Advantages of taking the $498 edX Information Literacy course for the BACS?

[Ares]

What are the advantages of taking the $498 edX Information Literacy for the BACS?

I am guessing lower overall degree cost?

[animuscerebri]

As nobody has answered this question for almost a week, I'd give my two cents.

As you already said it, the only real advantage is that it is pretty much a money saver.

EdX $498 vs. NJ resident $1,281 or Out-of-state $1,668. Thus, it makes sense to take it on EdX. In addition, bear in mind that EdX occasionally offers discounts (usually 20-30%). Thus, you can reduce the actual price of this class substantially. Currently, EdX has this discount campaign: get up to 30% off select programs until June 19, 2025.

However, as some people may not know this (Ares, you already mentioned it), I just wanted to highlight that you can only transfer this in if you are in the TESU BACS program.
TESU won't accept this transfer for any other degree.

Furthermore, if you couldn't get enough RA credits, you may take it at TESU directly - even if you are a TESU BACS student. Also, if you intend to take the TESU 15 credit flatrate for one term, this Information Literacy class should be part of it, because it is a relatively smooth class.

Another minor advantage would be that you get a separate certificate from EdX to show it to others. The question remains how much value this certificate may provide.

In conclusion, it is a pretty good money saver for TESU BACS students.

[bjcheung77]

EdX also has the discount for those needing a scholarship in order to complete their studies, I had to fill in 3 lengthy answers to questions (2,500 words each). In the end, 90% scholarship for the class was provided to me, and I finished that class in a day or two... This saves you energy, money, time over the traditional class at TESU. The only thing is, it's not RA, doesn't apply to residency credits, and there is no GPA boost if you needed one. I still favor doing the 15 credits at TESU using the flat rate tuition option...

[Ares]

This is probably the most substantial TESU tuition saver ($783-$1170) you can find and it appears designed to filter online students into their Computer Science program.

Thanks for the mention of the 30% off discount for EdX, I did not know about that.

[bjcheung77]

Oh, in regards to the 15 flat rate tuition I mentioned, instead of doing the cornerstone, you can use the Associates Capstone. It'll be much more work, but you'll get an additional associates degree from it. Thus, you have the Associates Capstone, Bachelors capstone, and 3 extra classes or e-packs to get the 15 flat rate tuition. If you want to go crazy and catch them all, you can do a second bachelors capstone...

[Ares]

Has anyone successfully used this course for any other major?

[animuscerebri]

Has anyone successfully used this course for any other major?

I'm not sure whether TESU has changed anything about their policy, but if you take a look at their EdX MicroBachelors policies, you will see that you are limited to these two options: Associates CS and BACS, see https://www.tesu.edu/admissions/methods-...credit.php.

And here, it is mentioned again: https://www.tesu.edu/admissions/methods-...credit.php "Students enrolled in TESU Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science or the Associate in Applied Science with an area of study in Applied Computer Studies can transfer their edX earned credits to be applied to their degree program."

[Ares]

I read that too. The reason I ask is they accept it with the AAS in Computer Studies but not the AS in Computer Science. The only reason I can see for that is the AAS has a capstone and the AS CS does not. If they accepted it for the AS in CS you could transfer the entire degree in which would be nice.

[kakasahib]

I just finished with the TESU Live webinar, and they stated that if you taking 9 or more credits in 12 12-week term, you are automatically signed up for the Flat rate $44xx fee (NJ resident $34xx).

I actually like the :bjcheung77: idea that 2 capstone courses and you can get 2 degrees ofcourse i believe that you have to pay $44xx for the second degree as resident waiver .....

[animuscerebri]

I just finished with the TESU Live webinar, and they stated that if you taking 9 or more credits in 12 12-week term, you are automatically signed up for the Flat rate $44xx fee (NJ resident $34xx).

I actually like the :bjcheung77: idea that 2 capstone courses and you can get 2 degrees ofcourse i believe that you have to pay $44xx for the second degree as resident waiver .....

Really? Huh, just 9 creds now for the flat rate? Interesting proposal, but my perspective toward taking 9+ creds during a 12-week term has substantially changed.

Let me explain why:

As it turns out that you gotta work significantly more for the Capstone (if you intend to get a BACS) than a couple of years ago, I'm not sure I'd take two capstones at the same time. In particular, this ETS Major Field Test does have an impact on your grade, and you need to study topics that you haven't had during your journey to BACS (e.g., Theory of Computation). Furthermore, 12 weeks are not much for a thesis if you intend to go deep on a topic. To me, the thesis is one of the most interesting parts of the degree and I wanna focus on that, because you may use it as the basis for future research papers. I don't think you can push out quality material (due to Capstone changes) if you are joggling 2 or more courses in parallel. Especially, if the other course is another Capstone requiring substantial research and work.

BTW: Are there any forum users who have actually done that, meaning having done 2 capstones at the same time - perhaps with some additional regular courses? Any experience in relation to this topic (2 capstones in parallel) would be pretty helpful.