My Degree Plan @ TESC and Progress

[lani]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR OUTLINING YOUR DEGREE PLAN!!!!! I'm pursuing BA Communications and ASBA from TESC and have been stumbling a bit as I piece them together. THIS HELPS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Keep up the good work =)

God Bless!

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR OUTLINING YOUR DEGREE PLAN!!!!! I'm pursuing BA Communications and ASBA from TESC and have been stumbling a bit as I piece them together. THIS HELPS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Keep up the good work =)

God Bless!

I'm glad you found it helpful. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions as you forumulate your own degree plan! Looks like by your signature that you're doing great so far.

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

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Interpersonal Communication ECE
Score: A

I studied for this test for about a week and a half. First, I read through the required textbook (The Interpersonal Communication Book by Joseph A. DeVito), and then I started working on a study guide based on the provided fact sheet, but I got too overwhelmed and ran out of time to finish it. Additionally, I listened to some of the podcasts recommended on the fact sheet (iTunesU: Interpersonal Communication SPCH 3350 2009 from Eastern Tennessee State University).

The fact sheet was immensely helpful - I loved how they broke everything down and told you exactly what you would need to know! This test was basically like a computerized TECEP. I decided not to get the optional textbook - I didn't want to devote the time to reading a whole extra book! I really enjoyed studying for this test, as one of my favorite areas of communication is Interpersonal Communication, specifically nonverbal communication. I was so grateful that TESC allowed me to use this test to fulfill my Interpersonal Communications requirement; it was definitely a lot easier than taking the course!

This was my first ECE, so I was a bit apprehensive about the format and how it would go. The test contained 140 multiple-choice questions. Each question had four possible answers (like a DSST). The lady at the testing center said she had never seen anyone get an "A" on an ECE before. The security measures were quite rigorous at the testing center I went to (they photographed me, requested several forms of ID, had me sign a ton of stuff, and had me turn my pockets inside out to ensure I didn't have anything in them). One neat thing about the copy of the score report they gave you was that they told you what percentage you got correct for each section of the test (i.e. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, Applications in Interpersonal Contexts, etc.).

I would definitely recommend taking Psychology and Sociology before you take this test; there was a lot of overlapping material between those subjects and this exam.

Fact Sheet: http://www.excelsior.edu/c/document_libr...upId=78666

[LaceyLady]

:hurray: Wow, congratulations! It seems that I missed this thread until now, but you did a great job laying out your entire degree and all the exam feedback. Wonderful! You have done such a great job on your degree, completing the exams very quickly!

Good luck on your studies!

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

It's been a while since I've been on here, but I've finished a round of courses at TESC. As my final grades come in, I'll post my thought on each course here. First up - News Writing!

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News Writing @ TESC
Grade: A

Online Course: JOU-352
Professor: Valerie Hockert

This was my favorite course of this term - it was easy, I enjoyed writing the news stories, and I didn't have to do any reading, since I had already read the book for the News Reporting TECEP. The discussion posts weren't deep or really tough.

The midterm was extremely similar to the Introduction to News Reporting TECEP content-wise. I didn't really know how to study for it, so I really didn't do a lot. :/ There were five terms to define in addition to the two essays and two news stories to write. Pretty basic stuff. I scored a 99 on the midterm.

The final exam was proctored ONLINE. I emphasize online, as I actually went to my library on the morning of the final, expecting the paper version of the test to be waiting for me like the midterm was. I ended being able to take it online through ProctorU, which I had never done before. However, it ended up working very well - I loved the convenience of taking it online. I really enjoyed being able to take it on the computer, as I type much faster than I can write neatly. Also, it became easier to to edit and switch around the essay questions. Plus, the spell check on my computer is a lifesaver for me. The test had a two hour time limit and was closed-book. There were five terms to define, two short essay questions, and two news stories to write. I scored a 100 on it.

Would I recommend this course? Yes, especially if you have previously taken the Introduction to News Reporting TECEP, or are planning to in the future. The textbook and material covered are the same.

Would I recommend this professor? Yes, she was an excellent grader (I got 100% on every discussion post and almost always 100s on my written assignments, even when I wasn't impressed with my own work), was active on the discussion board, and responded promptly to questions.

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

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Leadership Communication @ TESC
Grade: A

Online Course: MAN-376
Professor: Danielle Babb

This was a "busy" course - there were a lot of stuff to do, but none of it was particularly hard. I got 100s on all my discussion posts, and sometimes the posts were so easy that I didn't even read the textbook before writing it. The quizzes were open-book and took 20 minutes to complete. There were self-assessment writing assignments from the textbook for each of the five modules as well as three application/analysis papers. There were also several "case studies," where you were assigned to groups and worked on a separate discussion board to come up with a group answer. The final project was an 8-10 page original case study - I got a 100 on it.

