To throw another option at you, take a gander at Northern Arizona University's Personalized learning options.
They only have three online degree options, but coincidentally, two of those options are Liberal Arts and a Computer Information Technology. NAU is also regionally-accredited, just like the Big3. And, for such young kiddos where a more traditional name recognition might come in handy upon entry into the job market, their name is a bit more standardized.
NAU | Personalized Learning | Online Bachelor
(Caveat: I do not know if they accept children that have not yet graduated high school, but most schools have room to make exceptions for the right circumstances, so it might be worth a call.)
That said, I second rebel's advice to look at in-state options. You'd be surprised how many schools are branching out and dipping their toes into the developing online education market, as well as drafting more liberal transfer policies. Some time at a good community college (whether in your own state, in a neighboring state that has a proximity agreement for discounted tuition [a.k.a. Florida has an agreement where Alabama residents in certain counties get in-state FL tuition], or a distant state school that just has a friendly tuition policy) with good online course selection, completing an Associates, then transferring to a state school with an articulation agreement would save them a lot of coin, and leave their options wide open if they later change their minds on what they want to be or do with that degree later in life. That also does not eliminate the usage of some CBE credit options; most traditional colleges accept some CBE credit volume and just bury that in their transfer policies because if too many students took advantage of it, they'd lose out on tuition.
Graded credits tend to be far more flexible and transferrable; while this forum and CollegePlus's business model is built on CBE and flexi-credits, I'm from the school of thought that younger collegiate students tend to be better-served long-term with more traditional credit sources. That does not mean you have to do butt-in-seat courses; like I said, there are a LOT of online courses available through almost any college now-a-days, and more and more are offering self-paced/independent-study/competency-based course models. It's worth a look to keep your kids' options open.
Edited to Add: NAU's personalized learning model is based entirely on testing out. The way their courses work is that you start by taking a test. If you pass the test with a B or better, you can be done with that course and move on to the next. If you do not pass with a B, or you want to go for an A, you can go through the course modules at your own pace, then test again to shoot for the higher grade. While it is CBE-like, all courses are graded and transcribe to look like traditional credits/courses, so they should be more flexible and transferable. In essence, you're guaranteed a 3.0 GPA because you do not progress to the next course until you've earned a B, but if you ace that first exam, you can be done with a course in one test session and fly through the classes. The pricing model is similar to WGU's; they charge in six-month chunks so you finish as many as you can in that period of time.
They only have three online degree options, but coincidentally, two of those options are Liberal Arts and a Computer Information Technology. NAU is also regionally-accredited, just like the Big3. And, for such young kiddos where a more traditional name recognition might come in handy upon entry into the job market, their name is a bit more standardized.
NAU | Personalized Learning | Online Bachelor
(Caveat: I do not know if they accept children that have not yet graduated high school, but most schools have room to make exceptions for the right circumstances, so it might be worth a call.)
That said, I second rebel's advice to look at in-state options. You'd be surprised how many schools are branching out and dipping their toes into the developing online education market, as well as drafting more liberal transfer policies. Some time at a good community college (whether in your own state, in a neighboring state that has a proximity agreement for discounted tuition [a.k.a. Florida has an agreement where Alabama residents in certain counties get in-state FL tuition], or a distant state school that just has a friendly tuition policy) with good online course selection, completing an Associates, then transferring to a state school with an articulation agreement would save them a lot of coin, and leave their options wide open if they later change their minds on what they want to be or do with that degree later in life. That also does not eliminate the usage of some CBE credit options; most traditional colleges accept some CBE credit volume and just bury that in their transfer policies because if too many students took advantage of it, they'd lose out on tuition.
Graded credits tend to be far more flexible and transferrable; while this forum and CollegePlus's business model is built on CBE and flexi-credits, I'm from the school of thought that younger collegiate students tend to be better-served long-term with more traditional credit sources. That does not mean you have to do butt-in-seat courses; like I said, there are a LOT of online courses available through almost any college now-a-days, and more and more are offering self-paced/independent-study/competency-based course models. It's worth a look to keep your kids' options open.
Edited to Add: NAU's personalized learning model is based entirely on testing out. The way their courses work is that you start by taking a test. If you pass the test with a B or better, you can be done with that course and move on to the next. If you do not pass with a B, or you want to go for an A, you can go through the course modules at your own pace, then test again to shoot for the higher grade. While it is CBE-like, all courses are graded and transcribe to look like traditional credits/courses, so they should be more flexible and transferable. In essence, you're guaranteed a 3.0 GPA because you do not progress to the next course until you've earned a B, but if you ace that first exam, you can be done with a course in one test session and fly through the classes. The pricing model is similar to WGU's; they charge in six-month chunks so you finish as many as you can in that period of time.
BSBA, HR / Organizational Mgmt - Thomas Edison State College, December 2012
- TESC Chapter of Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society for Business, Management and Administration
- Arnold Fletcher Award
AAS, Environmental, Safety, & Security Technologies - Thomas Edison State College, December 2012
AS, Business Administration - Thomas Edison State College, March 2012
- TESC Chapter of Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society for Business, Management and Administration
- Arnold Fletcher Award
AAS, Environmental, Safety, & Security Technologies - Thomas Edison State College, December 2012
AS, Business Administration - Thomas Edison State College, March 2012