EC - CourXam

[Exfactor]

“CourXam (pronounced korzam) is an innovative educational product developed by Excelsior College and Cengage that addresses the critical concerns of today’s higher education students: portability, convenience, and affordability,” said Nurit Sonnenschein, General Manager of Excelsior’s Center for Educational Measurement. “A CourXam is a college option where a student can learn when they want and how they want – on their laptop, their tablet and even their phone.” 

The first five CourXams developed will be focused on Criminal Justice and can be used toward earning a degree in Criminal Justice at Excelsior College. In 2018, MBA CourXams will also become available. Each are built to the exacting specifications of a team of Criminal Justice professors from several colleges, including Excelsior College. They include all the learning materials used in college courses, but are designed for independent, adult learners who don’t have the time or inclination to attend regular class sessions.   

“Online learning has proven to be a tremendous resource for students who have a busy lifestyle or are unable to attend traditional campus-based programs. CourXams open up access to even more working professionals who need additional college credits or a degree for a job or workplace advancement,” said Lori Hales, Senior Vice President of Institutional Sales, Cengage.

Some of the key features include:

Portability: a CourXam can be accessed anywhere, anytime on a laptop, iPad, tablet, smartphone;  
Personalization: a CourXam gives the learner the opportunity to test out of what they already know so they can focus only on material they need to learn;  
Flexibility: unlike traditional college courses which force the student to engage on a predetermined schedule, with a Courxam, the learner can study lessons when they choose;  
Affordability: the cost for each of the criminal justice CourXams is just $450, which includes all the learning materials, an e-book, a full-length practice exam, and the college credit exam. 

Source:Excelsior College and Cengage Announce the Launch of CourXam, a First of its Kind Hybrid Digital Course and Exam

You can find more information about the exams here ----> UExcel CourXam

Just sharing news... :coolgleam:

[dfrecore]

Interesting - but at $450/course, that's certainly not cheap. And definitely not "less than the cost of a community college course" like they claim.

[sanantone]

It's definitely not cheaper than a CC. If they charge the same price for the MBA exams, then there will be savings.

[Exfactor]

What's the cost of community college in your local area? In mine its about $104.00, which is about $312.00 a credit hour, plus books which can be $100+. I paid up to $200.00 for books at community college for just one course before.

So $450.00 which include the course plus all books and course material, as well as being able to complete the course on your own time (no schedule). May be a deal for some people.

However, I wonder how such will transcribe on the college transcript... as a course or as an exam? Still have to pass with a "C" or better to finish the course.

[sanantone]

The average cost of tuition for community colleges was $3347 in 2015. If one were to do 30 credits in these exams, then that would equal $4500. The most I ever spent on books was close to $500 in a semester, but I learned how to buy used and sell back my books or rent. Plus, a lot of people can't afford to pay that much out of pocket, and a Pell Grant could more than cover the cost of books and tuition.

[dfrecore]

What's the cost of community college in your local area? In mine its about $104.00, which is about $312.00 a credit hour, plus books which can be $100+. I paid up to $200.00 for books at community college for just one course before.

So $450.00 which include the course plus all books and course material, as well as being able to complete the course on your own time (no schedule). May be a deal for some people.

However, I wonder how such will transcribe on the college transcript... as a course or as an exam? Still have to pass with a "C" or better to finish the course.

In CA it's $42/credit, so with fees about $155 for a single course. Less per course when you start adding on. Depending on the cost of the textbook, I would say you could get out well under $200 for a course.

[hsfamfun]

Our Local CC is $156 per credit hour with an $8 per credit hour mandatory fee, bringing it to $164 per credit hour or $492 per 3 hour class. It is still much cheaper than any of the nearby Universities, but it is higher than many community colleges and higher than the cost of the CourXam. However, our CC (KCTCS) has on demand classes which can be started and finished anytime, outside of the traditional semester system and this is a huge plus for us.

[dfrecore]

Our Local CC is $156 per credit hour with an $8 per credit hour mandatory fee, bringing it to $164 per credit hour or $492 per 3 hour class. It is still much cheaper than any of the nearby Universities, but it is higher than many community colleges and higher than the cost of the CourXam. However, our CC (KCTCS) has on demand classes which can be started and finished anytime, outside of the traditional semester system and this is a huge plus for us.

That is a nice bonus. The other thing to remember is that you're not limited to your local CC to take courses - you can find a much cheaper one and take online courses.

[sanantone]

Even if I went out of district to Central Texas College Online, I would pay $103 per credit hour. They have some self-paced courses, but the most time you'll have to complete them is 16 weeks.