• Milestones

    • The main focus of this degree pathway is flexibility, so you can progress through this process in almost anyway you choose.  However, there are a few “milestones” that you need to accomplish in a specific order: 

       

      MILESTONE 1: Enroll in this Program with Saylor, and Apply to Thomas Edison State University

      After you've reviewed all of the information, and believe this to be the right program for you, you should "enroll" in this program through Saylor Academy (which can be done from the Course administration block to the left). Unlike traditional course enrollment at Saylor, which provides you access to assessments, enrolling in this program through Saylor is simply a signal that you are interested in pursuing this degree at Thomas Edison State College. By enrolling, we will be better able to keep you informed of any updates and changes that may occur, and can better track your progress and support you in your quest for this degree.

      At some point in the degree process, you will also need to apply to Thomas Edison State University. This will grant you access to University advisors and mentors, and is a required step prior to enrolling in one required course that is only available at TESU (Milestone 3 below). It will also allow you to participate in portfolio assessment if needed (Milestone 2) and earn your degree. If you do intend to pursue this whole program, apply just some Saylor earned credit towards a TESU degree, or to take a single TECEP exam as a matriculated TESU student, then we would encourage you to apply to TESU right away, and to choose the Per Credit Tuition Plan, so that you can take advantage of the benefits of being a TESU student early on.


      MILESTONE 2: Prove Mastery of English Composition & Complete PLA100/200 Course.

      This milestone is only required as a pre-requisite if you intend to make use of Thomas Edison's Portfolio Assessment option to receive credit for some of your course work. 

      If this is the case, and you are not able to satisfy requirements for English 101 and 102 via transfer credit from elsewhere, then you must complete the TECEP exams for ENC101 English Composition I and ENC102 English Composition II prior to your submission of any PLA portfolios. 

      You can prepare for these exams by taking the corresponding Saylor courses (ENGL001: English Composition I and ENGL002: English Composition II).  If you think you are reasonably good at writing, you can also just sign up to take the TECEP exams right away (note that these exams are Pass/Fail). If you do not intend to use the Portfolio Assessment option, then you may complete the English Composition requirements at any point during your studies (though it is encouraged that you complete them early on, as they provide fundamental skills that will be valuable as you attempt to complete other courses).

      If you do intend to use a portfolio review as your assessment method for any courses, then you will also need to take Thomas Edison's PLA-100/200 course, which review the concept and methods of prior learning assessment and will show you how to document and articulate your prior learning through the creation of portfolio assessments. Versions of these PLA courses are now openly licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC-BY 4.0), and can be freely accessed here (PLA-100) (PLA-200). Note however that you will not receive credit towards your degree for working through the open version of these courses.


      MILESTONE 3: Complete Thomas Edison's Information Literacy Requirement

      The only Thomas Edison State University ASBA degree requirement that does not have a Saylor Direct Credit Exam, TECEP, or Portfolio assessment option, is Information Literacy.

      If you are not able to satisfy this requirement via transfer credit from elsewhere, you will need to complete a course with TESU. Review TESU's list of General Education courses to find one that fulfills this requirement.


      MILESTONE 4: Complete the Remaining Requirements

      In order to earn your ASBA degree, you must complete the remaining requirements listed on the degree map, using some combination of the courses and assessments available.

      With the exception the Oral Communication, each requirement does list at least one tuition-free Saylor Academy course that can be used to prepare for your assessment. However, we do expect and understand that many students pursuing this degree will have already completed coursework from TESU, or other institutions, which may be able to fulfill the listed requirements. If you have already earned college credit, you are encouraged to speak with a TESU advisor to see how that credit may be applied to this program.


      Note: Students who enrolled in the Open ASBA degree program before the July 2015  or July 2016 semesters and continue to remain enrolled are grandfathered in to the requirements for this degree as they were at that time. If you are one of those students and have a question about those previous requirements, please contact your TESU advisor.