LSU Independent Study

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by bceagles, Jan 21, 2007.

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  1. bceagles

    bceagles Member

    Below is a list of courses available via LSU's Distance learning program. I would like to hear from members of this forum who have completed any of these courses. Please tell us about your experiences, ease/difficulty of the course, and any obstacles you encountered. Thanks!

    Accounting ACCT 2001 Introductory Financial Accounting *
    Accounting ACCT 2101 Introductory Managerial Accounting *
    Accounting ACCT 3001 Intermediate Accounting---Part I *
    Accounting ACCT 3021 Intermediate Accounting, Part II
    Accounting ACCT 3121 Cost Analysis and Control *
    Accounting BLAW 3201 Business Law (H)*
    Accounting ACCT 3221 Income Tax Accounting I *
    Accounting ACCT 3222 Auditing *
    Accounting ACCT 4022 Advanced Accounting *
    Accounting BLAW 4203 Commercial Transactions for Accountants (H)*
    Accounting ACCT 4235 Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting *
    Accounting ACCT 4421 Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting *
    African Am. Studies AAAS 2000 Intro to African and African-American Studies
    Anthropology ANTH 1001 Intro to Physical Anthropology and Prehistory *
    Anthropology ANTH 1003 Introduction to Cultural and Social Anthropology *
    Biology BIOL 1001 General Biology, I
    Biology BIOL 1002 General Biology, II
    Biology BIOL 2160 Human Physiology (H)
    Classical Studies CLST 2090 Greek and Roman Mythology
    Comm. Studies CMST 2010 Interpersonal Communication *
    Comm. Studies CMST 2063 Argumentation and Debate
    Dairy Science DARY 1048 Elements of Dairying *
    Economics ECON 2000 Principles of Microeconomics
    Economics ECON 2010 Principles of Macroeconomics
    Economics ECON 2030 Economic Principles
    Economics ECON 2035 Money, Banking, and Macroeconomic Activity
    Education EDCI 3000 Children`s Literature *
    Education ELRC 3200 Classroom Assessment (H)*
    English ENGL 1001 English Composition, 1 *
    English ENGL 1002 English Composition, II
    English ENGL 2001 Advanced English Composition
    English ENGL 2002 Business Writing
    English ENGL 2025 Fiction *
    English ENGL 2027 Poetry *
    English ENGL 2029 Drama *
    English ENGL 2123 Studies in Literary Traditions and Themes *
    English ENGL 2175 The Civil War in Literature *
    English ENGL 2710 Descriptive Grammar of English
    English ENGL 3002 Technical Writing
    English ENGL 3020 British Literature I *
    English ENGL 3022 British Literature: Romantics, Victorns, & Moderns
    English ENGL 3070 American Literature I: Forging A Nation *
    English ENGL 3072 American Literature II: Coming of Age *
    English ENGL 3124 The Literature of the English Bible (H)
    English ENGL 3593 Survey of Women and Literature *
    Env. Studies ENVS 1000 Environmental Studies *
    Finance FIN 3351 Principles of Real Estate (H)
    Finance FIN 3715 Business Finance
    Foreign Languages FREN 1001 Elementary French (H)
    Foreign Languages FREN 1002 Elementary French (H)
    Foreign Languages GERM 1101 Elementary German (H)
    Foreign Languages SPAN 1101 Elementary Spanish
    Foreign Languages GERM 1102 Elementary German (H)
    Foreign Languages SPAN 1102 Elementary Spanish
    Foreign Languages FREN 2101 Intermediate French (H)
    Foreign Languages GERM 2101 Intermediate German
    Foreign Languages SPAN 2101 Intermediate Spanish (H)
    Foreign Languages FREN 2102 Intermediate French (H)
    Foreign Languages GERM 2102 Intermediate German
    Foreign Languages SPAN 2102 Intermediate Spanish (H)
    Foreign Languages GERM 2155 Reading in German Literature
    Foreign Languages SPAN 2155 Reading in Spanish Literature (H)
    Geography GEOG 1001 Human Geography: Americas and Europe
    Geography GEOG 1003 Human Geography: Africa and Asia
    Geology GEOL 1001 General Geology: Physical (H)*
    Geology GEOL 1003 General Geology, Historical (H)
    History HIST 1001 Western Civilization to 1500 (H)*
    History HIST 1003 Western Civilization Since 1500 *
    History HIST 2055 The United States to 1865 *
    History HIST 2057 US History from 1865 to Present (H)*
    History HIST 3071 Louisiana History *
    History HIST 4051 Colonial America, 1607-1763 (H)
