Who has used Coopersmith?

[BBryant165]

Can anyone give me a quick overview of the courses on Coopersmith? 

Long story short is I have 9 Upper Level, Arts and Science credits to complete for my BNS with Excelsior. I have pretty much exhausted all of my ACE options for upper level credit and everything I have run by my advisor for approval has been denied because it "does not fit in the arts and sciences category" or "ACE recommends it as upper level but our catalog brings it in as lower level." Being NCCRS recommended shouldn't be a problem as everything I've heard is that Excelsior will accept them in transfer, if a psychology course doesn't count as Arts and Sciences I'm going to be pretty heated with my advisor. 

What I'm looking to find out is basic things before I spend the $150 on the courses. A) level of difficulty. B) Proctored or no? C) Transcript through Coopersmith or NCCRS? D) Self paced Format IE: is it study slides w/knowledge check or study the book and take an exam?

Thanks!

[ctcarl]

I took six courses at Coopersmith this spring, all transferred to EC as upper level with no issues.

Level of difficulty is hard to speak intelligently about without knowing your familiarity with the material, how well you do with tests and so on.  What I can tell you is that there isn't any hand-holding.  Coopersmith is a bit like CLEP; "Here's your exam!"  Like CLEP, they do provide suggestions for study materials.  Usually I could find whatever textbook they suggested used on the Web for $12-15 or so, especially if I went with an older edition.  Depending on the course, they may also provide other materials.  For example, once course provided a link to an excellent textbook on pdf from SUNY's Open Textbook program.  A couple of other courses provided a video tutorial, which was essentially a video read-through of the study guide.

Speaking of study guides, that's where Coopersmith shines.  Each course includes one or more study guides composed of PowerPoint decks which are closely aligned with the exam questions.  Some folks simply use the study guides to cram for the exams.  Personally, I liked to read through any provided (or purchased) textbooks at least once, and then review the PPT decks over and over again for review.

In terms of proctoring, Coopersmith requires you to use ProctorFU, which I loathe.  I would have vastly preferred RPNow, but they don't offer them as an option.

Coopersmith will send your transcript to EC at no charge via USPS.  If you're in a hurry, you can go through Parchment for electronic delivery of your transcript.

I was in a hurry, but I didn't use Parchment because they refused to create an account for me without my SSN, which is none of their business.

I'm not sure what your last question is.  Coopersmith is indeed self-paced, if that's what you're asking.  You decide how you'd like to prep for the exam and when you're ready to take it.  There are no real "knowledge checks", save a few sample practice questions in some of the materials, none of which are recorded, scored, or mandatory.

I found them to be an excellent value for NCCRS UL credits.

[BBryant165]

I took six courses at Coopersmith this spring, all transferred to EC as upper level with no issues.

Level of difficulty is hard to speak intelligently about without knowing your familiarity with the material, how well you do with tests and so on.  What I can tell you is that there isn't any hand-holding.  Coopersmith is a bit like CLEP; "Here's your exam!"  Like CLEP, they do provide suggestions for study materials.  Usually I could find whatever textbook they suggested used on the Web for $12-15 or so, especially if I went with an older edition.  Depending on the course, they may also provide other materials.  For example, once course provided a link to an excellent textbook on pdf from SUNY's Open Textbook program.  A couple of other courses provided a video tutorial, which was essentially a video read-through of the study guide.

Speaking of study guides, that's where Coopersmith shines.  Each course includes one or more study guides composed of PowerPoint decks which are closely aligned with the exam questions.  Some folks simply use the study guides to cram for the exams.  Personally, I liked to read through any provided (or purchased) textbooks at least once, and then review the PPT decks over and over again for review.

In terms of proctoring, Coopersmith requires you to use ProctorFU, which I loathe.  I would have vastly preferred RPNow, but they don't offer them as an option.

Coopersmith will send your transcript to EC at no charge via USPS.  If you're in a hurry, you can go through Parchment for electronic delivery of your transcript.

I was in a hurry, but I didn't use Parchment because they refused to create an account for me without my SSN, which is none of their business.

I'm not sure what your last question is.  Coopersmith is indeed self-paced, if that's what you're asking.  You decide how you'd like to prep for the exam and when you're ready to take it.  There are no real "knowledge checks", save a few sample practice questions in some of the materials, none of which are recorded, scored, or mandatory.

I found them to be an excellent value for NCCRS UL credits.

This is exactly what I was looking for, Thanks. All questions answered, I'm going to run the courses by my advisor for approval just in case.

[Lacedonia4]

I took six courses at Coopersmith this spring, all transferred to EC as upper level with no issues.

Level of difficulty is hard to speak intelligently about without knowing your familiarity with the material, how well you do with tests and so on.  What I can tell you is that there isn't any hand-holding.  Coopersmith is a bit like CLEP; "Here's your exam!"  Like CLEP, they do provide suggestions for study materials.  Usually I could find whatever textbook they suggested used on the Web for $12-15 or so, especially if I went with an older edition.  Depending on the course, they may also provide other materials.  For example, once course provided a link to an excellent textbook on pdf from SUNY's Open Textbook program.  A couple of other courses provided a video tutorial, which was essentially a video read-through of the study guide.

