Human kind is actively addressing, decoding, and reconfiguring the physical and biological world through application of science and technology. Academic and research institutions around the globe have developed educational access services designed to assist their civil populations in acquiring the concept knowledge needed to conduct this reconfiguring of the physical and biological world creating in the process a nearly universal system of public schooling systems that have extend oppertunity for self education to individuals throughout the world. Particularly valuable to students are the independent studies, objective assessment, and evaluation for credit, aspects of these programs. It is worthwhile for students and advisors to consider most carefully the resources that this global network of instructinal inicatives offers to individual's who take the time to learn about, benefit from, and expose their collegues to their knowledge of today's open source education, assessment, and testing for credit oppertunities. The Earth and Space Studies staff strongly recommends students, their parents, and their academic advisors, become familiar with credit by assement, alternate credit, and independent learning programs. Oppertunities exist for many students to make good use of self study which results in and awared of academic credit and or advanced standing in essentially every disicipline that has established a recognized academic degree program leading to the fullfillment of a masters or main stream bachlors at any accredited post secondary college or university program offering degrees in the Liberial arts and sciences disiciplines. Making inquires into learning oppertunities that augment their specific study interest in specific academic disiciplines. We suggest in particular that students and advisors become familiar with the major college testing options for, equivelancy exams, and challange exams. The novice student or advisor is often pleasently suprised at the range of programing available and even more delighted to discover how much time and money may be saved with the inclusion of some of these testing and studies elements in their individualized academic plans. Once students understand how the college challange exams progams work they will have a leg up on completing their studies and an added of felxability in meeting their time targets and career goals. Many students may be greatly benefited by and quite enthuastic about the added flexiblity and personal targeting these options offer. One never knows at what point they may need to adjust an academic program to accomodate the personal or professional responsibilities discovered during the course of study. Toward the same end we encourage students and advisors to inform themselves about several of the high profile programs by budgeting some time to review and understand how these programs work in advance of using them. We encourage students to acquire a sense of responsible self interest and to take advantage of support programs that provide them oppertunity to development of their individual taste, needs, interest; and support self interested responced that acknowledge and accomodate their developmental circumstances as interacting, proactive, adaptive, responsible, and active learners. In the same informed sense of self interest it is worthwhile that post secondary education researchers and students check out the Web as a source of materials information and basic resources and that they glean a sense of what unique and distinct oppertunities lay fallow in their local community. In developing an individualized program plan in ones chosen study areas it is a distinctly advantagous to possess a knowledge of web based material, testing programs, alternate credit options, and local resources. It is advantageous to observe local work sites, research programs, and natural resources related to ones educational program. These pratical student directable actions are consistent with acquiring professional awareness, developing a sense of the field work possibilities, and gaining a feel for research activities which may be developed locally. Perhaps, most importantly, in the case of students, the oppertunity to iniciate themselves what is pretty much available to them simply for the asking as sometimes the oppertunity to develop ones understanding and skill is right in front of ones face requiring only presentation of ones interest and the sharing of a pratical plan of action!

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Consider Academic Testing Programs to augment your college plan.

Testing Programs may be used to assess your academic progress and are commonly accepted by Colleges and Universities. Total credit awarded, exams accepted, scores required, and applicability to program requirements varies by institution. It is prudent to consult the college catalog, student advising office, and college testing office for current policy regarding testing programs.
1. CLEP's College Level Exam Program ---> 34 Exams
2. DANTES's DSST ---> 37 Exams
3. Excelsior's College ---> 38 Exams
4. AP's Advanced Placement ---> 35 Exams
__Tens-of-thousands of credit hours are awarded to
college students every year by schools that accept qualifying scores from students who have taken one or more challange exam.
Besides the distinguished programs noted above there are others worth considering. Many exams are available around the world through monitored programs and proctored exams.
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