Jon Marc Taylor #503273
1115 E, Pence Road
Cameron, Missouri 64429
Prisoners' GUERRILLA HANDBOOK To Correspondence Programs in the U.S. & Canada
PMB 103 BOX 1305
Brunswick, ME 04011
$24.95 + shipping
Part: I
II IIIPIECING TOGETHER A COLLEGE EDUCATION
BEHIND BARS
Part IVE-Mail by Jon Marc Taylor, MA Bio/Address
In the previous three articles of this series, we have examined the reasons and benefits to pursue a college education, the value and use of Credit-Equivalency exams, reviewed the use of End-of-Course tests, virtually unlimited credit accumulation potential of learning portfolios, and the option that credit bank services can offer in documenting a substantial portion of your class credits. This final article will examine associate and bachelor degree curriculums, sample some of the "best buys" in traditional correspondence study, with a special note regarding accreditation, and to pull all this information together.
In any institutional setting, pursuit of a higher education is an arduous task. The quest of a college education via distance education is especially difficult with all the attendant rules, regulations, and policies of both the schools involved and department of corrections endured, even the particular prison itself. You have many masters, but only you are the captain of your fate. To undertake such a dream, you must plan a step-by-step approach.
The first task is to collect and review your institution's and system's policies regarding distance education enrollments, as well as associated regulations, such as personal property restrictions. These will provide the parameters within which you will have to construct your course of study. Contact your prison's education supervisor and see what assistance and advice he or she can provide. The education administrator can be your best ally, smoothing out the inevitable glitches, or your worst bureaucratic nightmare by obtusely or even malevolently failing to manage your education program.
CURRICULUM CONSTRUCTION:
The next step in your goal of a college degree is to plan your course of study. It is the responsibility of the distance education students to design a curriculum to fulfill the degree requirements he or she seeks to achieve.
To be able to design your curriculum (the courses you need to take) you have to know what degree you want to achieve, and where you want to earn it. The selection of a college or university to enroll in encompasses more than just the distance degree program it offers. Also dependent are the number of transfer credit hours permitted towards degree requirements (the more the better), the acceptance of Equivalency-Exam and portfolio credits (the more liberal the better), and the tuition fee per course hour (the lower the better).
There are two basic types of undergraduate degrees: Associate of Arts or Sciences, which is generally a two-year degree, requiring from 50 to 70 semester-based credit hours; and Bachelor of Arts or Sciences, generally a four-year degree, requiring from 120 to 130 semester-based credit hours. The Associate degree provides a basic or foundational college education, with "science-oriented" degrees fulfilling specific technical training, such as advanced automotive or computer certifications. The Bachelor degree is built upon the foundation of an Associate degree, and basically provides two more years of more focused education in a major or dual minor areas of study.
My recommendation, based upon the enlightenment of the personal experience of 180-credit hours, observation of hundreds of other prisoner-college students, and intense scholastic research, is to take as many diverse types of courses as possible within your limited circumstances and permitted by the latitude of your chosen degree curriculum. All schools provide curriculum counselors. Be sure to use their services and have their approvals for your chosen curriculum. For examples of generic Associate and Bachelor degree curriculum outlines, SEE Sidebar 1.
"BEST BUYS" IN CORRESPONDENCE STUDY:In the vast majority of cases, no matter how many Equivalency-Exam and life-experience portfolio credits you have been able to achieve, for most of us, we are going to have to take from a minimum of five (for an Associate's degree) to ten (for a Bachelors degree) correspondence, three-credit hour courses from the college or university from which we are seeking a diploma.
Actually, this is a good thing. There is nothing quite as satisfying in prison as successfully completing the struggle to earn a grade in a college course. The feeling of enhanced self-respect and self-worth you achieve from your own efforts to overcome all institutional and intellectual obstacles to complete a class is like no other self-satisfying rush! Other than perhaps winning your pro se written brief before the Supreme Court, but then how many of us get a chance to do that.
