Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion
PLA- chapter 2 - Printable Version

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PLA- chapter 2 - ZsaZsa - 02-18-2015

My first experience with PLA at COSC didn't end so well...the reviewers didn't grant any credit. Yesterday I got the review back on my second one with good results, 3 upper level credits granted! So I'm sharing because...

1) Upper level credits are sometimes hard to come by. I really had to dig to find a course that matched my needs.

2)We need to think outside the box when researching possible classes to challenge for the PLA's. My hobby for 25 years has been genealogy (family lineage research). I found a senior level course in Midwest Family History at BYU that pretty much described what I've been doing for fun (and thank goodness this hobby produces file cabinets full of documentation that fit the bill for this particular class.) The class you choose to challenge does NOT have to be taught at your particular college, but you will have to get a copy of the syllabus for that course as offered elsewhere.

3) I was worried that using the free Kaplan PLA course rather than the one offered by COSC had damaged my credibility with them, but apparently not. After the first one when I didn't get credit, the people at COSC sent me copies of their handouts from the PLA class that they offer. There were no extreme differences, but I did follow their guidelines closely when structuring my 2nd PLA, so that may have helped.

(Yesterday was really a red-letter day...besides getting my PLA credit, I also finished ALEKS College Algebra by FINALLY topping out at 71%!!!!! This math-phobe
might make it to graduation after all- just Abnormal Psych test and a bio lab to go!):hurray:


PLA- chapter 2 - JohnnyHeck - 02-18-2015

Congratulations on your PLA credit and thanks for sharing the detailed experience at COSC. Congratulation also for staying the course in ALEKS College Algebra. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell either here or in a PM how many ALEKS hours it took you to get to 71%? I'm trying to mentor other math phobic students and any info on experiences with ALEKS will be a great help. My first student took 240 hours to complete to 80% at College Algebra, but he's at 100 hours additional so far for 82% in Pre-Calc. I have him continuing in Pre-Calc Trig because he requires Physics and advanced Stats for his future. Good luck with the remainder of your courses.


PLA- chapter 2 - NAP - 02-18-2015

Congratulations on your UL PLA and ALEKS success! What a fun PLA topic!


PLA- chapter 2 - ZsaZsa - 02-18-2015

JohnnyHeck Wrote:Congratulations on your PLA credit and thanks for sharing the detailed experience at COSC. Congratulation also for staying the course in ALEKS College Algebra. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell either here or in a PM how many ALEKS hours it took you to get to 71%? I'm trying to mentor other math phobic students and any info on experiences with ALEKS will be a great help. My first student took 240 hours to complete to 80% at College Algebra, but he's at 100 hours additional so far for 82% in Pre-Calc. I have him continuing in Pre-Calc Trig because he requires Physics and advanced Stats for his future. Good luck with the remainder of your courses.

It took me about two weeks...using every spare minute. I had done Aleks Beginning Algebra several years ago and developed my own system. I assessed the first time at 41%. Then I immediately forced another assessment...and if there was a subject I had absolutely no idea about, I would work a bit on the pie piece, or watch some Khan videos. I also used Mathway some because they break problems down into the tiniest pieces...sometimes I felt like Aleks skipped over some of the things people who are good at math do instinctively. I just kept ordering assessments, and did 11 assessments in 14 days...each one went up just a few points. The next to last one was 69%...and you better believe there were a few tears at that point.
I have done my happy dance, fed my notes to the shredder, and hope I never need to know anything about graphing parabolas again!


PLA- chapter 2 - SweetSecret - 02-19-2015

Haha - this is ironic! I had actually thought about doing a PLA course in genealogy as well... primarily because I still have to meet the residency credits at TESC. After my psychology of women exam I'll be down to needing 12 credits, but have them planned out. Somewhere though I need to come up with another 18 credits after the exam (6 credit difference) to meet the residency. I figured I could find a lower level genealogy course to do as PLA. I'm also planning to use Texas states two vaudeville courses as PLAs for 1 credit each unless TESC denies it.


PLA- chapter 2 - ZsaZsa - 02-19-2015

SweetSecret Wrote:Haha - this is ironic! I had actually thought about doing a PLA course in genealogy as well... primarily because I still have to meet the residency credits at TESC. After my psychology of women exam I'll be down to needing 12 credits, but have them planned out. Somewhere though I need to come up with another 18 credits after the exam (6 credit difference) to meet the residency. I figured I could find a lower level genealogy course to do as PLA. I'm also planning to use Texas states two vaudeville courses as PLAs for 1 credit each unless TESC denies it.

Check out the offerings at BYU...they offer a tremendous number of genealogy courses to choose from. One of the things that the COSC reviewer remarked on was the work that I had done for other people...and that had been verified by reputable organizations such as the DAR. Also that I provided a lot of pieces that I had published in various journals...dig through your files. If you're like everyone else I know who does genealogy, its not a question of IF you have enough documentation...its a matter of weeding out just a few hundred pages to use!


PLA- chapter 2 - SweetSecret - 02-19-2015

ZsaZsa Wrote:Check out the offerings at BYU...they offer a tremendous number of genealogy courses to choose from. One of the things that the COSC reviewer remarked on was the work that I had done for other people...and that had been verified by reputable organizations such as the DAR. Also that I provided a lot of pieces that I had published in various journals...dig through your files. If you're like everyone else I know who does genealogy, its not a question of IF you have enough documentation...its a matter of weeding out just a few hundred pages to use!

I've only done if for myself, but I am signed up on FamilySearch, and used to regularly attend the genealogy meetings here in town when I wasn't working. I think I was probably the youngest person who regularly attended, and we did have a few members of DAR. My family tree is a mess though, and I seem to be the only one really interested in it. I have bits and pieces, but I'm familiar with many of the processes... I believe enough to get credit for a lower level course. I think it's wonderful that you managed to get upper level credit!

I may have to check out the BYU resources. My boyfriend actually graduated from there, back when he was a "card toting" Mormon. You'd never know it now though! lol I think he had a fully ride scholarship though.