TESU academic evals - how open are they to "appeals?"

[jsd]

My evaluation was done today, and it was mostly what I expected, except one minor thing and one more puzzling thing. The minor thing was that I was bummed that my "Interdisciplinary Reading, Writing, and Research" class didn't satisfy Information Literacy like I had hoped (but kind of knew it wouldn't) -- No biggie, I'll knock out DSST Intro to Religion.

But what confused me, and I'd like to appeal or request a change if possible, is that my Psych class "Biological Basis of Behavior" class transferred in as "PSY-303 Biopsychology" and they are not counting Biopsych as satisfying Physiological Psychology requirements. That seems very odd to me. Bio-Psych and Physiological pysch are essentially the same things, with Biopsych being even more comprehensive. TESU's Physiological Psychology course page even describes the course as "An introduction to the biological basis of behavior!"

I've never dealt with TESU before, how likely are they to see things my way if I talk to an advisor?

For reference, here's how the course I took is described in the school's catalog where it came from:

PSY 375: Biological Basis of Behavior (3)
This course is an exploration of the anatomical and physiological systems that influence human behavior. Topics include the acquisition and processing of sensory information, the neural control of movement and the biological basis of complex behaviors such as sleep, learning, memory, sex, language, and addiction, as well as basic functioning of the nervous system.

And here is how TESU describes their Physiological Psych course:

PSY-374 Physiological Psychology
Physiological Psychology provides an introduction into the biological basis of behavior. This course explores the structure and function of the nervous system and its relationship to behavior, emotion, and cognition. Students examine how this system regulates our levels of wakefulness, sleep and emotional expression. Topics include neural anatomy, sensory and motor systems, learning and memory, cognition, emotion, sleep, and psychological disorders. The relationship of the mind with psychological disorders such as addiction, depression, Autism, and schizophrenia are also studied.

I've seen some recommend that we do things in writing with TESU, is there a specific email i should use, or just the general academicadvising@tesc.edu address? Or should I wait to call?

[passit1]

I used the academic advising to get them to apply more transfer credits to gen ed and move around credits to fulfill ethics and diversity requirements.
The worst they could do is say no and you're no worse off than you are now.
Best case - they say yes and you get the credits applied where you need them.

[dfrecore]

You should definitely appeal through email, the emails seem to get passed on to the correct department and a person who has a clue, as opposed to calling and getting random people from who-knows-where.

I would call your previous school(s) and ask for the syllabi for the courses you want changed, and scan them. Then, when you email, include those pages. I did this and got several courses changed (course number changed) and moved to where I wanted them to go. Black History was one, International Relations in Business was another, both got switched when they compared the syllabi to the course descriptions they had.

If your Info Lit still isn't satisfied, you can take the Technical Writing TECEP to satisfy it (even though it doesn't say so on the website). Mine went there. And it knocks out 3cr of residency with a pretty easy test. Kill two birds with 1 stone...

Good luck!

[jsd]

Thank you both for the advice!

I just sent them a detailed email, and as suggested attached a syllabus for both the source school and TESU's course. The syllabi are almost identical, so thanks for that suggestion, it really drives my point home.

Fingers crossed!

[cookderosa]

always appeal. You have nothing to lose.

[jsd]

After re-reviewing the syllabus for my "Interdisciplinary Reading, Writing, and Research" course, I went ahead and submitted another appeal for that as well. Heck, one of the four course objectives listed on the syllabus is "establish foundational skills in information literacy."

I hope they're open minded about these appeals! I'm glad you've had some success, dfrecore, it gives me hope

[mednat]

If they don't, the A&I CLEP fullfills this I believe. It doesn't get any easier than passing that one.

[ladylearner]

My evaluation was done today, and it was mostly what I expected, except one minor thing and one more puzzling thing. The minor thing was that I was bummed that my "Interdisciplinary Reading, Writing, and Research" class didn't satisfy Information Literacy like I had hoped (but kind of knew it wouldn't) -- No biggie, I'll knock out DSST Intro to Religion.

But what confused me, and I'd like to appeal or request a change if possible, is that my Psych class "Biological Basis of Behavior" class transferred in as "PSY-303 Biopsychology" and they are not counting Biopsych as satisfying Physiological Psychology requirements. That seems very odd to me. Bio-Psych and Physiological pysch are essentially the same things, with Biopsych being even more comprehensive. TESU's Physiological Psychology course page even describes the course as "An introduction to the biological basis of behavior!"

I've never dealt with TESU before, how likely are they to see things my way if I talk to an advisor?

For reference, here's how the course I took is described in the school's catalog where it came from:



And here is how TESU describes their Physiological Psych course:



I've seen some recommend that we do things in writing with TESU, is there a specific email i should use, or just the general academicadvising@tesc.edu address? Or should I wait to call?

I have had the most success with emailing academic advising. Put your student ID# and degree in the subject and then in the body of the email, state your case. I would suggest including a catalog description, syllabus, link, etc. The evaluations are done by computer and sometimes you need a human to make a decision. Talking to people on the phone is not the best way to get this done not only because you have nothing to back you up but also because it's not practical to get an advisor to review something on the spot and make a decision. Even if I talk to someone on the phone, I follow up with an email unless I see that a change was made right away.

[petersouth]

I've had a number of things adjusted. on the email just say what you want done and present a logical and coherent argument why it should be done. attach scans of class descriptions if trying to change credit

[jsd]

Yesterday morning I got an email saying they re-coded my Biological Basis of Behavior class as Physiological Psychology! Success! :hurray:

Still no word on my Information Literacy request, which is odd since it was sent just a couple hours after the Physiological Pysch request on Friday, but here's hoping. I have an appointment with an advisor for tomorrow morning for some other questions, but I guess I can mention the InfoLit question then if I still haven't heard back.