How has degree planning changed over the years?

[Sunny21]

I graduated from Charter Oak twenty years ago now, and the planning itself was easier back then when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. There were fewer options for alt-credit, so it wasn't hard to figure out how to make the most of what there was. In my case, I just took transfer credit from various places I'd accumulated over the years, did a boatload of CLEP tests, took a few upper division courses that nothing else would cover, and that was that.

The actual execution, however, is easier nowadays, though, because there's an inexpensive option out there for nearly every requirement—even the requirement for actual college/university coursework. So it's not as big a deal that one needs more of that now than in my day.

When did Study and Sophia become mainstream 2015 ISH?

A shame Charter Oak has gone less transfer friendly

[SteveFoerster]

A shame Charter Oak has gone less transfer friendly

I can't disagree. I've been on the Alumni Association board for a long time, and I've told the administration how alumni like me feel, but it is what it is.

[ss20ts]

Furthermore, the pricing got cheaper as Coursera, Sophia.org, Study.com, and other alternative options such as StraighterLine now have package deals, promotions, and/or sales.  Moreover, you have ETAMU/UMPI recently allowing a transfer of 90 credits, you can complete the 30 residency credits in one or two sessions and the degree can be had for easier and faster!  Essentially, it's become much better now than it was before...

How much cheaper have third party credit platforms become over time?

Before Covid, Sophia was $349 per class. Now they have multiple plans with a flat fee for however many classes you can complete during your plan period. Coursera was free for many residents during Covid as the states were covering the fees.

[Sunny21]

Furthermore, the pricing got cheaper as Coursera, Sophia.org, Study.com, and other alternative options such as StraighterLine now have package deals, promotions, and/or sales.  Moreover, you have ETAMU/UMPI recently allowing a transfer of 90 credits, you can complete the 30 residency credits in one or two sessions and the degree can be had for easier and faster!  Essentially, it's become much better now than it was before...

How much cheaper have third party credit platforms become over time?

Before Covid, Sophia was $349 per class. Now they have multiple plans with a flat fee for however many classes you can complete during your plan period. Coursera was free for many residents during Covid as the states were covering the fees.

Sophia was really costly then. So COVID was the great driver in cost reduction.

[origamishuttle]

Sophia was really costly then. So COVID was the great driver in cost reduction.

For Sophia, yes, that was the big turning point, although their subscription pricing has changed a bit over the years. Recently Study.com changed their subscription options to effectively reduce the cost of their courses dramatically, especially for those who can complete them quickly. It can actually be faster to complete courses on Study.com now because of the recent Sophia no-extra-courses policy change.

[Mint Berry Crunch]

In some ways, it’s gotten much easier.

Years ago, degree hacking mostly meant CLEP and DSST, and that required a lot more test-prep, test-anxiety, and sometimes travel to testing centers. Now with Sophia, Study.com, Coursera ACE/NCCRS options, there’s a much wider menu of self-paced, low-stress alternatives. For most students, that makes knocking out gen eds and electives significantly faster and more affordable.

But in other ways, it’s gotten a bit more complicated.

With so many alternative credit providers, the “What fits where?” question has gotten trickier. Schools change their transfer policies more frequently, and we’ve seen some formerly generous institutions tighten up on upper-level credit or residency requirements. Planning used to be fairly straightforward: pass the right exams, send the credits, done. Now it sometimes takes more research to make sure each course still transfers the way it used to.

Overall, the flexibility today is miles ahead of what it used to be.

Back then, CLEPs and DSSTs mostly funneled people into Liberal Arts or Business degrees because those were the only programs that lined up well with the available exams. Now, thanks to the huge variety of courses from providers like Sophia, Study.com, Coursera, and others, you can realistically build alternative-credit pathways into many more majors. The range of degree options has expanded just as much as the number of credit sources.

Great response! I think this sums it up well. Thanks to alt credit sources - including CS/IT LL & UL credits from Coursera - I was able to max out my transfer credits at all the colleges/unis I went to by either direct transfer or through a PLA.

[bjcheung77]

For Sophia, yes, that was the big turning point, although their subscription pricing has changed a bit over the years. Recently Study.com changed their subscription options to effectively reduce the cost of their courses dramatically, especially for those who can complete them quickly. It can actually be faster to complete courses on Study.com now because of the recent Sophia no-extra-courses policy change.

Exactly! This recent policy change at Sophia.org is somewhat restrictive on the number of classes you can potentially finish per month, they only allow two classes at a time. If you know how to manage your classes and is effective/efficient, great with time management, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Having said that, my preference would be Study.com due to the classes you can complete for general education and electives that can max your transfer to an institution (most of the classes on their College Starter plan).

[Sunny21]

For Sophia, yes, that was the big turning point, although their subscription pricing has changed a bit over the years. Recently Study.com changed their subscription options to effectively reduce the cost of their courses dramatically, especially for those who can complete them quickly. It can actually be faster to complete courses on Study.com now because of the recent Sophia no-extra-courses policy change.

Exactly! This recent policy change at Sophia.org is somewhat restrictive on the number of classes you can potentially finish per month, they only allow two classes at a time.  If you know how to manage your classes and is effective/efficient, great with time management, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.  Having said that, my preference would be Study.com due to the classes you can complete for general education and electives that can max your transfer to an institution (most of the classes on their College Starter plan).

You can read the pdfs just in course preview so you can still keep going if there are delays in your current two courses.

[bjcheung77]

For Sophia.org, Reading the PDF's are a good option when you've hit the limit, but, it's only for preview/review of the material as you mentioned, I don't think you're able to proceed with actually completing the class quizzes, milestones, and/or touchstones. People need to decide if that's too much of a barrier, if not, continue with Sophia.org, if so, switch to Study.com, or even use Study.com first - decide which one has most/if not all the requirements for their general education, electives, and even some of the major/minor.

[Sunny21]

For Sophia.org, Reading the PDF's are a good option when you've hit the limit, but, it's only for preview/review of the material as you mentioned, I don't think you're able to proceed with actually completing the class quizzes, milestones, and/or touchstones.  People need to decide if that's too much of a barrier, if not, continue with Sophia.org, if so, switch to Study.com, or even use Study.com first - decide which one has most/if not all the requirements for their general education, electives, and even some of the major/minor.

The problem I find with study is when you look at a course is that 100 plus lessons just looks overwhelming.