Feedback Request for TESU BALS Humanities plan

[infrar3d]

First, I want to thank everyone. This forum and InstantCert were a huge help when I got my BSLA from Excelsior back in 2013. I would have been lost without them. I've since gotten a Masters as well. So thanks.

Now, my wife needs to get a Bachelors, for work. She's in the same boat I was - lots of credits (mostly from the local Comunity College) but no UL credit. Well, one UL class, but it's in Phys Ed. It looks like TESU is more popular than Excelsior these days, so I downloaded one of the spreadsheets and plugged in her transcript. I'm hoping someone more familiar with TESU could take a look and see if I'm close to the mark in my assumptions. I also don't know where the Cornerstone class fits in. 

She's got 105 total credits already, but she'll need to take all her UL credits. She's got an ace up her sleeve though - she's fluent in Vietnamese. So, I hope she can satisfy most of those requirements by taking the ACTFL OPI and WPT. 

Thanks again everyone.

[bjcheung77]

I skimmed the spreadsheet, looks good - and you're right, just need the UL credits. Review this thread to see the possible options for her using SL/Study.com and Shmoop. https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid251267

[dfrecore]

Don't worry about the cornerstone, as taking a Study.com course will waive that requirement.

The ACTFL is only 6cr of UL and 6cr of LL for the OPI and WPT, but I don't think they offer Vietnamese for the WPT (or the LPT or RPT).  So she has 6cr there.  Then 3cr for the Vietnam War UL course.

I'm not certain Study Skills will count for Info Lit, so you'll have to wait and see on that one.

Everything else looks good.

Have her apply at TESU, take 2 additional UL courses (I'd do Study.com if you already need to take a course anyway), and send in the transcripts for an eval.  At that point, you need to quickly sign up for the capstone, and pay for the residency waiver as well - if you don't do it by 6/30, then you miss out on the Study.com discounts available.

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Forgot to mention - this is not a Humanities concentration.  History is not Humanities, it's Social Sciences.  So I'd just make it a BALS general and not worry about that if it was me.

[infrar3d]

I skimmed the spreadsheet, looks good - and you're right, just need the UL credits.  Review this thread to see the possible options for her using SL/Study.com and Shmoop.  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid251267

Thanks for this. Looks like she'll be needing those other 2 UL study.com courses you've listed.

Don't worry about the cornerstone, as taking a Study.com course will waive that requirement.

The ACTFL is only 6cr of UL and 6cr of LL for the OPI and WPT, but I don't think they offer Vietnamese for the WPT (or the LPT or RPT).  So she has 6cr there.  Then 3cr for the Vietnam War UL course.

I'm not certain Study Skills will count for Info Lit, so you'll have to wait and see on that one.

Everything else looks good.

Have her apply at TESU, take 2 additional UL courses (I'd do Study.com if you already need to take a course anyway), and send in the transcripts for an eval.  At that point, you need to quickly sign up for the capstone, and pay for the residency waiver as well - if you don't do it by 6/30, then you miss out on the Study.com discounts available.

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Forgot to mention - this is not a Humanities concentration.  History is not Humanities, it's Social Sciences.  So I'd just make it a BALS general and not worry about that if it was me.

Well dang. I didn't think about them not offering the WPT in Vietnamese. Those study.com courses bjcheung77 mentioned look like they'll fit the bill. 

I'm not sure about that Study Skills class either. I was just taking a guess. And History isn't Humanities huh? Oh well. But it's nice to know she doesn't need to worry about the cornerstone class. And that BALS general sounds like a good option. I'm going to tell her to follow the rest of your adivce to the letter - it sounds perfect. Thanks.

[mlwilliamsiv]

I hope dfrecore was right about taking Study.com classes to get the Cornerstone waived. I just changed my major from BSBA in General Management to Liberal Studies and sent Academic Advising an email about getting it waived since I too have 105 credits. Their response was the cornerstone is a requirement that needs to be completed.

I've taken 3 study.com courses which are on my transcript. I'm going to inquire about this again with a "higher up" because I think it's ridiculous to have to pay $300.00 for a class that is totally unnecessary.

[dfrecore]

I hope dfrecore was right about taking Study.com classes to get the Cornerstone waived. I just changed my major from BSBA in General Management to Liberal Studies and sent Academic Advising an email about getting it waived since I too have 105 credits. Their response was the cornerstone is a requirement that needs to be completed.

