes out for it!
My B.S. degree is from COSC. I transferred in college courses, military training, and CLEP/DANTES tests. I didn't use portfolio assesment, so I'm afraid I can't help you with the ins and outs of the process at COSC. But, I can say that I was happy with my experience with Charter Oak. One possible route to take is to pay the application fee at each of COSC, TESC, and Excelsior, send in your "stuff," and see which one gives you the most credit. I know that this requires some outlay of expenses that you can't recoup, since you will be out the cost of application and assessment at each of the schools that you don't go with, but in the long run, it might save money on tests, courses, etc, if you can maximize your portfolio credit. Since portfolio assesment seems to be kind of a mystery (to me, at least), that may be the best way to go. On the other hand, as I say, I am not familiar with the portfolio process. So, I will admit that I don't know if this is doable, in reality. Maybe it just sounds good to me. Tracy<>< B.S., Individualized Studies, Nov., 2001, Charter Oak State College
Re: Re: charter oak questions Thomas Edison will charge $300.00 for this evaluation. Application fee (75) and pre-enrollment fee (225). You get the latter back if you do enroll. As I recall Excelsior will at least give you an unofficial evaluation, for a lot less. At present I plan to enroll at Edison because I anticipate a large number of portfolio credits. However, I am taking advantage of the following which cru may find advantageous. You can register for portfolio assessment and work with an advisor on a couple of courses without paying a cent until you make your final submission. This will give you a feel for portfolio and the credits are transferable to the school you finally select. If you enroll at Edison before you make your final submission on a given course or courses, you get their enrolled rate for credit or it becomes a part of their combined tuition obtion. If you anticipate a lot of portfolio and can get it done in reasonable time the latter has some advantage. David
Re: Re: charter oak questions That would be an excellent strategy for things like IT certifications and such, but I don't think that will work for portfolio, because the portfolio process is rather involved. Basically, you find a class offered by some RA school, then prepare a portfolio of your knowledge, training, etc for that class, submit it to the school, and the school finds a professor with knowledge in that area. He or she then reviews the portfolio and either awards credit, asks for additional information (which could include an oral or written exam) and ultimately decides whether or not to award credit based on this process. It would be reasonable to find out what exams, certs, etc., the school will accept and grant you credit for, but the portfolio process is one of those things that you won't really know how it works and what you'll get until you actually get into the process.