As mentioned previously there are many factors to consider when selecting a school for enrollment. To be detailed in the following section, accreditation is an essential qualifier. Tuition rates are another important factor to consider but should not be the overriding qualifier. As listed in Sidebars 2 & 3, "Effective Rates" (ER) for tuition are listed computing all administrative and registration expenses, tuition fees, averaged to an across the board comparable sum per credit hour. While tuition rates increase every year, the listed schools offer some of the "best buys" in the nation. Do not forget the other factors to consider in the school selection process, such as the flexibility of credit transfer and acceptance policies.
There are other colleges and universities offering tuition rates below the national average to consider as well. Indiana University (SEE Sidebar 4), with a tuition rate of $98.75 per credit hour, offering Certificate, Associate and Bachelor degrees, with more than 200 correspondence courses, along with an international scholastic reputation and academic recognition is a program worth considering. Perhaps you wish to graduate from a school in your state, of your favorite college team, or from which dear old mum and dad graduated. Whatever your motives, apply the suggested criteria balanced against your resources and proudly select your future alma mater. "When it all comes together," as Douglas G. Dean, whom while in prison earned his Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate (University of South Africa—now that's distance education!) knowingly observes, "it is the greatest feeling in the world."
NOTE ON ACCREDITATION:
A basic factor of importance when selecting a school Is determining if it is "accredited." Accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency assures a student that the "accredited school" has met certain standards concerning *:he quality of education, faculty qualifications, appropriate text and materials, financial stability, etc. Earning course credits at one accredited school generally assures the transferability of those classes to another college, excepting that particular institution's policies and curriculum.
There is no one national accrediting agency. There are six regional associations (SEE Sidebar 4) and the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which generally accredits independent and proprietary schools. If those schools you are interested are accredited by any of these listed associations, you can be assured of transferable credits and a recognized degree.
Recently, unauthorized or U.S. Department of Education non-recognized accrediting agencies have been formed to "sell" essentially false credentials to "diploma mill" programs. The World Association of Universities and Colleges is such a private accrediting agency. Ca
vet Emptor: "Buyer Beware" should be your watch word when picking a school. If it is not accredited by one of the cited agencies, by which all state supported colleges and universities must be accredited according to their charters, then you would best be advised to avoid them.PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Now you know your basic options. Now you need to evaluate your life experiences. Collect some Equivalency-Exam preparation booklets and texts, send for various schools' distance education materials, and start building your university curriculum towards your goal of a college degree.
The biggest difference in distance education is that you do not have the classroom experience, which usually provides an opportunity for face-to-face interaction with your instructor and other students. You will have to be even more self-reliant than an on-campus student. Your entire degree program rests in your hands, dependent on your creativity, determination, and motivation.
Whether you are preparing for an Equivalency Exam, End-of -Course test, or regular correspondence lesson, you will need to establish some good study habits.
Set a time and place to study. You need a schedule, and the more strictly you can keep to it, the more likely you are to be successful in your studies. Eliminate as many distractions as possible. For example, when others are out of the cell block for recreation, you study. Block out the range’s roar by learning to concentrate with headphones on.
Set deadlines. Divide the amount of work required for your courses by the number of months you have to complete them. This gives you a schedule and a series of deadlines to guide your pace through the course work.
When you set up your study plan, allow some extra time for lessons to be reviewed by the instructor and for assignments and exams to be graded and returned—not to mention the occasional "interruptions" in prison routine.
Read your instructor’s comments on the graded written assignments and exams. Ask additional questions and keep your returned assignments for study purposes. Here is a hint: many exam questions are derived from assignment questions.
With judicious use of Life-Experience credits, Equivalency-Exams, and an average of ten courses at $75.00 a credit hour, plus the costs of texts, you can piece together the 120 necessary credit hours for a Baccalaureate for less than $4000.00 With someone really on top of their game, this sum (which is one-fifth of what was projected in the first article of this series) could even be cut in half!
