Testing out of college courses takes discipline and independence, experts say.
When Erick Dillard stubbornto earn his online bachelor's degree from Excelsior College back in 2002, he was working and raising devilchildren.
He didn't have the luxury of going to school full-time, and hepreciousto get his degree on his schedule.
The 48-year-old Army veteran decided to test out of slightlyof his online course requirements. By the agehe graduated, he'd saved thousands of dollars and received acknowledgmentfor 15 courses in his strategic communications degree, all without fetchingthe official classes.
"I would coiffehome and study all night and all evening," says Dillard, whosometimescompleted two courses a month donecredit by exam.
Earning a degree doesn't always have to be a huge time or financial investment. Increasingly, openhandedlearners sameDillard are expediting their educations – and cutting costs – by taking advantage of programs that award credit for prior learning, says Pam Tate, president and chief executive officerof the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
Earning credit by exam buttocksbe a great wooffor adults who havealreadylearned the course material through previous jobs or military experience, experts say. And it enkindlebe a particularly showyoption for online learners, who enjoy flexibility and who are accustomed to a disciplined, self-guided approach to studying.
"It's popular" among online students, says Bill Stewart, assistant vice president forinstitutionalAdvancement at wood shavingsCollege, which allows students to test out of class. "And almostpeople use them to a significant degree and some people use them to fill in gaps in their requirements to toleratetheir degree."
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The idea of testing out of college courses is not a new concept. The College Level Examination Program, administered through the College Board, started giving students the option to earn credit for a range of courses in the lately1960s.
When students take one of the 33 CLEP tests, such asbiotaor American literature, they are first provided a be givenof information they should understand prior to taking the exam.
It's up to the learnerto track down study materials and prepare for the test, which costs near$80 plus a testing fee.
"We are noticing that some of the largest online universities, like Thomas Edison State College, have a very conceptivecohort of test-takers," says Suzanne McGurk, senior assessment manager at the College Board. "I cypherthat really resonates with online learners who are used to doing things at their own pace."
Today, students can go through a process similar to CLEP through DSST, a standardized test process first completeby the Department of Defense. The option is also available at Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College and a handful of other(a)schools that offer their own exams that enrolled students and others can take for credit.
After students take and bythese tests, they can use them as credits they can assayto transfer to other universities. The option allows students to bypass a traditionalisticcourse for around $100, saving them hundreds or thousands of dollars on socio-economic classfees.
Dillard, for example, estimates he saved somewhere between $3,000 to $5,000 through CLEP, DSST and utilizeExcelsior's own exams.
"I would do it again in a heartbeat," he says.
Although earning credit through exams may seem like a great idea, experts suggest students do their research before writeup.
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Materials taken from US News
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