Earning College Credit for What You Already Know: The Unofficial Thomas Edison State College (TESC )

Article: Earning College Credit for What You Already Know: The Unofficial Thomas Edis

You can view the page at http://www.degreeinfo.com/content.php?r=124-college-credit-for-what-you-already-know-The-Unofficial-Thomas-Edison-State-College-(TESC-)-Portfolio-Guide

 

Does it cost anything to challenge a course in this way? I would also like to know is challenging a course by portfolio the same as TESC's Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program or is it called something different?

 

Yes, it's called CLEP, and it does cost money, but I don't know how much...I would guess between $100-$250, and the school may charge you a credit fee.

 

I also got maximum value doing portfolio and life experience credit evals. Aspen allows a total 25% of credits to come from portfolio credits. Since I am a 41 year old man with a great deal of self teaching, I picked the classes that 1) I could claim expertise in legitimately AND 2) I really didn't feel like taking.

I have seven professional credentials:
PMP, CISSP, MCSA, Security+, Network+, Linux+, A+

So I found their material course equivelents and claimed though. A+ for computer design and repair, Network+, MCSA and CISSP for Business Networking and Computing classes, PMP for various management classes.

I also being a government contractor have annual Ethics and Protocol training, so I claimed credits for Intro to Ethics and Ethics in Business.

I also challenged Eng Comp II (I actually took Eng Comp I at a regional CC) based on 20 years of writing business comminications, and published industry white papers, and my own resume and written supporting documents as example writings.

And one more credit I challenge was for Nat Sci, Intro to Alternative Energy which is a topic I have a passion for, but no "professional" experience. I however have practical experience with energy projects on my own homestead, and research I have done on my own. I wrote a challenge that was one page long, but fairly detailed on two specific topics (biogas production, and small home wind energy) and ended it with, "I can keep writing about this ad infinatum, and about other energy topics, but I'll stop here. I would love to have a conversation about this topic with anyone who would like to challenge my experience."