My IT Journey

[nicklepickle95]

Hello, everyone, I'm a long time lurker on this forum who finally decided to come out into the open with my first post. I'm currently finishing up my BSAST in IT degree from TESC (finishing in December), using all CBE/online courses, and I figured I'd start a thread with some information on the TESC IT degree. First of all, here's my degree template. Everything on here has been approved by TESC and is on my academic eval, so you should be able to trust it:

I. General Education Requirements 60
A. Intellectual and Practical Skills 15
English Composition I (ENC-101)
College Comp Clep
English Composition II (ENC-102)
College Comp Clep
College Algebra (MAT-121) or above
Precalculus Clep
Higher Level Mathematics above College Algebra
Calculus Clep
Computer Concepts (CIS-107) or above
TECEP

B. Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World 20
Psychology or Sociology
Sociology Clep
Statistics (STA-201)
Statistics DSST
Technical Writing (ENG-201)
Technical Writing DSST
Physics I or Chemistry I
SL Physics I w/lab
Physics II or Chemistry II
SL Physics II w/lab
Second Science
Astronomy DSST

C. Personal and Social Responsibility 9
Diversity/Global Literacy
World Religions DSST
Responsible Ethical Leadership
Ethics in America DSST
Ethics or Diversity Elective
Human Cultural Geography DSST

D. General Education Electives 16
Humanitites Clep
Social Sciences & History Clep
Western Civ. I Clep
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (half)

II. Area of Study: Information Technology 45
A. Information Technology Core 33
Foundations of Information Technology
TESC course
COS-330: Computer Architecture
TESC course
COS-213:C++ Programming
TESC course
COS-241: Data Structures
TESC course
COS-352:Operating Systems
TESC course in progress
CIS-311: Database Management
TESC course
CIS-351:Software Engineering
TESC course
CIS-301:Management Information Systems
MIS DSST
MAN-435roject Management
TESC course
Network Technology
TECEP
Current Trends and Applications of AST
Starting TESC course in October

B. Information Technology Electives** 12
Clovis Community College course--Database Design, evaluated as CIS-299
Clovis Community College course--Network Fundamentals, evaluated as CAP-216
C Programming--TESC course
Introduction to Computing DSST

III. Free Electives 15
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature Clep(other half)
American Literature Clep
English Literature Clep


I figured I'd go through all my tests/courses and give my thoughts on each one, with recommendations for study resources (kind of like what Westerner did-- http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...urney.html). Here goes:


Analyzing and Interpreting Literature--took 6/25/13 with score of 78

Like most people, I had no problems with this Clep. It's really not that hard to answer questions about literary passages. If you want an idea of what the real teast will be like, go over the Clep official study guide practice test. It's basically identical to the real test. The only thing I really studied for was the literary terms. Stuff like similes, hyperbole, etc., would be worth going over. Don't take this test for granted, though. I have a friend who used REA and IC and only passed wtih a 53.


English Literature--took 7/2/13 with score of 71

It's hard for me to remember exactly what I used to study for all of these tests, since I took most of 'em over a year ago. I do remember not being able to find anything for English Lit, as there is no REA and the Idiot's Guide is a joke. The one book I highly recommend is Barron's EZ-101 Study Keys for English Literature. It's only $4 used on Amazon, and it's worth every penny. Other than that, Wikipedia and any English Lit textbook you can find would be great. This test is already half A&I Lit, though, so you don't have to study much. Oh, and I also used a book about Shakespeare I found at our library that gave a synopsis for each play. Know all the plays, their plots, and their main characters.


American Literature--took 7/9/13 with score of 73

I thought this Clep was a lot harder than English Lit, simply because there's more material. More authors, more books, and no easy A&I Lit questions. However, there are a lot more resources--including REA, a great Idiot's Guide (why'd they get it right with American but not English? *sigh*), and another Barron's Study Keys. I think IC also just came out with flashcards, which I would have used if I could have. Once again, I really don't remember how I studied for this test. All I remember is being confused by the material that covers the 20th century. It's very, very depressing, as you have to study an endless procession of disallusioned pessimists such as Jack London and Ernest Hemingway. Just grit your teeth and study anything that looks sordid, pessimistic, and disallusioned.


Sociology--took 7/17/13 with score of 62

I remember even less about this test. I think I just used the REA book, Wikipedia, and a lot of common sense on it. REA was really spot on with everything, so I didn't really have to work hard to get a 62.


