Dream Degree - New Source of Credit

[Snickerdoodle]

oh no! Here we go again!

*cough cough* Shall we, ahem, get back to the topic at hand. Some of those courses may be useful if there are no alternatives.

[sanantone]

I recognize the founder from the Frontline documentary College, Inc. Michael K. Clifford has turned a couple of struggling non-profit colleges into for-profits and has invested in the start ups of other for-profit colleges. Turning non-profits into for-profits is a controversial topic since people see it as buying accreditation. I doubt DreamDegree is secular. I saw a few Christian references on the website.

[Westerner]

I don't know why you're asking that question. I was just making an observation.

Sounded like you weren't thrilled with them offering scholarships. If that's not the case, I'm sorry if I came across as harsh.

[sanantone]

I think it's great when anyone offers scholarships; I just hope they aren't leading people on.

I just got off the phone with them and they actually sound.... decent. Unlike with CP, they did answer my question on fees, but after asking a bunch of questions. Anyone who purchases a course has access to coaching. There are no additional costs. They'll even help you find graduate programs even though they don't offer any graduate courses you can transfer. I'm just waiting to see what kinds of schools they will recommend. The founder runs Bridgepoint Education and was responsible for turning Grand Canyon University into a for-profit. Bridgepoint's main schools are Ashford University (accreditation issues) and University of the Rockies. Let's see if they recommend one of those schools.

[cookderosa]

*cough cough* Shall we, ahem, get back to the topic at hand. Some of those courses may be useful if there are no alternatives.

I think that my comments and Rebel's comments were on topic. Here is what they are saying they do:

"Whether returning to college or attending for the first time, DreamDegree helps you chart your path through graduation and onto a career. Our FREE Personal Education Coaches guide you through the process of transferring your existing credits, if any, and finding the right college. The first step is to call or chat online with a DreamDegree Coach."

Then they say that "they offer" these tools to "help you" graduate:

iTunesU
iBooks
Evernote
Cambridge English Grammera in Use
Science 360
Dictionairy.com
LearnSmart

Finally, at the bottom of their site it says:

"DreamDegree is a not-for-profit organization that provides educational guidance services, helping people get a college degree, prepare for a career and find their purpose in life. Privacy Policy • Terms of Service"

Now, no where on their site does it say THEY are ACE evaluated or that any of their courses are. It mentions the sources I quoted above, and the only way to "see" the course is to pay $300 each! Holy crap!? What I think, though I'm not sure, is that they have organized a template that uses free online resources and then guide you through indy-study which then guides you into a credit-by-exam or already ACE evaluated avenue. At that point, you have to take your credit to an ACE evaluated college or your S-O-L. Of course, the "educational guidance services" are free <cough>.

[sanantone]

It's not very clear, but they do mention that their courses are ACE evaluated. They are also listed on the ACE National Guide. If you click on the course of interest, it gives you a detailed description of it.
Courses - DreamDegree
ACE CREDIT | The National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training

If there is any catch, it's that they will probably direct you to one of their for-profit colleges to finish your degree. But there is really not anything to lose. You pay $300 for an ACE-approved course and you can transfer it to the Big 3 or somewhere else. Whether or not you think the course is worth $300 is a different story, but they do offer some subjects that might be hard to find for less than $300 let alone self-paced.

[cookderosa]

It's not very clear, but they do mention that their courses are ACE evaluated. They are also listed on the ACE National Guide. If you click on the course of interest, it gives you a detailed description of it.
Courses - DreamDegree
ACE CREDIT | The National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training

If there is any catch, it's that they will probably direct you to one of their for-profit colleges to finish your degree. But there is really not anything to lose. You pay $300 for an ACE-approved course and you can transfer it to the Big 3 or somewhere else. Whether or not you think the course is worth $300 is a different story, but they do offer some subjects that might be hard to find for less than $300 let alone self-paced.

Having ACE-evaluated courses is a huge plus. That answers a lot of questions I had! Thanks for the link.
They do mix up titles a bit, but many of these courses are available via CLEP by another name. For instance, Pre-Civil War History is the same as US History 1. I realize some of this is obvious, but just a heads up to someone considering that they should probably double check for duplication too.

[Snickerdoodle]

I think that my comments and Rebel's comments were on topic.

In no way implying the opposite.