I've taken 3 study.com courses which are on my transcript. I'm going to inquire about this again with a "higher up" because I think it's ridiculous to have to pay $300.00 for a class that is totally unnecessary.

You need to ask them to switch you to the Study.com affiliate membership, that will give you a waiver.  But even without that, 104cr is supposed to give you a waiver too.

[mlwilliamsiv]

I hope dfrecore was right about taking Study.com classes to get the Cornerstone waived. I just changed my major from BSBA in General Management to Liberal Studies and sent Academic Advising an email about getting it waived since I too have 105 credits. Their response was the cornerstone is a requirement that needs to be completed.

I've taken 3 study.com courses which are on my transcript. I'm going to inquire about this again with a "higher up" because I think it's ridiculous to have to pay $300.00 for a class that is totally unnecessary.

You need to ask them to switch you to the Study.com affiliate membership, that will give you a waiver.  But even without that, 104cr is supposed to give you a waiver too.

Hey Guys...

So I submitted an email to the Dean of the Liberal Studies department and this was the response I received from the Assistant Dean:

Dear Marshall,

 
First, congratulations on the progress that you’ve made toward degree completion.  I’m sorry that you feel frustrated with the TES-100 requirement.  This introductory course was created to support the success of students, and it is intended to do more than help you to navigate the ins and outs of college education in general.  According to our website, the course is “designed to acclimate you with the University,” and, once enrolled in the course, “you will explore the various ways to earn credit, gain knowledge of the institution's procedures, policies and resources, learn specific strategies for academic success, and discover where (and to whom) to direct questions so you can make the decisions that are right for you.”
 
Unfortunately, program requirement are not waived except in cases of extenuating circumstances.  I wish you the best of success in the rest of your coursework.

Now my little rant. I said in my original email that I can totally understand the TES-100 Cornerstone requirement being mandatory for incoming freshmen as well as those new to the whole distance learning realm. However, for students like myself who have over 100+ credits...have taken FEMA, TECEP, CLEP, DSST, Study.com, Straighterline, UExcel, and etc...should be allowed to get a waiver. If you're just using that as a cash cow to get $300.00 then so be it, just don't play me like an idiot. Also, I find it comical that you would state that basically it is able to be waived but only under "extenuating circumstances." Be nice if you could have given me examples as to what the $*@)# that's suppose to mean. So if I email you back and tell you my house burned down and my dog got eaten by a velociraptor...I would then qualify for a waiver??? Why would a student who has 105 credits...5 courses shy of completing an undergrad degree NEED to take this?

With that being said...I also emailed an advisor yesterday (due to a degree program change) to move some courses around where I needed them. Part of my request was granted but was promptly followed by "Math courses are not allowed in the Understanding the Physical and Natural World section." I find that quite comical because if this advisor bothered to look at your own website on the CLEP and DSST pages...it clearly shows math courses under that section. I find it ironic that you want to charge students for a 1 credit course to learn information that half of your staff doesn't even know. Maybe they should take the cornerstone course as well.

[davewill]

It's a bureaucracy. The way to navigate is to work with the rules instead of against them. Get the Study.com affiliation applied to your account and the cornerstone will go away. Indignation is unlikely to work.

[mlwilliamsiv]

It's a bureaucracy. The way to navigate is to work with the rules instead of against them. Get the Study.com affiliation applied to your account and the cornerstone will go away. Indignation is unlikely to work.

Thanks Davewill. Yeah I've already sent the registrar an email about the study.com discount being applied to my account and am waiting on a response. I wasn't aware that waived the cornerstone because I sure didn't see that on the TESU/Study.com landing page. I get better academic advising from this forum than the actual university!

Have a great weekend :-)

- Marshall

[dfrecore]

 "Math courses are not allowed in the Understanding the Physical and Natural World section." I find that quite comical because if this advisor bothered to look at your own website on the CLEP and DSST pages...it clearly shows math courses under that section. I find it ironic that you want to charge students for a 1 credit course to learn information that half of your staff doesn't even know. Maybe they should take the cornerstone course as well.

Math courses used to be allowed in that area, but they changed it a few years ago.

The CLEP/DSST pages are a bit outdated - they update the course equivalencies when they need to, but not the entire page, re-slotting where things go.

A better way to figure out what's allowed in the different areas is the Gen Ed Page: https://www.tesu.edu/academics/courses/2...After2.cfm