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+--- Thread: Fastest course options? (/Thread-Fastest-course-options)
Fastest course options? - Mab81 - 11-04-2018
Hi everyone, I am trying to get people's advice who have actually taken the following courses. I know several different providers offer each one and I am hoping to choose the quickest option for each class. I work about 50 hours a week (at a job I hate, super stressful) and am mentally exhausted so it's been so hard for me to keep up a good schedule in the evenings.
Normally I prefer SL because I know I can get most of my grade thru the quizzes and it takes some of the pressure off. However, I know some of their classes are hit and miss. Study.com is a last resort for me because of the huge number of quizzes though. I am not near a test center so CLEP and DSST are not options. I am facing a lot of anxiety about branching out to other providers. I am so worried about my entire grade resting on one test. But I am willing to try.
If anyone could weigh in on what provider they recommend for a specific course, I would be grateful. Thanks everyone.
WRITTEN COMM - English Composition I
WRITTEN COMM - English Composition II
Principles of Marketing
Principles of Finance
International Management
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Business Communication
RE: Fastest course options? - MNomadic - 11-04-2018
The SDC written communication courses can be done fastish. I was able to get through the videos/quizzes/final in under a week. You do have to write 3 papers so that is on you based on your speed but if you do well on the quizzes/final then it's not hard(IMO) to write "passing" papers in under a day each. And worst case if you need to bump your grade, you can resubmit the papers 2 times for a better grade. Also, the SDC quizzes and videos(or transcripts) can be done on your phone during breaks, on the go any spare moment you have, etc so those 5-10 minute times really add up instead of having to commit hours every night.
RE: Fastest course options? - armstrongsubero - 11-04-2018
SL English Courses can be finsihed in 2 weeks as they grade pretty quickly.
RE: Fastest course options? - dfrecore - 11-05-2018
The English Comp TECEP's are easily going to be your fastest options. If you can write decently, and are proficient in typing, I would highly recommend them. I did the EC2 test cold, and passed easily. I would always test for things where you don't really have to learn a lot of new stuff.
If you already know some of the material, you can wager $25 on a pass and use Saylor for some (not going through the course necessarily, just taking the exam):
Principles of Finance
BUS203: Principles of Marketing
ECON102: Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON101: Principles of Microeconomics
BUS210: Corporate Communication
RE: Fastest course options? - jsh1138 - 11-05-2018
if you dont want to do TECEPs or CLEPS for those, i would do all of them at Study.com
RE: Fastest course options? - sanantone - 11-06-2018
(11-05-2018, 04:54 PM)jsh1138 Wrote: if you dont want to do TECEPs or CLEPS for those, i would do all of them at Study.com
In a previous thread, the OP said that he/she didn't like SDC's format.
I don't find SDC particularly fast. Other than TEEX, it was the slowest alternative credit option I attempted.
RE: Fastest course options? - Merlin - 11-06-2018
(11-06-2018, 02:58 AM)sanantone Wrote:(11-05-2018, 04:54 PM)jsh1138 Wrote: if you dont want to do TECEPs or CLEPS for those, i would do all of them at Study.com
In a previous thread, the OP said that he/she didn't like SDC's format.
I don't find SDC particularly fast. Other than TEEX, it was the slowest alternative credit option I attempted.
I feel that fast is relative. It is really about personal learning style and approach coupled with the amount of prior knowledge someone has on the subject.
The bulk of my credits were earned via Study.com and Straighterline. I found that I could almost always get through the Study.com courses more quickly than Straighterline (that typically included the time needed to take all the SDC chapter practice tests and complete any projects or written assignments). But I feel that was mainly because SDC provided more concise study materials where SL provided textbooks which took much longer to read through and filter for useful details to base notes on. I could generally complete 3-5 courses per month via SDC while I could only get through 2-3 per month at SL.
Yes, SDC courses have a ton of quizzes but those never bothered me. They usually only take a few moments to complete and I felt that they helped me retain the knowledge gained via the readings.
Then again, aside from the TEEX courses which were quick because I had prior knowledge, the only other examples I have are the free Sophia courses, which also seemed quick, but I have yet to take any of their normal 3 credit courses, so I can't be sure how they compare.
I know some people who find CLEP/DSST exams to be the fastest way to earn credits, which I can see with the right study materials, but they were not the fastest for me; I believe I ended up spending 3-4 weeks prepping for each exam.
RE: Fastest course options? - dfrecore - 11-06-2018
(11-06-2018, 05:04 AM)Merlin Wrote: I know some people who find CLEP/DSST exams to be the fastest way to earn credits, which I can see with the right study materials, but they were not the fastest for me; I believe I ended up spending 3-4 weeks prepping for each exam.
I think testing is fastest if you're already familiar with the material and can just go and take the test without any studying. Once you add in "need to study" to the mix, it puts the exams on par with regular courses.
I took 2 CLEP and 2 DSST exams in a single day, and passed all of them - because I knew the material already. There were probably more I could have passed, but by the time I had enough cash to take more, there were more convenient ways to take courses (I had 2 little kids, dealing with the testing center hours and time it took to drive down, park, etc was just a pain).
RE: Fastest course options? - sanantone - 11-06-2018
(11-06-2018, 05:04 AM)Merlin Wrote:(11-06-2018, 02:58 AM)sanantone Wrote:(11-05-2018, 04:54 PM)jsh1138 Wrote: if you dont want to do TECEPs or CLEPS for those, i would do all of them at Study.com
In a previous thread, the OP said that he/she didn't like SDC's format.
I don't find SDC particularly fast. Other than TEEX, it was the slowest alternative credit option I attempted.
I feel that fast is relative. It is really about personal learning style and approach coupled with the amount of prior knowledge someone has on the subject.
The bulk of my credits were earned via Study.com and Straighterline. I found that I could almost always get through the Study.com courses more quickly than Straighterline (that typically included the time needed to take all the SDC chapter practice tests and complete any projects or written assignments). But I feel that was mainly because SDC provided more concise study materials where SL provided textbooks which took much longer to read through and filter for useful details to base notes on. I could generally complete 3-5 courses per month via SDC while I could only get through 2-3 per month at SL.
Yes, SDC courses have a ton of quizzes but those never bothered me. They usually only take a few moments to complete and I felt that they helped me retain the knowledge gained via the readings.
Then again, aside from the TEEX courses which were quick because I had prior knowledge, the only other examples I have are the free Sophia courses, which also seemed quick, but I have yet to take any of their normal 3 credit courses, so I can't be sure how they compare.
I know some people who find CLEP/DSST exams to be the fastest way to earn credits, which I can see with the right study materials, but they were not the fastest for me; I believe I ended up spending 3-4 weeks prepping for each exam.
My post is relative to the OP's preferences. The OP previously stated that he or she did not like SDC's format.
Learning preferences and aptitude do factor in to it. I don't want to sit at my computer all day for two to five days watching excruciatingly boring videos and taking quizzes. I can study for a test in 1 to 4 hours. I rarely spend more than a few hours studying for a test.
CLEP, Uexcel, and DSST can be inconvenient for some, so I previously recommended TECEP, Davar, Saylor, and CSU Global.