College Composition--took 7/17/13 with score of 68

I actually took this test the same day I took Sociology. I'd already learned all of the grammar and writing needed for College Comp in high school, so I more or less took it cold. I quickly found that day that I loved taking multiple tests in one day, and I did so for the rest of my testing. So I took World Religions the same day as Ethics in America, Humanities with Social Sciences & History, and so on. Anyway, back to College Comp--since I really didn't study for it, I can't really help anyone with it. I believe there is a REA for it, as well as IC flashcards, so those might be helpful. I would also suggest looking through the official Clep study guide practice test, since it has pretty clear instructions on how to write the two essays.


Humanities--took 7/22/13 with score of 61

I really took a gamble on this one by only using IC and not REA. I signed up for IC and started working on Humanities on a Saturday night and took the test Monday morning. Stressful and dangerous, yes, but it worked. Regardless of whether you use REA or not, you absolutely have to use Wikipedia on this one. Look up any artist, composer, or writer you find and skim through their Wikipedia article. It also helps to be able to recognize famous works of art, so look those up too. Oh, and I think I used the Comex book for this--my mom found it at a curriculum sale. It was kind of ehhh--I don't really trust it. If you have it, by all means use it, though.


Social Sciences & History--took 7/22/13 with score of 70

As you probably know, this is a really broad test, like Humanities, that covers a lot of areas. If you plan to take the Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, or Human Cultural Geography tests, or any history tests, take them before you do this, because then you won't have to study those areas twice. IC says they have flashcards for SS&H, but all give you is links to their Sociology, Psychology, etc. flashcards, so if you don't want to study 500 flashcards, don't bother with them. I think I just used the REA book, which was really good. It went over just about everything that was on the test. I have a strong background in history, though, so this test was easier than it probably should have been. Once again, if you're taking any history tests, take them before SS&H.

That's it for now. I'll be back later with more reviews on tests and courses.

[Devanna]

Thanks for taking the time to share your journey!

Really interested to hear your thoughts on SL's Physics courses. I believe the forum has gotten a couple of questions about them in the past.

[JohnnyHeck]

Thanks for coming out of the shadows. I see you actually took a lot of TESC courses. This forum tends to be anti-real courses. Please share your thoughts for all of us

[benjenkinsv95]

Thank you for posting so much information. Would you mind sharing your experience with the Network Technology TECEP? I'm currently taking the Network Technology Online Course and it is so slow. Kind of wishing I had taken the TECEP like you.

[nicklepickle95]

JohnnyHeck, I took so many courses mostly because I didn't have much of a choice. If you look at the TESC IT degree, there's not much in the area of study that could be tested out of. Obviously there's Network Technology, and the MIS DSST, but beyond that, almost everything requires a course. Data Structures, Computer Architecture, Software Engineering, etc. And yes, I do know about TEEX and the new Cybersecurity DSST, but the awkward 2-credit increments of TEEX would have been hard to fit in, and Cybersecurity came out too late. I'd already planned out my degree, and even now there's hardly any study resources for it. Eventually I'll probably take it, but not now. So to answer your question, I took all those courses because I had to. It's the same, to some extent, for the BA CS degree. You're going to have to bite the bullet and take several semesters' worth (or more) of courses. Between TESC, SL, and Clovis, I took/will take a total of 14 courses. It ain't like Psychology or History where you take 30 or 40 tests and one course and you're done.

benjenkinsv95, Network Technololgy really isn't that hard. If you get the recommended textbook, it's even easier. However, since I did take a LL networking course from Clovis CC for my IT electives, I kinda was already prepared for it, so don't pay much attention to my experience. The test is pretty strange, though, since it covers some stuff from the 90s. Just because something isn't used anymore does not mean it won't be on the TECEP.

[JohnnyHeck]

Thanks for the details NicklePickle95. Just one last interest though. Did you think you got as much real knowledge out of your test-out courses compared to your full semester class courses? No personal hypothesis on your answer, just another data point for all of us to consider.