Speaking of study guides, that's where Coopersmith shines.  Each course includes one or more study guides composed of PowerPoint decks which are closely aligned with the exam questions.  Some folks simply use the study guides to cram for the exams.  Personally, I liked to read through any provided (or purchased) textbooks at least once, and then review the PPT decks over and over again for review.

In terms of proctoring, Coopersmith requires you to use ProctorFU, which I loathe.  I would have vastly preferred RPNow, but they don't offer them as an option.

Coopersmith will send your transcript to EC at no charge via USPS.  If you're in a hurry, you can go through Parchment for electronic delivery of your transcript.

I was in a hurry, but I didn't use Parchment because they refused to create an account for me without my SSN, which is none of their business.

I'm not sure what your last question is.  Coopersmith is indeed self-paced, if that's what you're asking.  You decide how you'd like to prep for the exam and when you're ready to take it.  There are no real "knowledge checks", save a few sample practice questions in some of the materials, none of which are recorded, scored, or mandatory.

I found them to be an excellent value for NCCRS UL credits.

This is exactly what I was looking for, Thanks. All questions answered, I'm going to run the courses by my advisor for approval just in case.

Haven't taken any yet but have been considering them in case I need one more UL in history, one word of caution, some advisor from Coopersmith let me know one has to be proficient in Hebrew for some courses, forgot which ones, and I am not, so didn't opt for those particular ones.  I hear you, ctcarl, about SSN, I don't think a school should ask that unless is anything related with finaid and asked by finaid itself and not a third party.

[ctcarl]

Haven't taken any yet but have been considering them in case I need one more UL in history, one word of caution, some advisor from Coopersmith let me know one has to be proficient in Hebrew for some courses, forgot which ones, and I am not, so didn't opt for those particular ones.  I hear you, ctcarl, about SSN, I don't think a school should ask that unless is anything related with finaid and asked by finaid itself and not a third party.

Interesting. I took a Judaic-focused course and found a smattering of Hebrew terms relevant to the subject, which in all cases were clearly defined in the course materials. I would check the syllabus carefully before signing up for any course, hopefully such a requirement would be listed there.

I feel compelled to point out that whether or not one agrees to provide their SSN to a school, Parchment is not a school. They are a "Digital Credential Service", which so far as I can determine, is a completely made-up thing, and not regulated in any meaningful way, and it was they, not Coopersmith, who demanded it. I can't believe the number of consumers who apparently just give their SSN to any business that asks for it.

[cecilgambe7]

Are International Student welcome in Coopersmith?

I just realized that they are the sole provider of certain courses required for the EC BSBA.

[ctcarl]

Are International Student welcome in Coopersmith?

I just realized that they are the sole provider of certain courses required for the EC BSBA.

I can't imagine why not.  Drop them a line, they are excellent at providing prompt and informative responses.

[BBryant165]

Are International Student welcome in Coopersmith?

I just realized that they are the sole provider of certain courses required for the EC BSBA.

Here is what I found on the Coopersmith site. It appears you can use your last 4 of your passport for "Identification" for them to track your courses, scores, and transcripts when reporting them to Excelsior. 

For first time users, create a student account by clicking on the ‘New Student’ button and provide us with your basic information:

• – Legal Name
  
  
• – Date of Birth
  
  
• – Last 4 digits of your social security or if you are a non US citizen, the provide us with the last 4 digits of your passport number.
  
  
• – College you’re attending (or “Undecided”)
  
  
• – Primary Contact Number
  
  
• – Who referred you and his or her referral code (if applicable)
  

---

Haven't taken any yet but have been considering them in case I need one more UL in history, one word of caution, some advisor from Coopersmith let me know one has to be proficient in Hebrew for some courses, forgot which ones, and I am not, so didn't opt for those particular ones.  I hear you, ctcarl, about SSN, I don't think a school should ask that unless is anything related with finaid and asked by finaid itself and not a third party.

Interesting.  I took a Judaic-focused course and found a smattering of Hebrew terms relevant to the subject, which in all cases were clearly defined in the course materials.  I would check the syllabus carefully before signing up for any course, hopefully such a requirement would be listed there.

I feel compelled to point out that whether or not one agrees to provide their SSN to a school, Parchment is not a school.  They are a "Digital Credential Service", which so far as I can determine, is a completely made-up thing, and not regulated in any meaningful way, and it was they, not Coopersmith, who demanded it.  I can't believe the number of consumers who apparently just give their SSN to any business that asks for it.

I'll be sure to keep this in mind. I was able to get the below approved for my degree plan so it comes down now to narrowing them down to 9 credits worth (3 exams) to complete my remaining requirements and start my capstone in the fall. Parchment is beyond a gimmick in my opinion....seems like a quick way for "social media influencers" to show of their computer skills through linkedin badges. I dont buy it for a minute, although there is some benefit to be gained in indeed, linkedin, microsoft, and google badges and certifications I will definitely not provide my SSN simply for the sake of your business policy.

Career Counseling (PSY-325)
Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior (PSY-305)
Group Counseling (PSY-307)
Substance Abuse Counseling (PSY-320)
Abnormal Psychology (PSY-302)
Physiological Psychology (PSY-303)

^^The above all approved for UL Arts and Sciences