Would I recommend this course? Eh, sure. It's nice because there is not midterm, but there was a crazy amount of "busy work." The course material was pretty boring, and the textbook was DRY. But it was an easy class, and a great way to fill up some credits in your area of study.

Would I recommend this professor? Yes. She responded quickly to questions and was a very easy grader. Though she did sometimes ask weird questions on the discussion board. :confused: And it sometimes took her a while to grade assignments.

[rawalians2001]

Hi, thank you very very much for your post, it is so helpful. Please can you send me what to know or topics or notes for intro sociology clep on rawalians2002@yahoo.com. 2ndly I have to take 5 more clep test that can be in libral arts, professional subjects, social science or humanities. So please list me 5 easiest one to study. Thanks again.

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

Hi, thank you very very much for your post, it is so helpful. Please can you send me what to know or topics or notes for intro sociology clep on rawalians2002@yahoo.com. 2ndly I have to take 5 more clep test that can be in libral arts, professional subjects, social science or humanities. So please list me 5 easiest one to study. Thanks again.

I'm not exactly sure what will satisfy your degree requirements, but I would recommend Introductory Psychology (especially since you will have taken Sociology), Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (which gives you 6 credits), the Marketing CLEP, the Environment and Humanity DSST (if your college accepts DSSTs), and the Technical Writing DSST (again, if your college accepts DSSTs). Be sure to check with your college to make sure they accept those. Furthermore, what you find "easy" will depend on your background and interests. For example, if you have a fascination with American History and or maybe took a good U.S. History class in high school, you may want to consider the History of the U.S. I or II CLEP(s).

I PMed you a list of specific things to know for the Sociology CLEP - let me know if you have any more questions!

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

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Mass Communication I @ TESC
Grade: A

Online Course: COM-120
Professor: Dorothy Zjawin

This was a... unique... class. :S I thought the material was relatively interesting (it wasn't positively gripping, but not half as boring as one of my other classes). You only have to read half of the required textbook, and it was laid out in a easy-to-read way. The assignments could have been interesting, but turned out to be stressful for me.

The midterm exam consisted of 20-something multiple-choice questions (four options each, I think), 10 true/false questions, and three or four essays (you could choose from several topic options). It has been a while since I took it, and so I can't remember a lot of detail. For the multiple-choice part, know random facts found throughout your textbook - and I mean REALLY random! There were a few definitions, but it mostly covered bizarre, obscure facts from your text about which you will probably say, "Yeah, no need to remember that little tidbit - they'll never ask me about that!" Oh yes, they will. I ended up with a 92 on the midterm.

The final project was a 5-7 page (I ended up going a bit over) paper on media convergence. You can choose which area of media you wish to examine (i.e. radio, television, newspapers, etc. I did books, since I'm a bibliophile ). You will need at least eight credible sources in the final paper. For Written Assignment 4, you will be required to submit rough draft of your final paper.

My professor was very kind, communicative in response to questions, and active on the discussion board. She responded thoroughly to concerns in a timely manner. But she did not communicate her expectations well. For most courses, you can simply post an initial discussion post, respond briefly to two classmates, and instantly get a 100. Done. Not so with this professor! You really must work for a good grade for discussion posts on this course. I made several long, detailed posts initially and then went in to great depth in response to several classmates' posts and still didn't get a perfect grade. She really wants you to be involved on your discussion board! As far as assignments went, be sure to include lots of specific facts. Follow the textbook to the letter - every little tidbit about the subject you are writing about should be included in your paper. I got quite frustrated as I was working through this course, simply because I never really knew what was expected of me. I got some of the worst grades of the term in this course, and I think I probably worked harder in this course than any other!

Would I recommend this course? Yes, especially considered that it is required to graduate from TESC with a B.A. in Communications. It covered some interesting material.

Would I recommend this professor? Not really. I don't feel like she clearly explained what she expected from written assignments or the final project. I felt that she was a bit of a harsh grader and almost unfair in what she expected you to cover in your papers. But she did grade assignments quickly and was quite friendly!