It is all up to you. If you have the will, you can succeed beyond your expectations. With some work and time, build your academic file and keep it close. The limits you face are those you place upon yourself. There is always a way to piece your college education together behind bars. Mind the thoughts of William M. Bulger:
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There is never a better measure of what a person is than when he is absolutely free to choose |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jon Marc Taylor received the Robert F. Kennedy and The Nation/I.F. Stone Journalism Awards for his reporting on "Pell Grants for Prisoners," and is the author of the Prisoners' GUERRILLA HANDBOOK To Correspondence Programs in the U.S. &^ Canada; $23.95 ($3.00 discount for prisoners) from Audenreed Press, PMB 103 / FOB 1305, Brunswick, ME 04011
(Author retains all second serial /reprint rights)
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SIDEBAR 1 |
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GENERIC CURRICULUMS |
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ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE: |
BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE: |
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Basic College Skills |
6-hours |
Basic College Skills |
9-hours |
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Arts & Humanities |
12-hours |
Humanities |
9-hours |
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Natural Sciences |
9-hours |
Physical Sciences |
6-hours |
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Social Sciences |
12-hours |
Mathematics |
6-hours |
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Mathematics |
6-hours |
English & Communications |
12-hours |
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English & Communications |
9-hours |
Social Sciences |
15-hours |
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Electives |
9-hours |
Foreign Languages |
6-hours |
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Electives |
9-hours |
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Major Field of Study |
48-hours |
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SIDEBAR 2 |
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TUITION "BEST BUY" SCHOOLS |
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LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY Office of Independent Study E106 Pleasant Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1508 160-Courses ER: $63.33 per credit hour |
SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY Correspondence Division P.O. Box 2536 Huntsville, TX 77341-2536 57-Courses ER: $ 52.00 per credit hour |
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SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE UNIV Office of Correspondence Studies 601 University Drive San Marcos, TX 78666 60-Courses ER: 57.00 per credit hour |
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE Guided Independent Study P.O. Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429-3011 30-Courses ER: $60.00/75.00 per credit |
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UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS Office of Credit Studies 2 East Center Street Fayetteville, AR 72701 110-Courses ER: $63/73.00 per credit hour |
UNIVERSITY CENTRAL ARKANSAS Division Continuing Education 201 Donaghey Avenue Conway, AR 72035-5001 70-Courses ER: $73.33 per credit hour |
SIDEBAR 3
DEGREE GRANTING "BEST BUY" SCHOOLS
LIFE BIBLE COLLEGE
School of Distance Learning
1100 West Covina Boulevard
San Dimas, CA 91773
Associate of Arts (64-hours)
20-Courses
ER: $65.00 per credit hour
TAYLOR UNIVERSITY
World Wide Campus
1025 West Rudisill Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46807
Certificates (18-hours)
Associate of Arts (64-hours)
125-Courses
ER: $69/89.00* per credit
OHIO UNIVERSITY
College Program for the Incarcerated**
Tupper Hall 307
Athens, OH 45701-2979
Associate of Arts/Sciences (72-hours)
Associate in Applied Business (66-hours)
160-Courses
ER: $75.00* per credit hour
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Outreach & Extended Study
P.O. Box 42191
Lubbock, TX 79409-2191
Bachelor General (125-hours)
Bachelor Bus Admin (125-hours)
70-Coursas
ER: $88.00 per credit hour
*Special Prisoners' Tuition Rates
**CPI specifically designed for inmate-students' needs
SIDEBAR 4
ANOTHER GOOD PROGRAM:
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
School of Continuing Studies
790 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405-7101
Certificate in Healthcare Accounting & Financial Management (9-hours)
Certificate in Labor Studies (30-hours)
Associate of Science in Labor Studies (60-hours)
Associate in General Studies (60-hours)
Bachelor of Science in Labor Studies (120-hours)
Bachelor in General Studies (120-hours)
225-Courses
ER: 98.75 per credit hour
SIDEBAR 5
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZED
ACCREDITATION AGENCIE
S:Distance Education & Training Council
Middle States Association of Schools & Colleges
New England Association of Schools & Colleges
North Central Association of Colleges & Schools
Northwest Association of Schools & Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges & Schools
Western Association of Schools & Colleges
Jon Marc would appreciate any comments you would care to share. E-Mail
Part IV - you are here