TESC Portfolio question.

I know that you can't directly transfer NA credits to TESC, but could you use them as a basis to challenge credit in a portfolio?

Something along the lines of using them as life experience instead of credit transfer. After all, if you aced an NA course wouldn't that be an experience you've had in your life?

I guess the point I'm tring to make here is you've obtained sufficient knowledge in the subject, does the context of "where/how" really matter in this case?

Can anyone with TESC experience shed some light on this?

 

Hi Terry! You are always welcome to post any questions on the board and hopefully somebody will have good information for you. However, I would think that one quick phone call to TESC would give you the information you are looking for with no question. What you will get here is opinions; what you can get straight from the source is answers.

 

I will say that for the few years I dealt with TESC and have been very active on this and other boards PLAs have not been popular and have generally been regarded as a waste of money. You will have to prove, which very well could be from the prior class, that you know enough to get the credit for it. When it is all said an done and the energy you have expended it would probably be easier to just take the course over, especially when you have to pay for it anyway.

Straight from TESC: "Students typically demonstrate their college-level knowledge through a 12-week online PLA course, where a content expert, known as a mentor, guides students through the process of documenting their mastery of a subject."

So you are going to go through a 12 week course, this time unaided by a book, to prove that you have "mastered" the subject. Why wouldn't you just retake the course that you know you will ace and be done with it?

 

thumbs down on PLAs. I have a NA degree that I tried to fit into a TESC degree in some way, shape, or form. At the end of the day, the shortest distance between myself an a bachelor's degree was starting over. I know it doesn't seem like it, but TESC allows you to test out of anything that fits into your degree. PLA sounds good, it's a carrot they wave at you, but it's a full tuition ATTEMPT. So, you have to first pay full tuition, then prepare a portfolio that proves your competency in competencies for that course. Your credits can be denied, it's not a promise.

Let's say you have some "in major" credits from your NA degree- like music performance or studio art. In this case, a PLA might be a good plan. The alternative (testing, online classes, etc) might be equal or greater than the work required of the PLA. You may have abundant resources to prepare your portfolio, and so it's simply a matter of cost. (about $600). Now, to turn it around, let's say you want credit for English 101. That class, to do a PLA, is going to be INSANE. Trust me, insane. The alternative, is going to be a 90 minute CLEP exam for $77 and you'll walk away with English 101 AND English 102 credit- piece of cake.

So, really, look at the kind of credit you need. If it's a gen ed, if it's 100/200 level, if it's a common course- these are situations when PLA is too much trouble. If it's in your NEW major, if you already have boo-coo documentation, if you have 300/400 level, if finding classes/exams/credit earning sources is too much trouble- then these are situations when PLA might work.

Keep in mind, if you earn credit OUTSIDE your major, and OUTSIDE general education courses, you very well could end up with free elective credit- and that's the worst possible situation. Free electives are readily found FOR FREE (zero $) through FEMA, so don't spend one cent of money or once minute of energy filling free electives at TESC.