CBE to the Max:
Leveraging Credit-byExam Toward Degree
Completion
National Institute on the
Assessment of Adult Learning
June 7, 2012
Our Colleges Serve Adults
Main focus today: standardized exams (CBE) as a
PLA method
The four institutions represented here grant credit
for CBE and all other PLA methods
Founded in 1971
Excelsior College (as Regents College)
Empire State College (SUNY)
Founded in 1972
Thomas Edison State College
Founded in 1973
Charter Oak State College
The Players
Excelsior College (EC)
Ruth Olmsted, Associate Executive Director,
Center for Educational Measurement (CEM)
Empire State College (ESC)
Tom Brady, Assessment Specialist
Thomas Edison State College (TESC)
Marc Singer, Vice Provost, Collegiate Credit
Assessment Center
Charter Oak State College (COSC)
Paul Morganti, Associate Registrar
Our Colleges Serve Adults
Institutional profile
Summary of PLA methods used
Highlights of CBE policy as reflected
in
Degree templates and models
Example student profiles
Specific support provided for CBE
students
PLA’s Value for Adults
Prior Learning Assessment: When Learning
Outcomes Are What Counts
CAEL Forum and News 2011-2012
In addition to the broadly focused findings of Fueling
the Race to Postsecondary Success about the impact of
PLA on all users, PLA is especially beneficial for
Underserved students
Students 50 and older
Employees using tuition assistance
Common Features of
Credit by Exam Programs
Recognition by ACE CREDIT or National CCRS
Common, standardized development procedures
Adherence to psychometric guidelines
Rigorous security procedures
College-level credit equivalencies
Compliance with Standards for Educational and
Psychological Testing
Computer delivery
Diversity of offerings
CBE Policies Offer Multiple
Options for Our Students
Granting credit for all the CBE
programs
Provides a larger catalog of potential course equivalents
than any single program or combination can
Addresses retention, persistence, and degree completion
issues that occur because of closed or wait-listed
courses
Allows adult students choices that honor their different
learning styles and life experiences
Respects the effort that all the CBE programs put into
winning and maintaining their national recognition
Why We Love CBE
Embrace the Benefits
Convenient, cost-effective method for nontraditional students to earn credits
Independent study vs. full-year courses
Students need not repeat coursework they
have already learned in other ways
Overcome the Limitations
Institutional skepticism about CBE and what
student really knows (even when there are
statewide policies) is not an issue for our
schools
What is Thomas Edison State College?
Founded in 1972 as an adult degree institution in
New Jersey; one of NJ’s 12 senior public
institutions of higher education
The College provides flexible, high quality
collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed
adults
Over 21,000 adults enrolled; degree and certificate
programs in more than 100 areas of study
Prior learning assessment one of our cornerstones
Flexible transfer policies
Middle States accreditation
Thomas Edison State College and PLA
The College’s Collegiate Credit
Assessment Center includes:
TECEP credit-by-exam program
Portfolio Development and
Assessment
Center for Academic Program
Reviews
We see all of these as
complementary forms of prior learning
assessment.
Thomas Edison State College and PLA
Why we put so much emphasis on Prior
Learning Assessment, including CBE:
Improved recruiting, retention, and completion
Validates learning that students bring from
outside
Lower cost for students and the College
CBE, especially, aligns with courses and
degree programs
In fact, no distinction between forms of delivery.
CBE Equivalencies
Each exam has a course equivalency in our
system:
Natural Science/Mathematics
Passing Score
BIO-111/112-CE
Biology (no lab)
50
CHE-111/112-CE
Chemistry (no lab)
50
MAT-102/103-CE
Coll. Mathematics
50
MAT-121-CE
College Algebra
50
MAT-129-CE
Precalculus
50
MAT-231-CE
Calculus
50
NAS-101/102-CE
Natural Sciences
50
Credits
6
6
6
3
3
3
6
Thomas Edison State College and CBE
In addition to the TECEP® examinations,
Thomas Edison State College students may
earn credit through the following examination
programs:
The College Board’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
DSST (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)
New York University Foreign Language Proficiency Testing Program
Excelsior College Examinations (ECE)
Uexcel examinations (a Pearson/Excelsior College alliance)
Foreign Service Institute Examinations
The College Board’s Advanced Placement program (AP)
The Defense Language Institute’s (DLI) Defense Language Proficiency Tests
(DLPT)
Challenges of CBE and PLA at Thomas
Edison State College
Inability to monitor test development of outside
providers, ensure continued alignment
Are the learning outcomes of national testing
programs interchangeable with ours?
Balance of our own programs with those from
other sources – does the origin matter?
Is credit-by-exam a form of PLA or independent
study?
What is Empire State College?
Founded in 1971 as part of the State University of
New York (SUNY) system, serves over 20,000
students
35 face-to-face locations in NY; students in 50
states and 50 countries
Center for Distance Learning ≈ 40%
Associate, Baccalaureate, and Master’s Degrees
Undergraduate students self-design their degrees
All can use various forms of PLA
Middle States accreditation
Advanced Standing Policies
Associate degree – up to 40 out of 60
credits
Bachelor’s degree – up to 96 out of 128
credits
Credits can be used toward any degree
requirements (e.g., concentration, general
education, liberal arts & sciences, etc.) –
there are no restrictions
Advanced Standing Credits Accepted
Regionally accredited institutions
NY State approved
Association of Universities and Colleges of
Canada; Canadian Colleges of Applied Arts and
Technology (CAATS); Canadian 13th Year
British A-Level Exams
Israeli Council for Higher Education
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
approved art schools
National League for Nursing approved RN
programs
Empire State College partner foreign institutions
WES evaluated credits
Advanced Standing (cont.)
Credits evaluated by American Council on Education (ACE)
and National College Credit Recommendation Service
(National CCRS)
AARTS/SMART/Coast Guard Institute transcripts, DD214
Test scores based on ESC-standard interpretations:
Excelsior College Examinations, TECEP, DSST, Defense
Language Proficiency Tests, NYU Proficiency Testing in
Foreign Languages, AP, CLEP, GRE, ALTE
Institutionally evaluated learning from Empire State College,
Thomas Edison State College, Charter Oak State College,
Excelsior College, VT State College System
Individualized Prior Learning Assessment
What is Charter Oak State College?
Founded in 1973 in Connecticut
Enrollment about 2,000
Over 11,000 degrees awarded, with alumni from
all 50 states and a dozen countries
Partnerships with military branches
Associate and Baccalaureate degrees
New England Association of Schools and
Colleges accreditation
What is Charter Oak State College?
Aggregation model - with Cornerstone and
Capstone
Outcome assessment courses
Writing, research, program planning
Transfer credit
CBE, portfolio assessment, ACE and
National CCRS, CCAP, institutionally
reviewed training and certifications
Student Profile
CONCENTRATION PLAN OF STUDY (CPS) FORM
Business Administration
MINIMUM
REQUIRED
CREDITS
SOURCE: TEST OR INSTITUTION
COURSE/TEST NO. & TITLE
GRADE
Accounting:
Financial *
Managerial *
3 credits
CLEP
Financial Accounting
Prop
(3)
3 credits
StraighterLine
Managerial Acct.
B
3
Finance:
Principles * or
Managerial * or
Corporate
Management:
Organizational
Behavior
Management:
Intro/Principles
Management*
3 credits
DSST
Prin. Finance
Prop
(3)
3 credits
Excelsior Coll.
Organizational Behav
Prop
3 credits
Northwood U.
MGT 230 Prin. Mgt.
A
2.7
Marketing:
Principles of
Marketing*
Strategic Processes
Capstone Course
3 credits
Northwood U.
MKT 208 Prin. Mark.
C+
2.7
3 credits
COSC
MGT 499 Strategic
Management
Prop
MINIMUM SUBJECT
REQUIREMENTS
Number and Level of
Credits Propose
Lower
Upper
3
3
Program Planning
Hi Karen,
As per your request, I've included a list below of tests/
independent studies courses I am planning on taking for my
degree.
• Pending exams/courses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cornerstone course (IDS 101)- in progress
College Algebra - Straighterline, in progress
English Composition II - Straighterline, in progress
Mgmt Info Systems - DSST (area of concentration)
Environment & Humanity – DSST
*Business Ethics in Society - DSST (UL area of
concentration)
• Organizational Behavior - Excelsior Exam(UL area of
concentration)
• Principles of Public Speaking - DSST
Class of 2011-12 & CBE
2011-12 Charter Oak State
College Graduates:
Graduates
Average of Test Count
Average of Test Credit
Hours
64%
No Testing
310
Took 1 or more tests
176
5.23
17.64
Grand Total
486
5.23
17.64
36%
Next Frontier: Open Education
Resources - www.saylor.org
What Is Excelsior College?
Independent institution serving adult students and
other non-traditional learners since 1971
Enrollment 34,000; alumni 141,000
Up to one-third of EC students are
Members of historically under-represented
groups
Military or veterans
Average age of graduates: late 30s
Associate, Baccalaureate, and Masters degrees
Middle States accreditation
What Is Excelsior College?
Aggregation model
EC online courses (available since 2004)
Two national exam series developed in house: ECE and
UExcel
Transfer credit
Consistently ranked #1 or #2 in acceptance of credit
from other accredited institutions
Other CBE, portfolio assessment, ACE and National
CCRS, institutionally reviewed training and certifications
Largest pre-licensure nursing program in the
country, entirely assessment based
Excelsior College Emphasizes CBE
Model #1: Exam-Based Degree Paths
New degree pathways emphasize Excelsior’s own
CBE products, along with a single required
Capstone course
Degree planning templates show suggested
sequence of exams; students with transfer credit
have wider choices
Supported Independent Study model is based on
Open Courseware options reviewed and
recommended for all exams
Initial degree templates for BS and BA in Liberal
Studies and AS and BS in General Business
Sample ASB Degree Template
(ETC ASB example)
Excelsior College Emphasizes CBE
Model #2: Judaic Studies
Excelsior partners with two organizations to
provide portfolio assessment and degree
completion options for Orthodox Jewish students
Testing and Training International
Maalot
Students, mostly young women, earn degrees in
Liberal Studies or occasionally Business or
Accounting
About half the students start their degree
completion program with an assessment of their
credits from seminary/yeshiva
Excelsior College Emphasizes CBE
Model #2: Judaic Studies
Course and exam-based credits come from:
Judaic Studies subjects: Torah Accreditation Liaison,
Jewish Bible Association, Association for Hebraic Studies
Institute, Rechtschaffen Institute, Maalot Yerushalayim
(Zaidner Institute), NYU Language Exams
General Education subjects: ECEs and Uexcel, CLEP,
DSST, TECEP, Ohio University exams
They complete the Judaic Studies focus (or
another Area of Focus) with an Excelsior capstone
course
Profiles of Judaic Studies Grads
Student A: almost entirely CBE credits,
Area of Focus in Psychology
TAL: 42
ECE: 29
CLEP: 21
JBA: 15
DSST: 6
Ohio University (exam): 3
University of Idaho (independent study
course): 3
Excelsior Information Literacy course: 1
Profiles of Judaic Studies Grads
Student B: portfolio plus CBE credits, Area of
Focus in Religious Studies
Portfolio: 44
TAL: 56
ECE: 12
CLEP: 12
Excelsior Information Literacy course: 1
As of July 2011, all Excelsior students are subject
to a Capstone requirement. A Judaic Studies
Capstone course is available as an independent
study (CD-ROM) or online course
Our Next Frontier
New ways of bundling exams
with resources
E-textbooks
Greater emphasis on Open
Educational Resources (OER)
and Open Courseware (OCW)
Free textbooks:
www.flatworldknowledge.com
Wikibooks
Questions?
Tom Brady
Empire State College
Tom.Brady@esc.edu
914-948-6206
Marc Singer
Thomas Edison State College
msinger@tesc.edu
609-984-1130 x 3230
Ruth Olmsted
Excelsior College
rolmsted@excelsior.edu
518-464-8603
Paul Morganti
Charter Oak State College
pmorganti@charteroak.edu
860-832-3823