    History HIST 4052 The American Revolution, 1763-1789
    History HIST 4130 World War II (H)*
    History HIST 4140 The Vietnam War *
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 1000 Keyboarding
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 1003 Keyboarding Applications
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 2000 Document Production
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 2053 Occupational Safety (H)
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 3000 Word Processing
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 3200 Records Management
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 3400 Office Management
    Human Res. Edu. HRE 4025 Principles of Adult Educatio
    Human Services Adm HSA 702 Devel of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Orgs (H)*
    Human Services Adm HSA 734 Nonprofit Governance and Decision Making (H)*
    Info Systems Dec. Science ISDS 3115 Introduction to Operations Management
    Kinesiology KIN 1600 Personal and Community Health Problems (H)*
    Kinesiology KIN 2600 Human Sexuality (H)*
    Kinesiology KIN 4602 Community Safety Education (H)*
    Latin LATN 1001 Elementary Latin
    Latin LATN 2051 Intermediate Latin
    Lib. & Info Science LIS 1001 Library Research Methods and Materials
    Management MGT 3200 Principles of Management *
    Management MGT 3320 Human Resource Management (H)*
    Management MGT 3500 Introduction to Labor Relations *
    Management MGT 4620 Human Behavior in Organizations *
    Marketing MKT 3401 Principles of Marketing *
    Marketing MKT 3411 Consumer Analysis and Behavior *
    Marketing MKT 3413 Marketing Research
    Marketing MKT 3421 Marketing Communication: Promotion *
    Marketing MKT 3431 Retailing Management *
    Marketing MKT 3441 Business Marketing
    Marketing MKT 4423 Sales Management
    Marketing MKT 4443 International Marketing
    Mass Comm. MC 4011 Scholastic Journalism
    Math MATH 2 Introductory Algebra
    Math MATH 7 Intermediate Algebra
    Math MATH 1009 Math for Prospective Elementary Teachers, I (H)
    Math MATH 1010 Math for Prospective Elementary Teachers, II (H)
    Math MATH 1015 Basic Mathematics and Applications
    Math MATH 1021 College Algebra
    Math MATH 1022 Plane Trigonometry
    Math MATH 1025 Mathematics of Commerce
    Math MATH 1029 Intro to Contemporary Mathematics
    Math MATH 1100 The Nature of Mathematics (H)
    Math MATH 1431 Calculus with Business and Economic Applications
    Math MATH 1435 Mathematics for Business Analysis
    Math MATH 1550 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
    Math MATH 1552 Analytic Geometry and Calculus II
    Math MATH 2057 Multidimensional Calculus
    Math MATH 2085 Linear Algebra
    Math MATH 2090 Elementary Differential Equations and Linear Alg.
    Math MATH 3355 Probability
    Music MUS 1751 Music Appreciation *
    Philosophy PHIL 1000 Introduction to Philosophy (H)*
    Philosophy PHIL 1021 Introduction to Philosophy: Elementary Logic (H)
    Philosophy PHIL 2010 Introduction to Symbolic Logic (H)
    Physical Science PHSC 1001 Physical Science
    Physical Science PHSC 1002 Physical Science
    Physics PHYS 2001 General Physics, I
    Physics PHYS 2002 General Physics, II
    Political Science POLI 2051 American Government *
    Political Science POLI 2053 Introduction to Comparative Politics
    Political Science POLI 2057 Introduction to International Politics *
    Political Science POLI 2060 Introduction to Political Theory
    Political Science POLI 2070 Public Policy Making: An Introduction
    Psychology PSYC 2000 Introduction to Psychology *
    Psychology PSYC 2004 Psychology of Adjustment
    Psychology PSYC 2040 Social Psychology *
    Psychology PSYC 2060 Educational Psychology *
    Psychology PSYC 2070 Developmental Psychology of the Life Span *
    Psychology PSYC 2076 Child Development *
    Psychology PSYC 2078 Adolescent Psychology (H)*
    Psychology PSYC 3082 Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
    Social Work NC 81 Basic Human Biology for Social Work *
    Sociology SOCL 2001 Introduction to Sociology *
    Sociology SOCL 2501 Current Social Problems
    Sociology SOCL 2505 Marriage and Family *
    Sociology SOCL 4461 Criminology *
    Sociology SOCL 4521 Sex Roles in Contemporary Sociology *
    Theatre THTR 1020 Introduction to Theatre *
     
