COSC Accepting few SDC credits

[Tedium]

Let's keep clear the distinction between what's a real Charter Oak policy change and what's speculation that Charter Oak might be changing its broader direction.

The main real policy change described in this thread seems to concern Study.com computer science courses. Are tens or hundreds of thousands of students even in the market for an assessment college to take more than 5 SDC computer science courses to? Is there any degree program from UMPI that has ever taken more than 5 SDC computer science courses towards a major or concentration requirement? (Unless I'm missing something there is not.)

I'm looking at the broader trend. I don't remember all of the specifics, but I seem t remember that, for example, they don't accept CSMLearn as a math course, they have changed in no longer accepting NCCRS credits, not taking CLEP English credits as English credits, now reducing SDC course acceptance to those they don't offer, and I believe there was another post about being a lot more restrictive on other ACE credits.

All of those changes (if I am remembering correctly) would seem to point in the direction that Scottiefoll reported was told to him by the COSC advisor. At least to me, it seems COSC is more interested in having all of nothing rather than part of something as far as the many alt credit students are seeking.

Just to be clear, COSC did still take NCCRS as long as it came from their list of approved providers. SDC being a good example. Now, that may have completely changed with all this stuff that's being reported, but that's how it was up until recently. Of course, Saylor is not being accepted now according to the OP, and they were on the list. So it may all be different now. Also, CSM was always considered a liberal arts elective. Just pointing out that it's not a recent change. I always thought that was super strange considering the content of the course. It's almost like they didn't review it at all and just assigned it to liberal arts at random. 

I hadn't heard about the English CLEPs, though. Do you have a link to that discussion or source? 

I think the thing that kills me the most is that they won't take TEL courses. That leads to so many other potential issues. Like ASU's College Algebra is primarily an ALEKS course, so if COSC wanted to be jerks about it they could not accept the RA credit from ASU because of the ALEKS foundation. Where does it stop? Why won't they take credit vouched for by another school, but continue to sell their credit banking service? Isn't that the same thing? So, yeah the paradigm may be shifting, but there is a lot that could still change with the way that COSC accepts RA transfer credit. 

To be fair, there is a lot of detail we don't know about why these changes are happening, and we can speculate until the cows come home. But at the end of the day we don't need to know why. We just need to know that they are happening and that they change the way people on this forum are going to deal with COSC from now on. 

@Jonathan Whately, I think you're trying to defend the character of COSC, because these changes may paint the school in a negative light for some. I don't think anyone on this thread wants to drag COSC through the mud. Even though I posted a link to that public audit, I don't wish the school any ill will, and will be so happy that they helped me on my journey. We want the college to continue to be an avenue for people to get the credentials they need The whole purpose of this forum is to get people credits and credentialed and graduated as soon as possible for the least amount of money possible. We're frustrated with COSC because they are making it more difficult for us to do that. It's not impossible, bud, but I think we can both agree that it's more difficult. A $79/$99 Sophia/Schmoop all-you-can-eat subscription is a lot cheaper than taking a single DSST/UExcel/ASU/ONU course or exam. And UL credits are going to be a big problem. This doesn't make COSC a bad school, or us bad for attending. It just makes it less functional for our normal purposes on this forum. It doesn't mean that they can't still be useful to some or helpful in degree completion, it just means we'll probably only be able to suggest it in specific circumstances. We just need to pivot our focus to other workable means of helping students. 

Instead of worrying about why, let's focus on the concretes like: which credits are affected, if someone is in the process of enrolling/applying what can we suggest to make up for any credits they may lose due to these policy changes, and which credits are still accepted. There may be students out there like @Jonathan Whately and I who only need the Capstone and a few other credits. These changes won't affect me too much because I have so many RA/Exams, but it may hit some students harder if they were planning on getting more UL credits through SDC.

[dfrecore]

COSC has made it difficult to get a degree using alt-credit. BUT, you've never been able to get any kind of computer-related degree there using alt-credit anyway, so I don't see how this affects many (any?) from this forum? Unless I'm missing something?

They have also ALWAYS tried to enroll students and get them taking their courses. ALL of the Big 3 have always done so. This is not anything new.

Now, that being said, it does sound like them being a viable option for getting a completion degree may be going away. It's sad, but I get it. They're changing their business model.

Luckily for us, we've had more schools come on board that are making it easier to get degrees, so I'm not going to worry about COSC.
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Also, just a reminder why we've called these schools the Big 3: because you can transfer in 114(113) credits and just do the cornerstone/capstone (info lit) courses there. So any schools that require more than that (75% residency), no matter how cheap, can't be one of these Big X number of schools.

Not trying to say that I have an issue with UMPI, because I certainly don't, but they can't ever be one of the Big 3 schools.
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More clarification: COSC allows the CLEP and/or DSST exams for English Comp. It's EC that does not (and never has as far back as I can remember).

[SteveFoerster]

COSC has made it difficult to get a degree using alt-credit.  BUT, you've never been able to get any kind of computer-related degree there using alt-credit anyway, so I don't see how this affects many (any?) from this forum?  Unless I'm missing something?

My eldest just used alt-credit to finish a BS with the Information Systems concentration.

[origamishuttle]

My eldest just used alt-credit to finish a BS with the Information Systems concentration.

Congratulations!

Also, would you be willing to share a degree plan for those of us that might be interested?

[jsd]

I don't mind the definition of Big 3 (or whatever that number may become) evolving as policies and strategies change. I don't know if we're necessarily there yet.

I think we're also at a point where we're seeing a "Big CBE" starting to emerge. Certainly UMPI and WGU would be in that group. Not sure if PUG is quite there or any others would be in that fold.

[SteveFoerster]

My eldest just used alt-credit to finish a BS with the Information Systems concentration.

Congratulations!

Also, would you be willing to share a degree plan for those of us that might be interested?

Thanks! Not sure the spreadsheet was 100% accurate by the end, but it's very close:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

[dfrecore]

COSC has made it difficult to get a degree using alt-credit.  BUT, you've never been able to get any kind of computer-related degree there using alt-credit anyway, so I don't see how this affects many (any?) from this forum?  Unless I'm missing something?

My eldest just used alt-credit to finish a BS with the Information Systems concentration.

I guess I meant getting it entirely with alt-credit without taking any courses for the major at COSC or any other school.

[SteveFoerster]

COSC has made it difficult to get a degree using alt-credit.  BUT, you've never been able to get any kind of computer-related degree there using alt-credit anyway, so I don't see how this affects many (any?) from this forum?  Unless I'm missing something?

My eldest just used alt-credit to finish a BS with the Information Systems concentration.

I guess I meant getting it entirely with alt-credit without taking any courses for the major at COSC or any other school.

Ohhh. Well, I think you used to be able to do the Computer Science concentration by passing the GRE Subject Exam, but that was a long time ago.

[scottlefoll]

I don't think that COSC belongs in the "Big Three" any longer. For example, with regards to SDC they are down to a total of 50 courses that they will even accept for credit, and it's pretty much a guaranty that all of those will be strategically "Lower Level."

[rachel83az]

Yeah, I think UMPI has finally taken COSC's place in "The Big 3" as far as ease, cost, and transfers are concerned. WGU has existed for longer, but they have no electives and few gen eds, so there are more limitations than there are with UMPI.