Excelsior CLEP duplicate credit question

[UptonSinclair]

I sent the dean of the Liberal Arts College an email suggesting Excelsior make the information public regarding exam overlap. I will be sure to post his response here if the email gets through to him.

[UptonSinclair]

I just wanted to add a note regarding the Excelsior suggestion. I posted the same suggestion on Excelsior's facebook page as a way of generating discussion about the issue of exam overlap. If any of you want to add your two cents, it might encourage Excelsior to address the need.

[UptonSinclair]

Today I received an email from the Excelsior refusing to make exam overlap public. They gave me a song and dance about previous coursework and occasional reevaluation, but I don't buy it. I see one of two things happening. They are keeping this information private to encourage early enrollment (aka pay the fee) or they don't like to be challenged on decisions regarding overlap and a published policy would give a student reason to challenge decisions. Either way, it shows a serious lack of transparency that I find frustrating. I get the impression they don't like students discussing these issues, but that attitude shows a lack of understanding why many of us choose the big three.

[UptonSinclair]

After responding to the student affairs representative who gave me a song and dance about why it is impossible to publish a document regarding exam overlap because there are so many different exams, I was sent a survey from the director of Institutional research. I filled it out with my rant about getting different information from different advisers and having no policy document to rely on for accountability. Considering the last response I got, I don't expect much. Brick and Mortar colleges manage to publish documents regarding theapplication of CLEP and DSST credits, but somehow a college that advertises exams for credit as a selling point can't figure it out.

[scorched]

Keep us posted on if they reply, that would be interesting to hear about.

[UptonSinclair]

This is the latest response to my inquiry on Facebook regarding exam overlap. As you can see, it is very difficult to get through to them. They fail to acknowledge that the question of duplicate or overlap exams comes up. Rather than listen to the inquiry and try to understand, they are more interested in defending their policies. I have run out of steam needed to fight the issue. As always, the bottom line is "ask your adviser." It is a shame there is no way to know if your adviser is even aware of the policies.


While it is not a side-by-side comparison, on p.32 of "A Student Guide to Credit by Examination at Excelsior College" there is a list, by requirement (Humanities, Social Sciences/History, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, and Written English), of the ECE, CLEP, DSST & UExcel exams that can be used to fulfill the respective requirement.

Under Social Sciences/History, for example, there is the ECE Introduction to Microeconomics and the CLEP Principles of Microeconomics (similar exams on the same basic topic) that could be used in partial satisfaction of the overall requirement.

This document can be found at Exam Content Guides - excelsior.edu and by clicking on "Student Guide to Credit by Exam" link.
Exam Content Guides - excelsior.edu

The reason we ask that a student contact their advisor is to ensure that a specific exam matches up with their chosen degree program.