  2. foobar

    foobar Member

    I highly recommend these courses and routinely recommend them to my grad students that are missing an undergradaute prerequisite or need a course to meet the educational requirements for the CPA exam. I took a few of the accounting courses myself twenty years ago - they've been at this a long time and know what they're doing.

    You can't be the quality for the money.
     
  3. MrLazy

    MrLazy New Member

    I like them

    I have completed ACCT 3001 and my final grade was a B. I am currently enrolled in ACCT 3021 and ACCT 3221. The lessons cover the material well and the exams are hard but fair.

    Basically the structure of the courses is similar to the following:

    1. You sign up for a course online. If there are prerequisites, you have to tell LSU where you took them.
    2. LSU will notify you in about 2 business days if you have been accepted. If you have been accepted, they will mail you a packet for the course.
    3. Inside the packet is a "Lessons book", envelopes and other materials.
    4. The lessons book has information on what books and other study aids are required.
    5. You buy the books. The lessons book has a 1-5 page overview of what is covered in each lesson. There is a reading assignment for each lesson, sometimes a self-check assignment, and a 'homework' assignment.
    6. For courses listed as 'online', you can upload a Word or Excel document that contains your homework assignment. Courses that are not listed as online, you have to mail in your assignments to the office.
    7. The office of independent study prints your homework assignment and forwards that to your instructor.
    8. The instructor grades the assignment and sends it back to the office.
    9. If your course is 'online', your lesson grades will be posted online for you to see.
    10. They will mail the printed copy back to you.
    11. Each course will usually have 2 or 3 exams that you have to take with a proctor. No less than 2 and possibly more than 3. You take the exam and your proctor mails it back to LSU. LSU forwards the exam to your instructor and the instructor grades it. You will not get the exam back. Exams I've taken had some multiple-choice questions and then 3 or 4 problems that took about 15-20 minutes each to solve.
    12. Your final grade is determined by combining your homework grades with your test grades. Weighting of the grades differs from course to course. You must pass final in order to get credit for class.
    13. They limit the number of lessons per course you can turn in to 3 lessons per 7 day period.
    14. The amount and difficulty of the homework is equal to homework for a standard course in a classroom during a 15-week semester.
    15. In the courses I have taken, each homework assignment took me about 2 or 3 hours to complete. Some more and some a little less.
    16. There are no online lectures to attend and no required interaction with the professor other than turning in homework. (At least in the classes I've taken so far.)
    17. The professor's email address is provided in the lessons book (usually), so you can get help on difficult problems.
    18. At $229 for a 3-credit course, the price is outstanding.

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
     
  4. bceagles

    bceagles Member

    Who did/do you use as a proctor? Who would LSU consider an acceptable proctor?
     
  5. MrLazy

    MrLazy New Member

    The following is from the lessons book for one of my courses.

    "Testing center of an accredited college/university, college administrator or UCEA Correspondence Study Department."

    My proctor was the testing center at my local community college.
     
  6. Ryan IV

    Ryan IV New Member

    One of my favorite topics...LSU

    Ah, LSU.

    Since I read about LSU's Individual Study program here a couple of years ago, I've been in love with them. I've only taken four classes, but I think they're one of the best values going today. They are very inexpensive, convenient, and easy-to-follow. The staff in Louisiana is very helpful and responsive. I was able to use my OIC as my proctor, but they may be more stringent if you are located CONUS.

    I don't think they're EASY in the sense that you can put a half-xxx effort into them and pass. But if you're willing to put the effort into them that they ask for, they can be very fulfilling.

    Through LSU, I've taken the following courses...

    HIST 4051 - Colonial America: A good overview of pre-revolutionary America. Not too difficult, but time consuming. The instructor has created a well-balanced reading program and the questions make you think about what you read. The final exam is essay based.