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

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Liberal Arts Capstone @ TESC
Grade: A

Online Course: LIB-495
Professor: Randall Otto

My final grade was just posted for this course, and by the grace of God alone, I earned an "A." So excited right now! This course was, as my mom says, my Achilles heel for this whole college process, mostly because all the assignments were so vague and abstract and my professor was kind of unhelpful (in my opinion). I felt like I floundered through the entire course, never really sure about what I was doing. One of the things that really helped me was looking at other students' papers so I knew sort of what to do. Since you can really turn this course into whatever you want to, the assignments were necessarily abstract, but my brain didn't appreciate that so much. I re-wrote both of the first two chapters due to very low grades (as in, the lowest I've ever earned in college!), but unfortunately, my professor didn't award me a new grade.

Basically, you will be writing a research paper in five parts (one every two weeks, or one module). For the last assignment, you'll just put all those parts together, create a table of contents, abstract, and appendix, check your spacing, citations, font, etc., and you're done! I got a less-than-satisfactory grade for my final project, but at least my final grade was still an "A."

As far as citation methods go, use APA unless you are doing a creative project, in which case you should use MLA. I ending up going with a research paper on the history and influence of the Vaganova method of ballet, so I got to go with my favorite, APA.

The textbook for this course didn't seem to match the course - it was written more for the graduate school dissertation, which definitely got confusing at some points. However, the chapters were short and you don't have to read the whole book, which was a plus for me.

Written Assignment 2 was one of the most confusing in the class - and one of the most writing intensive. Since I was doing a research project, I just looked up websites that pertained to my topic and organized the information I found under subheadings that referred to my subquestions. My final paper is 56 pages long, and my Chapter 2 is 14 pages long. Make sure the data you gather is very specific to your topic in this chapter! I made the mistake of overviewing a broad topic (ballet) instead of focusing in on my exact topic (the Vaganova method of ballet) when I wrote Written Assignment 2 for the first time. I actually wrote this chapter twice. :/ Make sure to save some sources for your "results" chapter if you are doing a research project - I saved my more "professional" or "academic-looking" sources for that chapter (plus, I examined a documentary film and interviewed two people).

As far as the ETS Proficiency Profile, I got a bit nervous about it. Don't be - there's really no reason. It was laid out similar to a CLEP exam (actually, more like an ECE if you've taken one of those), except that it was easier. You don't find out your score, as it doesn't matter at all. As long as you complete the test, tell your professor that you took it, and post about your experience on the discussion board, you will get a "100," without question.

There are a TON of options topic-wise for this class. Honestly, you can write about whatever interests you. Since I am a ballet dancer, I am writing about the history and influence of the Vaganova method of ballet (a specific style of classical ballet). Be thinking about your topic before the class begins, because you will have to post your topic shortly after the class starts. Furthermore, you will have to submit around three topics in case your professor disapproves your first choice. Additionally, you most develop three sub-questions that answer the main question of your paper. These sub-questions are what you will base your research on. Here are some sample topics:

Research Projects:
Movie productions of the 1950s and their influence on current films
Reasons for gang membership and violent behavior
Effect of background noise on hearing-aid wearers

Creative Projects:
Violin teacher's curriculum for beginning violin students
Tourist guide to statues in New Orleans
Photo essay of murals on Philadelphia's buildings
Relationship between Dante's Inferno and the Bible

Applied Projects:
Problems with ground water in South Africa
Parent/Teacher guide to dealing with students suffering from obsessive behavior

Would I recommend this course? Yes, especially considered that it is required to graduate from TESC for some degrees. It was an interesting experience for me, as I have never written a research paper (at least like this) before. It was definitely a learning experience!

Would I recommend this professor? No. Although he did grade assignments very quickly, he wasn't helpful in responding to questions - I almost felt as if the more communication I had with him, the worse grades I got. He was very particular about the depth required for discussion post grades. Here's what he said:

Let me say a word about how I grade discussions. I grade on both the number of posts and the depth and extent of the post. Two posts of at least a couple of sentences with some depth is considered the minimum, which I grade in the C range. More posts with less depth will get a B range grade and more posts with greater elaboration will get an A range grade. I do not allow posts for credit to previous weeks of discussion, but only to the week of discussion the class is currently in.

On a side note, he likes all your assignments to be submitted in Word format. This really hurt several of my grades, because my iPad simply refuses to change any documents into Word format without COMPLETELY messing up the spacing. And Dr. Otto is very big on proper spacing.

I'm almost done with my only LSU course (Argumentation and Debate), and I'm also planning to take the Marketing Communications TECEP soon. After that, I'll only have the Public Relations Thought and Practice TECEP to go, and I'll be done! :hurray: