What's your favorite alternative credit provider? (e.g. Shmoop? Straighterline?)

[kevinmane]

What's your favorite alternative credit provider?

I've only used a few (Sophia, Straighterline, DSSTs, CLEPs).

My favorite so far is Straighterline.

It's always a toss-up with CLEPs and DSSTs - I've studied hardcore on IC and other places and bombed the CLEP.

With Straighterline, there's less risk - and you do most of the tests unproctored so even if you bomb the proctored final, you still pass. But compared to Shmoop and Study.com, it's also more expensive at $60/course. But I like how closely affiliated they are with TESU as well - there's little guesswork into how it'll be evaluated.
Based on the most recent posts in the last year, it seems like Study.com is mentioned the most.
I have not tried them, but may need to in the near future.

What is their structure like? Exams proctored? Difficulty? What's the top 5 easiest Study.com courses? etc.

[jsh1138]

Study.com and its not even close. Shmoop is good too though

[mudball]

It all depends on how you like to learn. My son and I both like Sudy.com the best, followed by Sophia. Videos and small chunks of learning followed by quizzes. We just learn better that way. Not big fans of Straighterline's format. I don't like live proctoring either. We use them for courses that we don't enjoy the subject matter. Testing centers are way too far for CLEP/DSST to be high in the running. Plus everything depends on one test; it's a bit stressful. Never used Shmoop, but only because we aren't interested in and don't need their courses. Everyone is different and I am thankful for the many formats to choose from.

[GoldieLux]

Sophia! Study.com is okay so far, but the modules seem very long to me. Didn’t care for SL at all.

Kel

[Merlin]

I liked the format of the two courses from Sophia, but the pricing keeps me from doing any serious coursework there.

I've liked Study.com so far as well. The material, format, and pricing are well suited to my needs. I also like the fact that the proctor isn't live so I can take exams on my own schedule (as I do most of my studying and testing after midnight.) Though it also makes me a bit more nervous since I won't be able to get feedback on any potential violations of proctoring rules before its too late.

So far I have only taken English Comp I with SL and I liked it, but it was several years ago and I had to stop before completing the final paper. This was the version with a teacher so my experience may be a bit different than most as I've heard a lot of complaints about the writing courses there. I'm planning to take some more traditional classes at SL shortly.

I have tried the 24 hour trial of Shmoop, but didn't get too far since my Guardian scholarship kicked in 12 hours after I started that. I wasn't too impressed with the course I was trying out since I kept running into broken links, but I didn't get far enough to see if I liked it overall. I plan to give Shmoop another shot once I complete my TEEX courses.

Noting to say yet about Saylor except that I plan to take at least 1-2 courses there as part of my degree plan, so I'll have more to update then.

[Ideas]

I'm close to graduating.

My favorite of all time was Davar, because I got lucky and got their special month-long unlimited deal. Their current prices are good for their Business exams through the Business Class membership, so I recommend them for anyone who likes self-study. The fact that they do RPNow proctoring is a real plus to me.

I really liked the one Saylor I took, but I hear that some of the courses aren't based on one book. I probably won't like those as much, but I love the price.

I love that CLEPs are available. Some of them are really useful for the English degree, etc. I love Modern States for offering free CLEPs.

CSU-Global CBE was a very good experience, except for their complicated registration process. At $250 they are on the more expensive side.

I like Sophia's format a lot, but I prefer cheaper sources. (Even with their $50 coupons.) But, I would definitely use Sophia if they had a course I needed that wasn't already cheap at Study.com/SL/CLEP/etc. I am interested in their grad credit deal through Capella, partly because of how much I like their format. Although I would prefer if it was a different school and not Capella.

I haven't tried SL yet!

I like Study.com, especially since you can do proctoring without scheduling in advance.

Shmoop seems good for non-Lit. For Lit, I am frustrated. However, the price is amazing. I can't believe they don't charge more, honestly. I am glad their Lit courses are an option.

The DSST I took was a harder one, but I would say they are good. It's much harder for me to get to the DSST testing site than CLEP.

[rlw74]

I liked study.com the best because I didn't have to schedule exams. I could take them late at night or early in the morning and if something came up I could just wait until later in the day. I also liked that they have a mobile app and I could listen to lectures vs always having to read something.

[Gloddy]

I liked study.com the best because I didn't have to schedule exams. I could take them late at night or early in the morning and if something came up I could just wait until later in the day. I also liked that they have a mobile app and I could listen to lectures vs always having to read something.

I am using study.com exclusively.  I have completed 12 courses so far.  I too like that I can do the coursework and exams on my schedule.  I just finished Psychology 103 an hour ago.  I also like how they will send your transcript to TESU for you for free.

I do wish they would provide feedback on the questions you get wrong on the practice exams rather than just stating the correct answer.

I have no experience with any other providers.

Gloddy

[eriehiker]

Davar will always be my favorite. The all-you-can-eat month last summer was so much fun and I earned so many credits that it will always have a special place in my heart.

[dfrecore]

I liked study.com the best because I didn't have to schedule exams. I could take them late at night or early in the morning and if something came up I could just wait until later in the day. I also liked that they have a mobile app and I could listen to lectures vs always having to read something.

I am using study.com exclusively.  I have completed 12 courses so far.  I too like that I can do the coursework and exams on my schedule.  I just finished Psychology 103 an hour ago.  I also like how they will send your transcript to TESU for you for free.

Remember that you're limited to using 90cr from a single source.