    HIST 4052 - American Revolution: Extremely reading intensive. There are 5 or 6 books required for this course. I forget exactly how much, as all my books were destroyed in a barracks fire a week after I took the final exam. All of the assignments and exams are essay based. If you don't put 100% into this class, you will NOT get an A.

    PSYC 2000 - Intro to Psychology: A good introductory psychology class. It covers the basics. This was the only class where I was actually able to complete and turn in three assignments a week (the maximum allowed by LSU). The exams are multiple choice, but not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If you don't study, you won't do well.

    ENGL 3070 - American Literature I: The most difficult class I have ever taken. Mucho amounts of reading, difficult essay questions that require you be intimately familiar with the material. I got a B in this class, only the second B I've gotten since I started college.

    Overall, I think LSU is a great school IF, you are...

    1) serious about learning
    2) willing to put in the time/effort required
    3) a self-starter

    One of the reasons LSU fit the bill so well for me is because I was deployed to Iraq at the time. I had limited access to the internet and my available time was different every week, so their mode of teaching was better than a traditional on-line class. Some weeks I didn't get any classes done due to my schedule, whereas other weeks things were slow and I was able to get two or three lessons completed and turned in.

    If you are one of the many people that show up on this board looking for "the easiest degree possible, immediately" (one of my pet peeves that I won't go into now), then LSU is probably not for you. It takes 6-8 weeks just to complete the lessons and then the time it takes to mail the exams to your proctor, time to return them to Baton Rouge, and grading time. I'd allow (if you work at top speed three classes a week) four months per class.

    Hope this helps,
    Ryan
     
  7. foobar

    foobar Member

    While LSU prefers university testing centers, they will accept permanent, full-time college faculty, or a librarian at a public library. I have proctored LSU exams for students at my university (I'm a tenured prof) and one of my students arranged to take his LSU exams at a local public library.
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I didn't realize LSU offered so many independent study courses. What a great program!

    -=Steve=-
     
  9. pugbelly

    pugbelly New Member

    That is correct. I used my local librarian as a proctor.

    Pug
     
  10. pugbelly

    pugbelly New Member


    Yup, they have tons. They used to be all print based with exams submitted through the mail, but now many of the courses are online, or at least partially online.

    Pug
     
  11. ShotoJuku

    ShotoJuku New Member

    English ENGL 1001 English Composition, 1 * It met Excelsior's WER.
     
  12. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    I'm taking Developmental Psychology of the Life-Span. The difficulty is about the same as freshman level courses at my local university. I can do three lessons per week if I'm not taking other courses. The assigned texts are also two years old, which were under $20.00 including shipping for both on Amazon.com

    The great part about these courses is that you can see the course outline and required texts before you sign up. The outline will tell you how many assignments you will have, number of proctored exams, type of exam questions, and whether special projects or papers will be assigned. I wish every school would do that!
     
  13. Jody7825

    Jody7825 New Member

  14. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    My wife did the following:

    Accounting ACCT 3001 Intermediate Accounting---Part I *
    Accounting ACCT 3021 Intermediate Accounting, Part II
    Accounting ACCT 3121 Cost Analysis and Control *
    Accounting BLAW 3201 Business Law (H)*
    Accounting ACCT 3221 Income Tax Accounting I *
    Accounting ACCT 3222 Auditing *
    Accounting ACCT 4022 Advanced Accounting *
    Accounting BLAW 4203 Commercial Transactions for Accountants (H)*
    Accounting ACCT 4235 Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting *
    Accounting ACCT 4421 Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting
    English ENGL 1001 English Composition

    Overall, they all seemed like a lot of work. I think they were harder than her UCLA Extension online classes. The cost and course selection are simply unparalleled, esp. for aspiring Accounting majors. We couldn't afford to get a degree if not for LSU.
     
  15. bceagles

    bceagles Member

    Jody,

    Thanks for the tip ....I looked at the Idaho State Independent study website and noticed that they don't award a letter grade only a pass fail. Will excelsior accept a Pass Fail?
     
  16. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Update: this week she finally received her "Certificate in Accounting" from LSU, in a huge box and already framed! What a value!
     
  17. ShotoJuku

    ShotoJuku New Member

    Yes they will.
     

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