CalCampus - Unaccredited but recognized ?

re: CALCampus

Wow! I was just recently thinking of how nice it would be to retake one or two www.CalCampus.com courses and how my current schedule makes such an adventure impossible, and now I stumble upon this thread! Why is it that when I think of Christie Brinkley she never appears? <g>

As a recidivist CalCampus'er, and a wizened DL'er, perhaps I can add something to this discussion.

Why one might not want to choose Calcampus:
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First, I would guess that the odds of getting an RA college registrar to accept a Calcampus transcript prima facie is just about zero. Of course, you only need one college -- your college -- to accept a Calcampus transcript, and if your college does, good for you! It isn't something I would count on (and it wasn't something I did count on in my Calcamp'ing days <g>).

Your notes and records from a Calcampus course could be used as fodder for "portfolio"/"life experience"/etc. credit, but obtaining credit this way is circuitous at best and risky at worst.

Having tried it, I now believe that taking a Calcampus course isn't the best way to prepare for a "College Credit by Examination" exam. The problem with this strategy is that any topic is likely to be taught slightly differently from one institution to another. Taking a course from one (be it Calcampus or elsewhere) therefore doesn't leave one perfectly prepared for an exam originating elsewhere.

Lastly, there is the small matter of the quality and type of education one receives at Calcampus. While, for example, the qualifications of my last instructor (Mr. Austin, see http://www.calcampus.com/faculty.htm) were utterly unassailable, this may not always be the case. Further, an indeterminate number of Calcampus courses consist exclusively of doing assignments from a standard textbook, and using the instructor only for grading, feedback, and assistance. Since many textbooks include answers, and since the Internet is full of people willing to give advice (occasionally even good advice <g>)...



Why one might want to choose Calcampus:
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The original rasion d'etre for CALC (Computer Aided Learning Center) was to allow one to easily and economically learn things (without hope of college credit), and that rationale still works pretty well today.

The enrollment process at Calcampus is vastly easier than it was at my local B&M community college (don't get me started on those #*#& in the admissions office at www.kbcc.cuny.edu), and I'm sure that, to the extent that my municipal colleges have any standards at all, Calcampus meets them (of fails to meet them) equally. <g>

Indeed, Calcampus has been almost obsequious in assisting me to achieve my goals. Take my calculus adventures (MTH315 & MTH316, www.calcampus.com/mathsci.htm) as an example: When the AF made it difficult for me to e-mail my assignments, my instructor allowed me to mail them to his home instead. When I got the wacky idea of doing almost *every* question in my calculus text book, rather than only the odd numbered problems, he graded them all (seemingly) happily (despite the fact that I doubled his work).

Then there was my attempt to enroll in Calcampus's Advanced Assembly Language Programming course, despite not having taken the beginning course. Rather than just admitting me (as a less scrupled institution might) or simply forbidding me (as a more bureaucratic school might), they let me test out of the beginning course (at no charge?).

Summary:
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If your at www.degreeinfo.com, you probably want to get a degree. If so, Calcampus probably isn't for you. You need RA credits, and Calcampus doesn't have 'em. Your family and friends are a different matter. Rather than paying $50 a month so that they can watch 200 channels filled with scantily dressed people eating bugs, have them cancel their cable service and enroll with Calcampus!


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

Disclaimer: I once received an official Calcampus mug (very pretty, insulating, and made in the USA) from Ms. Morabito (ditto? <g>). As a result, my opinions should be considered tainted.

 

Richard Kanarek,

Thanks for sharing your opinion and experience with CalC.


Learner