TESC No Longer Planning Credits on Academic Evaluations!?

[ronaldemail1]

This is really confusing, I am about finished with TESC, hopefully they will clarify things better for everybody.

[ryoder]

I had my advisor plan credits many times that were later rejected by the registrar's office or were moved around. An advisor's plan means almost nothing. All that matters is the registrar's take on it.

[sanantone]

I can understand why they won't plan ACE credits because, like I said in another thread, ACE has changed the expiration dates of Penn Foster courses a few times in the past several months. I really thought that advisor was gone. I kept getting her every time I sent an email and Dr. Keel would just direct me back to her. She would NOT plan courses from a REGIONALLY-ACCREDITED community college and I had already TAKEN them. The school was having technical issues with sending out transcripts and all I wanted to know was where they would be applied so that I could take the proper DSSTs/CLEPs. I finally got another advisor who planned my CC credits.

His post was removed from their forum, but Dr. Keel berated me for complaining about misinformation that was given to me by advisement on the phone. He told me I should have sent an email, but I told him I didn't have time because I needed to make the graduation application deadline. Then, he told me I shouldn't have waited until the last minute. I DID NOT wait until the last minute. For months, Mirsky would not plan my credits, so I was stuck. I hope I don't offend anyone, but I wonder if this is New Jersey thing. When I talk to people who work at colleges in small Texas towns, they are always so sweet and patient.

[ronaldemail1]

Unfortunately on my program there was not much planning left; Fema covered all my electives and I needed only 5
or 4 CIS courses, which I filled with 1 with a DSST, 1 with a course from Adams College, 2 which will be filled with
TEEX soon. My only contact with advisors was at the first evaluation, the acknowledgement of my FEMA electives
and hopefully soon the confirmation that my degree is finished.

[bluk30]

"If the updated course does not meet the required criteria then TESC remains obligated to apply the credits to a student's degree, even if the content of the course is no longer appropriate."

TRANSLATION - We refuse to give you credit if the place offering your course doesn't pay their accreditation "protection fee" this year. Oh and we're not obligated to keep our promises because we're a
college and you're not. Nyah Nyah.

I've dealt with the same runaround from them.

Let's get real. It doesn't matter if Penn Foster (or anyone else) "loses" accreditation with ACE. They can use the same textbook and course materials, give the same tests, and still "lose accreditation"
because they don't pay the fee to be part of the club. It has NOTHING to do with "course quality" and we all know it. TESC is just protecting the interests of the little mafia they are a part of.

TESC needs to keep up this air of mystery surrounding their transfers for one reason, CONTROL. In their eyes, you are not a "customer", you are a "student". You don't get a straight answer. If you did,
then all of their advisers could be easily replaced with a simple spreadsheet of known equivalencies and Dr. Keel would need to get a real job pleasing his customers and not berating them.

TESC needs to go the way of the dinosaurs. Their policies aren't keeping up with the dynamic environment of education and most of their staff could be replaced by a well written FAQ.

[cooperalex2004]

"If the updated course does not meet the required criteria then TESC remains obligated to apply the credits to a student's degree, even if the content of the course is no longer appropriate."

TRANSLATION - We refuse to give you credit if the place offering your course doesn't pay their accreditation "protection fee" this year. Oh and we're not obligated to keep our promises because we're a
college and you're not. Nyah Nyah.

Wow! If anyone wants the real story, the truth is that TESC would not be able to remain accredited without some barriers on accepting credit. The case of the "expired" ACE credits is the perfect example, TESC is obligated by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to follow basic guidelines for credit in order to keep their regional accreditation (policy is here: http://www.msche.org/documents/Transfer,...--1110.pdf). This policy says it quite clearly:

"Courses, programs, and other learning experiences are judged on their learning outcomes, using valid evaluation measures, including third-party review by appropriately qualified reviewers and recommendations from organizations experienced with such evaluations (e.g., ACE, CAEL)." - Policy from link above

No matter the situation, when accepting third party credit from places which aren't regionally accredited (such as ACE, other non institutions, or NA schools like Penn Foster), TESC is obligated to as stated above, "judge...using valid evaluation measures...including third-party review...[such as] ACE, CAEL." If that source deems something is no longer valid or was completed outside of the valid dates then TESC shouldn't accept it or they could have trouble with keeping the accreditation. Course planning has been a great thing but leaves open the possibility to violate this by leaving an indefinite window of opportunity to complete work which may lose the validity needed to be worthy.

