Hi All,
As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to "become the guinea pig" and be the first here (I think??) to try a 3 credit UL history course from Torah College. I desperately needed to complete my 2nd depth at EC, and a UL history course would accomplish this goal. After endlessly vacillating between DSSTs "Civil War" and Torah's Pass/Fail HIS-301 “Eastern European Jewish Immigration and Settlement in the United States”, I ultimately decided on, and successfully passed the Torah course. Here's my review:
First, a few points to consider:
Torah has a fantastic support service - they answer every email question promptly. I asked numerous questions before signing up for the course, and received answers usually within a few hours.
You can access basic information about the various "Torah" courses here: General Ed courses - Tor College Credits
You can access all course info – syllabus, required text info, reading assignments, course lecture etc. by signing up for a free Tor(ah) account. No other information regarding this course will be provided - you are essentially on your own.
I purchased the required text - "World of our Fathers" by Irving Howe through Amazon (used) for about $5.00.
The only payment is $195 to Torah when you take the final exam + ProctorU fee.
A passing grade is 70%
It took 23 days from the time I took the final until my credits were approved by Excelsior
HIS-301 appears on my transcript as “Coopersmith Career Consulting LLC – Eastern European Jewish Immigration…. - Judaic Studies”, but was applied as a history course.
Course Format:
The course consists of 13 lessons, each with a corresponding reading assignment, topics to know, and a "Video Crash Course". The "Crash Course" consists of 96 short points of information that coordinate with the reading assignments/topics. A professor reads/discusses the “Crash Course”, but I needed a portable option so I typed out the “points” and created a study book. I found this helpful, but many may feel it unnecessary.
I had no previous knowledge of this subject, but found it fairly straightforward – the history of Eastern European (Russian, Polish, etc.) Jews - focusing on their mass emigration to the U.S. after the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, assimilation into New York City’s immigrant neighborhoods, Jewish/Yiddish culture, language, heritage, important people etc. There are Yiddish terms to learn, but nothing too daunting.
My study time was disrupted by a family crisis, but I would estimate I studied for about 2 months (my average study time). I was intimidated by not having any feedback to rely on (hence, my love for IC’s Specific Exam Feedback!), so I put off testing until I literally could not stand to study the material any longer! :willynilly:
Unlike all my previous multiple-choice exams, HIS-301 combined multiple choice questions (40%), open-ended (1-3 sentences) questions (42%), and 2 essays (18%) for the final exam. I am not comfortable writing extemporaneously, so I was happy to know you could pass the course without even attempting the 2 essays – this was a good thing as I used up most of the 2 hour test time allotment before I even reached the essay portion. I found the test quite difficult – lots of material, lots of writing…:willynilly: I would not have attempted a graded-course, and was relieved to receive a pass at 81%.
All in all, it was a positive experience...
Hope this info is of help.
eeya:
As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to "become the guinea pig" and be the first here (I think??) to try a 3 credit UL history course from Torah College. I desperately needed to complete my 2nd depth at EC, and a UL history course would accomplish this goal. After endlessly vacillating between DSSTs "Civil War" and Torah's Pass/Fail HIS-301 “Eastern European Jewish Immigration and Settlement in the United States”, I ultimately decided on, and successfully passed the Torah course. Here's my review:
First, a few points to consider:
Torah has a fantastic support service - they answer every email question promptly. I asked numerous questions before signing up for the course, and received answers usually within a few hours.
You can access basic information about the various "Torah" courses here: General Ed courses - Tor College Credits
You can access all course info – syllabus, required text info, reading assignments, course lecture etc. by signing up for a free Tor(ah) account. No other information regarding this course will be provided - you are essentially on your own.
I purchased the required text - "World of our Fathers" by Irving Howe through Amazon (used) for about $5.00.
The only payment is $195 to Torah when you take the final exam + ProctorU fee.
A passing grade is 70%
It took 23 days from the time I took the final until my credits were approved by Excelsior
HIS-301 appears on my transcript as “Coopersmith Career Consulting LLC – Eastern European Jewish Immigration…. - Judaic Studies”, but was applied as a history course.
Course Format:
The course consists of 13 lessons, each with a corresponding reading assignment, topics to know, and a "Video Crash Course". The "Crash Course" consists of 96 short points of information that coordinate with the reading assignments/topics. A professor reads/discusses the “Crash Course”, but I needed a portable option so I typed out the “points” and created a study book. I found this helpful, but many may feel it unnecessary.
I had no previous knowledge of this subject, but found it fairly straightforward – the history of Eastern European (Russian, Polish, etc.) Jews - focusing on their mass emigration to the U.S. after the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, assimilation into New York City’s immigrant neighborhoods, Jewish/Yiddish culture, language, heritage, important people etc. There are Yiddish terms to learn, but nothing too daunting.
My study time was disrupted by a family crisis, but I would estimate I studied for about 2 months (my average study time). I was intimidated by not having any feedback to rely on (hence, my love for IC’s Specific Exam Feedback!), so I put off testing until I literally could not stand to study the material any longer! :willynilly:
Unlike all my previous multiple-choice exams, HIS-301 combined multiple choice questions (40%), open-ended (1-3 sentences) questions (42%), and 2 essays (18%) for the final exam. I am not comfortable writing extemporaneously, so I was happy to know you could pass the course without even attempting the 2 essays – this was a good thing as I used up most of the 2 hour test time allotment before I even reached the essay portion. I found the test quite difficult – lots of material, lots of writing…:willynilly: I would not have attempted a graded-course, and was relieved to receive a pass at 81%.
All in all, it was a positive experience...
Hope this info is of help.
eeya:
"I dwell in Possibility." Emily Dickinson
2011-12 CLEP Int Psych - 75 / H G & D - 69 / Ed Psych - 72 / Am Lit - 80 / A & I Lit - 75 / Eng Lit - 73 2012-13 SL Eng Comp I - 95.3% P / Eng Comp II - 97.5% P 2014 EC/UEXCEL Ab Psych - A / Soc Psych - A / Psych A & A - A / Gerontology - A / Info Lit - P 2015 BYU Sport Psych - A / DSST Sub Abuse - 470 / Int World Rel - 481 / H T Y H - 465 / Tor College HIS 301 - 81% P 2016 EC LA498 Capstone - A
1991 AA Liberal Arts USNY Regents College
2016 BSLA Magna Cum Laude Excelsior College - A 5 year journey COMPLETED!
2017-2019 Study.com Certs. - Am Lit/Brit Lit/Shakespeare/Poetry Review Shmoop - Shakespeare's Plays/Shakespeare in Context/Women's Lit
2011-12 CLEP Int Psych - 75 / H G & D - 69 / Ed Psych - 72 / Am Lit - 80 / A & I Lit - 75 / Eng Lit - 73 2012-13 SL Eng Comp I - 95.3% P / Eng Comp II - 97.5% P 2014 EC/UEXCEL Ab Psych - A / Soc Psych - A / Psych A & A - A / Gerontology - A / Info Lit - P 2015 BYU Sport Psych - A / DSST Sub Abuse - 470 / Int World Rel - 481 / H T Y H - 465 / Tor College HIS 301 - 81% P 2016 EC LA498 Capstone - A
1991 AA Liberal Arts USNY Regents College
2016 BSLA Magna Cum Laude Excelsior College - A 5 year journey COMPLETED!
2017-2019 Study.com Certs. - Am Lit/Brit Lit/Shakespeare/Poetry Review Shmoop - Shakespeare's Plays/Shakespeare in Context/Women's Lit
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