TESU Cornerstone Info

[alzee]

You know, considering there's possibly no coursework in this class, and given it's simplicity, and the fact that they have compared it to their epack courses, I wonder if this, like an ePack, is a Pass/Fail course with no letter grade awarded. If it turns out TESU is changing the GPA policy, this might put a damper on some folks' plans.

Cross-posted, what are you imagining regarding GPA changes?

[jsd]

I personally don't suspect any change to the GPA policy since all of the wording has remained the same on the site. We're just basing the changes based on what the advisor had told you, I believe.

[alzee]

I personally don't suspect any change to the GPA policy since all of the wording has remained the same on the site. We're just basing the changes based on what the advisor had told you, I believe.

Oh I see -- you're thinking this will be a course that doesn't have a GPA, so it will be required and yet people will have to take another course anyway to satisfy the GPA requirement. Yeah, that would suck. If it turns out that way, I can recommend the PLA100-OL course wholeheartedly, even to someone who has no intention of creating a portfolio. It's been an easy course so far, and it looks like this 1cr course is going to give me a 4.0.. haha.

[jsd]

Yeah, PLA100 certainly seems the wise choice. I guess we'll find out soon enough about the Cornerstone grading, however. Someone here is going to have to take it eventually.

[troutsniffer]

Is there a review of the pla100 anywhere? I signed up for the Cornerstone for a quick GPA course, but it looks like it may not be quick or give a letter grade if you all are correct.

[jsd]

I definitely recommend clarifying with TESU directly about the cornerstone letter grade. I'm just speculating and could be very wrong.

[davewill]

Well, I've been skeptical of the whole "TESU has changed their GPA requirements" discussion. It doesn't seem to me that we have any firm information that it's even true.

[jsd]

Well, I've been skeptical of the whole "TESU has changed their GPA requirements" discussion. It doesn't seem to me that we have any firm information that it's even true.

This is how I feel.

I know an advisor said otherwise, but we've certainly had advisors give the wrong info before (or not understand what is being asked). Since TESU has yet to change the policy in writing on their site, I'm assuming all is the same.

[alzee]

I can't say for sure if anything has "changed" or not, all I can do is relay what I was told by advising (Patricia Certo), who told me that no grades from sources other than TESU itself count towards the "Institutional GPA" requirement of 2.0 for undergrads and 3.0 for grads. I guess we'll just see what happens with the first person to attempt graduation under the new system without having ever taken a TESU course.

I'll admit that it's still quite screwed up. On my "text" academic evaluation, it shows this:

Code:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
S.H.      S.H. Applied   S.H.       Comm Coll     S.H to      Overall  TESU
Required  to Degree Req  Remaining  S.H. Applied  be Planned  GPA Met  GPA
60.00     35.00          25.00      0.00          25.00       YES
================================================================================

While on the "graphical" academic eval (the colored one you see e.g. when you use the "what if I changed my degree") it says:

Code:

Required        Current Earned  Current Remaining Anticipated Additional  Anticipated Remaining
Institutional Credits:                    39.00           0.00              1.00                    0.00
Institutional GPA:                        **              Met*    
Overall Credits:             60.00        39.00           21.00             1.00                    20.00
Overall GPA:                 2.000        **              Not Met*    

(*) Anticipates completion of in-progress and registered courses
(**) GPA does not include credits with pending repeats

That big fat "not met" in the bottom row and the corresponding blank in the first block is what set me on this insane course.

[jsd]

no grades from sources other than TESU itself count towards the "Institutional GPA"

This has definitely always been the case.

The *Not Met* thing is interesting, as mine always reflected as *met* from the day I enrolled (in March). But I also had graded courses I transferred in. Even though they didn't reflect in my Institutional GPA, they were on the transcript.