[sanantone]

JohnnyHeck, I took so many courses mostly because I didn't have much of a choice. If you look at the TESC IT degree, there's not much in the area of study that could be tested out of. Obviously there's Network Technology, and the MIS DSST, but beyond that, almost everything requires a course. Data Structures, Computer Architecture, Software Engineering, etc. And yes, I do know about TEEX and the new Cybersecurity DSST, but the awkward 2-credit increments of TEEX would have been hard to fit in, and Cybersecurity came out too late. I'd already planned out my degree, and even now there's hardly any study resources for it. Eventually I'll probably take it, but not now. So to answer your question, I took all those courses because I had to. It's the same, to some extent, for the BA CS degree. You're going to have to bite the bullet and take several semesters' worth (or more) of courses. Between TESC, SL, and Clovis, I took/will take a total of 14 courses. It ain't like Psychology or History where you take 30 or 40 tests and one course and you're done.

benjenkinsv95, Network Technololgy really isn't that hard. If you get the recommended textbook, it's even easier. However, since I did take a LL networking course from Clovis CC for my IT electives, I kinda was already prepared for it, so don't pay much attention to my experience. The test is pretty strange, though, since it covers some stuff from the 90s. Just because something isn't used anymore does not mean it won't be on the TECEP.

Sophia Learning offers project management, Straighterline offers C++ programming, and Javaonline.org offers a few Java courses. Penn Foster offers intro to programming, intro to computer programming, and Visual Basic.

[nicklepickle95]

Statistics--took 7/29/13 with score of 477

Not really sure what to make of this test. I studied for it for about a week using the Idiot's Guide, Dummies, and IC. Nothing really clicked, though, until I started watching videos about statistics on iTunesU. After that all the concepts started fitting together and I started understanding everything. If I had only used books and IC, it probably would have taken a lot longer for me to figure everything out. Obviously other people may learn differently, but I would highly recommend using actual lecture videos. As for the actual test, it wasn't too bad, as evidenced by my score. Depending on your testing center's rules, you may be able to use your own calculator. I was, and it really helped, so check that out. Also, make sure you know the formulas. I recommend memorizing them (I think I memorized about six or sevel), then writing them out on your scrap piece of paper before you hit "go" on the test. Or after, if you prefer. Then if you have a problem requiring a formula, you just look down your list and find the proper formula.


Western Civ. 1--took 7/29/13 with score of 65

I kinda breezed through this test. Didn't use IC at all, just went through the REA book, which was excellent as usual. As I mentioned earlier, I have a strong background in history, so I already knew most of what I needed to know. Ironically, because of the way my degree fit together, I didn't actually need this test and ended up wasting the $100 for it. Oh well, I realy didn't waste much time on it, which was just as important.


Astronomy--took 8/2/13 with score of 70

If you need 3 natural science credits, this is the way to go. I though this was a really fun test, as it covered a subject I've always wanted to learn more about. Used IC mostly and tried using Dummies book, but it was more about practical astronomy rather than the history and theory covered in the test. Obviously I supplemented IC with a lot of Wikipedia work, and that's what I based the bulk of my study on. Also checked out a few astronomy books from the library that were okay. Depending on your library, you should be able to find something on this subject.


Technical Writing--took 8/2/13 with score of 62

I hate to call any Clep or DSST easy, but this one really is easy, as long as you don't have to do the supplemental essay (none of the Big 3 requires it, I think. I know TESC doesn't). There's a lot of acronymns to learn (RFP is Request For Proposal, etc.), but beyond that most of it is common sense and grammar. Besides Wikipedia, I used the Peterson's Offical Guide to Mastering DSSTs, which does a quick review of about half of the DSSTs. Technical Writing is one of them. I was able to get the Peterson's guides for free (ebook) from the GALE Testing and Education Reference Center (through inspire.in.gov, which may be just for Indiana residents), but even if you have to pay for them, I would still use them. Particularly if you're taking a lot of DSSTs.


Ethics in America--took 8/7/13 with score of 443

This test was about medium in difficulty. Other than straight-up memorization of philosophers and their ideas, there are a few tricky what-if questions about various ethical situations. Use any practice tests you can find to help you prepare for these questions. I used the Peterson's guides for this, which helped immensely. There are also IC flashcards, which are always great.


World Religions--took 8/7/13 with score of 450

Used Peterson's guides and IC again for this, with excellent results for both. Basic memorization of various religions--know the sects of the largest ones and any major beliefs, especially lists of beliefs (i.e., 4 Noble Truths and 8-fold Path for Buddhism). Don't count out religions that seem insignificant, either. Look at the percentages in the DSST study sheet and use that to plan your studying.


Management Information Systems--took 8/15/13 with score of 451

I honestly don't remember much about this test. MIS seems to be a broad treatment of a lot of business information systems, so what I've learned in courses since then has kind of merged with what I learned for the test. Used IC + Wikipedia for this, and it seemed to be right on target as usual. Like Technical Writing, there's a lot of acronyms to learn, with some applications of them. Overall, it seemed to be an advanced version of the Intro to Computing DSST, with many of the same types of questions.