I don't think TESC is being unreasonable and after now attending two other RA schools, TESC remains the easiest to work with on credits and I see nothing wrong with what they are doing. The "club" of being an RA school is what keeps education such as mine valid in the minds of others. The policies exist for a reason and if TESC could I'm sure they would rather grant the credit then have to fight it, but for the reason above and because of what probably ended up as people abusing the credit planning system and causing them to violate the policy, TESC is taking the safer route and protecting themselves. People will still get their credits but will have to be more careful about their timing and wait for acceptance. That's a small price to pay for the long list of things that TESC and only a few other schools (the big three and several others throughout the country) will let you do including no residency requirement (other than capstone's on some degrees), huge credit acceptance limits, and acceptance of so many different exams, workplace training, and/or military training. I would encourage people to shop around and try to find a better set of schools than the one's on this forum, if you do then please share it, until then you don't need to trash a school over one policy or go after one person such as Dr. Keel who is doing his job to keep TESC going. TESC is not part of the "mafia" as you said, but is part of the "club" of a very select few schools that are very accommodating of their students and I am proud to be a graduate of their institution. TESC rejected some of my ACE credits for being "vocational" or being out of the date of ACE's approval, but that is part of the process and I used a lot more credits for my particular degree than any traditional school would have.

[mrs.b]

I asked the same questions many times and never had issues getting answers; not necessarily the credits planned in - that stopped about halfway through enrollment in the '11-'12 school year - but they do give confirmation of where and how one would apply. I do not think it is a New Jersey thing; Advising provided some of the best customer service, in my experience. One specific advisor was my personal pen pal for the better part of a year because I changed planned courses so often, and she was always professional and polite. I only dealt with Dr. Keel once, but he was very friendly and helpful. I'm a little uncertain what to suggest because it sounds like different people.

Perhaps try posing the question as hypothetical? That should satisfy their concerns that they do not want to create a guarantee of acceptance, while answering your question how it would fit into the evaluation if it were sent. And, while if all this has been going on for any length of time, it is understandable to be frustrated, but please take a deep breath and try to phrase the inquiry politely - not obsequious, but stay calm and professional - and keep it brief to just that one question per inquiry. That seemed to yield the fastest (usually the morning after I emailed, if not later the same day) and most helpful responses.

[sanantone]

Did I mention that the lady who gave me the misinformation over the phone also hung up on me? I know I told this story a few times, but it still makes my blood boil. It happened to someone else on here too. Since I had already paid my enrollment fee and TESC was more flexible in accepting my credits than COSC or EC, I just put up with it. TESC is known for having the worst customer service out of the Big 3.

[Publius]

Did I mention that the lady who gave me the misinformation over the phone also hung up on me? I know I told this story a few times, but it still makes my blood boil. It happened to someone else on here too. Since I had already paid my enrollment fee and TESC was more flexible in accepting my credits than COSC or EC, I just put up with it. TESC is known for having the worst customer service out of the Big 3.

Wow. That's absurd.

I just can't stand their misinformation, and constantly. I can count on 2 hands the number of times they've given false information, repeated the false info, been transferred to someone else and having them give and repeat the same false info. THEN, a couple days or weeks later, find out it isn't true. This happened with a student ID card (asked for one after one wasn't in the first couple months of my enrollment) was told by several reps that "We don't offer those, or anything like them". They've messed up with info on TECEPs and the retake and extension policy... that came back to bite me. On, and on... It does get as annoy as heck.

[cookderosa]

Did I mention that the lady who gave me the misinformation over the phone also hung up on me? I know I told this story a few times, but it still makes my blood boil. It happened to someone else on here too. Since I had already paid my enrollment fee and TESC was more flexible in accepting my credits than COSC or EC, I just put up with it. TESC is known for having the worst customer service out of the Big 3.

I had someone hang up on me too. I've also been transferred into the "busy signal--> disconnect" a number of times. I don't believe it was an accident.

Here's the thing. Planning was a cool tool. It helped those of us D-I-Y degree people to construct perfect plans with a bit of extra security that it would all fall into place once we completed the credit. Truth is, most colleges don't do this. I don't know if any others do, but I have no way of knowing. So, this just means one fewer tool, and that anyone doing their planning will have to be a bit more on top of it than ever before. As everyone knows, just because it's planned, doesn't mean it's official- they can still move things around. I do think (unconfirmed) that they use a computer software program to place courses, (because, really, I can't imagine a TESC person capable of of doing it for thousands of students a day) so generally, it all falls into place. Of course, know EXACTLY where it should go and how it fits in BEFORE taking the course....just in case you have to "school" the advisors lol.:coolgleam: