A Whole Lot of Testing Going On
UExcel® and Excelsior College
Examinations
A Credit-by-Examination Program
Transition of Excelsior College Examinations to
the UExcel Brand
• Beginning the end of June 2013, the general education
(non-nursing) exams in the Excelsior College Examinations
line-up are going to be marketed under the UExcel brand.
The nursing exams that are part of the associate degree
and bachelor’s degree programs will remain under the
Excelsior College Examinations (ECE) brand.
• Q:Why are ECEs going to be marketed under the
UExcel brand.
There are several reasons why Excelsior College Examinations
are becoming part of the UExcel brand. In general, the UExcel
brand is more descriptive of what happens when consumers
(students) take the exams: they excel in demonstrating their
knowledge and in achieving an educational goal. Thus, it
becomes a more readily understood program.
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Transition of Excelsior College Examinations to
the UExcel Brand (cont’d)
• The use of our exams by students in other countries has
considerable potential and there is a drawback to the term
“college” since, in most instances, it is associated with highschool level programs rather than postsecondary
education. In some countries, only the UExcel brand is
known and adding the ECE general education exams to its
array of offerings will bolster the marketability of the UExcel
brand.
• Finally, this move coincides with a business decision made
by our partner in the UExcel brand, Pearson VUE, which
has chosen to redirect its resources away from examination
development.
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Transition of Excelsior College Examinations to
the UExcel Brand (cont’d)
Are all the ECEs going to become UExcel exams?
• All the exams currently in the Excelsior College
Examinations battery, with the exception of those that are
part of the nursing component in the associate and
bachelor’s degrees in nursing, will become a UExcel exam.
Why aren’t the nursing exams becoming part of UExcel?
• These exams are required in the AD and BS curricula and
our enrolled and prospective students as well as our
accreditors recognize them as such. Although unique to our
School of Nursing, there are other nursing schools that
utilize these exams and we have an established process in
place to provide access for their students.
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What is Credit-by-Examination?
• Credit-by-examination allows students to prove their
knowledge, regardless of how that knowledge was
gained, by taking an exam.
• Unlike other credit-by-examination options, when
students pass a UExcel and Excelsior College
Examinations, their college credit is reported on a
transcript from Excelsior College, a private, non-profit
institution of higher learning, regionally accredited by the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
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Excelsior College Overview
• Provides flexible distance-learning programs for adults
• Accredited by Commission on Higher Education of the
Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools
• Founded in 1971 (originally Regents College)
• Over 38,000 students & 150,000 graduates
• Excelsior College Credit-by-Exam program is recognized
by the American Council on Education (ACE) as a
source of college credit
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By earning academic credit through
testing, students may:
• Waive course prerequisites, or achieve advanced
program placement.
• Meet general education requirements.
• Meet a degree program’s major, minor or concentration
requirements.
Academic credit earned through testing has been associated with an
increased rate of successful degree completion, at both the
baccalaureate and associate levels.
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Students Face Challenges Utilizing CBE
Lack of awareness of an existing CBE policy
– Advising
– Admissions
– Faculty
• Lack of understanding of the rigor of CBE
• Unaware of the benefits of CBE
• Campus test center issues including capacity and
availability
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Benefits and Limitations of CBE
• Benefits
– Save Money: Meet degree requirements more quickly, while
saving thousands of dollars on tuition
• Provides options for students who are waitlisted or closed out of
required courses
– Save Time: Convenient and cost-effective method for nontraditional students to earn credits.
• On-demand testing at convenient locations worldwide.
– Independent study: No need to study semester-long courses
at a physical location.
• Study at own pace, on own time and schedule exam when you are
ready.
• Students may not need to repeat coursework they have already
learned in other ways
• Students are more challenged and engaged
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Benefits and Limitations of CBE
• Limitations
• Low awareness among target audience (9% of general
population)
• Testing reputation – bad press generalized to all tests
• Institutional skepticism about CBE and what student really
knows (even when there are statewide policies)
• Inconsistent or incomplete CBE policies
• Viewed as revenue competition
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Testing provides:
• Variety - of academic content
• Flexibility – students prepare based on their own
schedule, not an instructor’s
• Efficiency – results for computer-delivered UExcel and
ECE multiple-choice exams are available at the end of
the test
• Resources – to supplement faculty and campuses that
are challenged by limited budgets and time
• Economy – exams minimize educational costs by
delivering content and credit without an instructor or a
classroom
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Credit-By-Exam Policies Can Include Multiple Options
for Students
• Granting credit for all the CBE programs
– Provides a larger catalog of potential course equivalents than
any single program or combination can
– Addresses the retention, persistence, and degree completion
issues that may occur because of closed or waitlisted 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
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CBE Policies Can Include Multiple Options for
Students
• Setting policy for use of individual exams is still
the institution’s or system’s prerogative. You
can:
– Grant a different amount or level of credit
– Grant credit only if an institutional prerequisite or subsequent
course is passed
– Grant advanced standing or a waiver rather than credit
– Set a different passing score
– Require additional documentation of mastery such as work
samples
– Limit application of CBE to specific areas of the curriculum
– Limit total CBE credits that can be applied toward a degree
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UExcel and Excelsior College
Examinations (ECEs)
• Developed and maintained by Excelsior College (formerly
Regents College) since the 1970s.
• Administered at 4,200 Pearson VUE Testing Centers
worldwide.
• Exam fees = $95 - $440, depending on length and format
(no separate seat fees).
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UExcel and Excelsior College
Examinations (ECE)
• Both lower-level (Gen Ed) and upper-level offerings
• Unique suite of Nursing exams
• Excelsior College credit awarded for a grade of “C” or
better
• Robust study support including detailed content guides
(which contain information regarding what content will be
covered on the exam, specific textbook recommendations
and chapter to focus on, as well as sample questions)
• Corresponding practice exams (which are designed to
familiarize students with the type of questions that will be
covered on the credit-bearing examination).
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About the UExcel and ECEs
Structure
• We offer over 50 multiple-choice, extended response, and
mixed format exams
• Exams are two or three hours in length.
Scoring
• “Rights-only” scoring (no penalty for wrong answers)
• Immediate results for multiple-choice exams – students will
receive grade report prior to leaving the testing center.
• Grade reports for extended response exams are usually
mailed to student 45 business days after completing the
exam.
• Exam results are stated as a letter grade
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How Are UExcel and ECEs Developed?
• Committees of teaching faculty in the United States
– Experts in the specific field of study
– Hold an appropriate academic degree in the subject of the exam
– Current or recent teaching experience in the subject
• Follow psychometric guidelines
• Content reviews conducted by College editorial staff
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How is Grading Developed?
• Excelsior College uses accepted psychometric practices in
developing grading standards
• Subject matter experts develop expectations for standards of
competency and estimate item difficulty
• Final grading standards are determined by the EC Examinations
faculty committees
• The letter grades reported to students indicate that, in the opinion of
the EC faculty, the examinee’s performance was equivalent to the
performance of students who received the same letter grade in
a comparable campus-based course
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ACE Credit Recommended
• ACE CREDIT Evaluated – The American Council on
Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service
(ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and made college credit
recommendations for UExcel and Excelsior College
exams.
• Relevant faculty and psychometricians on review panel
– Review exams, testing protocols and procedures
– Ensure learning outcomes equivalent to traditional
courses
– Recommend equivalent amount of academic credit
that may be transferable to a college or university.
• Listed in ACE National Guide
• ACE Credit College and University Network – thousands
of institutions of higher learning will consider college
credit earned by CBE as transfer credit to their institution
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Potential Savings Through CBE
Time
• One exam equals 3
semester hours or more
• 45 clock hours or more
• 0 time spent in classroom
Money
• At an average of
$500/hour, each exam
could save the student
$1,500 or more
• Institutions save as well
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Student Preparation Resources
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Summary Guide with practice test questions
Exam Content Guides
Recommended Textbooks
Registration Guide
Computer Based Testing Tutorial
Practice test
Open Courseware – Open Educational
Resources (OER)
(http://www.excelsior.edu/open-educationalresources
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Textbooks
• Faculty identify recommended reference and textbook lists
• Lists of journal articles and non-print media resources are
also developed
• Students may use their own textbooks and resources
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Technical Handbooks
• Technical handbooks are prepared for UExcel and ECEs
• Contains annually updated information for each exam
• Information provided for each exam includes general test
content descriptions and psychometric data
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Transferring Credit
• Thousands of universities accept college credit-byexamination as transfer credit to waive lower level
classes or to fulfill admission requirements *
• Thousands of institutions have received Excelsior
College transcripts
• Every school sets their own policies for transfer credit
* Students should check with their preferred universities for individual
policies on the acceptance of transfer credit
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Official Examinations Transcript
• Students may request Official Examination
Transcripts 24 to 48 hours after taking a
multiple-choice examination and 45 business
days after completing an extended response or
mixed-format examination
• Requested online
• Cost $12
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Sample Transcript
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Available Support and Guidance for test takers
• Students can send messages through their My Excelsior
message center
• Email – TestAdmn@excelsior.edu
• Phone: 1-888-647-2388 ext. 166
• Voice mail
• Fax : 1-518-464-8777
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Contact
Barbara A. Wells, Director of Testing Services
Excelsior College
7 Columbia Circle
Albany, NY 12203
bwells@excelsior.edu
518-464-8591
888-647-2388 ext. 166
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