Precalculus--took 9/4/13 with score of 68

I'll be honest--I really didn't pay much attention to this one. Because I leapfrogged ahead and did Calculus too, Precal was kind of an afterthought. I basically studied for both by studying for Calculus. In addition, I had already taken Precal in high school, so I knew a lot about it. If you're just taking Precal by itself, I really can't help you. I would say just play it safe and do ALEKS.


Calculus--took 9/4/13 with score of 64

This was the big one. The test I had to learn the most for, the test I put the most effort into, and the test I enjoyed the most. Like Stats, I started out reading books and got hung up, then shifted to videos. I quickly settled on an Ohio State lecture series I found on iTunesU (you can also find it at https://mooculus.osu.edu/). In addition to being very funny, the guy doing the videos explains everything very simply using for the most part just markers and pieces of paper. After I went through all the videos (there's probably ten hrs worth of 'em, so be prepared), I went back to the books (Calculus Demystified, Calculus the Easy Way, the Cartoon Guide to Calculus, and Idiot's Guide) and once again found that everything had clicked. Remember to practice all of the concepts you learn about while watching videos and reading, because you'll have to perform derivation and integration on the test. I think also that half the test allows an on-screen calculator, but the other half doesn't, so be prepared to do some things without a calculator. In summary, don't be afraid to take on the Calculus challenge. It was really fun for me and stretched my mind in ways I couldn't have imagined. As a bonus, it also made Precal seem ridiculously easy, as I mentioned before.

[nicklepickle95]

SL Physics I w/Lab--passed after about 6-7 weeks with 72%

I will say that passing this course was about the single hardest thing I have every done. Yes, ever. I ended up passing, but just barely. The course consists of video lectures, six or seven unproctored tests, maybe ten labs, and a final proctored (ProctorU) exam. The labs require you to do an experiment, complete a worksheet about the experiment (which may or may not be graded), and complete a quiz about the lab. The quiz is the part that I know is graded. All of the lab quizes and the unproctored and proctored tests allow no materials other than one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of prepared notes. Use this sheet! Cover it with formulas. Use the same sheet for every test and add to it as you go through the lectures. By the time I was done, my sheet looked like the Rosetta Stone it was so crowded and complicated. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this sheet. You literally cannot remember all of the formulas on your own, so you have to write them down as you go through each lecture. Not using a sheet of notes almost cost me a pass, as I started out with horrible scores on the first few tests. It all came down to the final exam, on which I had to score at least an 87 (I think) to get enough points to pass the entire course. After frantically studying for a week I got a 94. One thing that helped with the final exam was going back through every previous test and examining every problem I got wrong. SL reuses a lot of their problems for the final, so it's possible to get some easy points on old questions.


SL Physics II w/Lab--passed after about 5 weeks with 85%

Now this was a lot easier. Unlike Physics I, Physics II actually has a required textbook (can find used for $10) which you can use in all the exams. Open book! The lab portion is very similar, with the same types of experiments. The tests are a little different, with one at the end of each module rather than sprinkled throughout the course as was the case with Physics I. Lectures are also different, because they are interactive, requiring you to do problems in the lecture software while you watch. You can skip the problems, but I would highly recommend doing them, since they will probably show up on the tests.


Oh, and by the way, if anyone wants to do these courses, I have the lab kits and the textbook which I'll sell for quite a bit less than what eScienceLabs gouges, ahem, charges you for. Just PM me.

Remember also that I took the lab (4-credit) versions of both Physics I and II. I don't know what the non-lab courses would be like--probably the same only without the labs and the lab quizzes.

[nicklepickle95]

Thanks for the details NicklePickle95. Just one last interest though. Did you think you got as much real knowledge out of your test-out courses compared to your full semester class courses? No personal hypothesis on your answer, just another data point for all of us to consider.

Of course I didn't get as much knowledge. But we're comparing apples and oranges here. To say that I learned less when studying for the MIS DSST than the C++ course ignores the fact that there's simply more to learn with C++. The only way to tell would be to take, for example, the MIS course and test and compare knowledge gained from the two. But who does that? In general, though, I would say I learned a lot more from courses, particularly specific knowledge. Studying for a test really improves general knowledge, though, because you have to study everything.