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With six children, the question we are most often asked is, “How will you afford college?” And while we’ve wondered the very same thing ourselves, we hadn’t really fretted over it, trusting that God would lead us and provide where needed.
At the same time, we have become increasingly uninterested in sending our children out of our home to study in an institution that may or may not teach from a Biblical worldview. And having both been there ourselves, we aren’t too keen on the lifestyle espoused on the majority of college campuses today.
Enter Accelerated Distance Learning. Had I known the methods of earning my undergraduate degree put forth by Brad Voeller of Global Learning Strategies (www.globallearningstrategies.org), I could have saved my parents the tens of thousands of dollars it cost them to put me through a private four-year university. And I might have used those four years for more meaningful pursuits rather than sitting through course after course as I jumped through the hoops toward graduation.
Mr. Voeller’s book is both inspiring and practical. Just think--your student could potentially earn a bachelor’s degree in less than six months and for under $5,000 and do so primarily from home. Is that not inspiring?
While I, too, was inspired and excited at the possibilities, the concept of Accelerated Distance Learning was entirely new to me and so I was pleased to read helpful chapters describing specific tests, how to prepare for them, and who specifically to contact. Testing programs like the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) offer tests that are accepted at more than 2,900 colleges and universities. With tests like CLEP, Excelsior, DANTES, and the Thomas Edison College Examination Program, your student can complete the equivalent of six credit hours of coursework in a single afternoon!
In addition to testing for credit techniques, Mr. Voeller outlines five steps to producing great portfolios, answers common questions about creating a portfolio, and diagrams the components of a well-constructed portfolio. This is especially helpful if your student has had learning experiences such as internships, foreign travel, or missionary work that he can document and thereby gain additional college credits.
How can it all be achieved in so little time, you wonder? Mr. Voeller is a proponent of speed-reading techniques, gives excellent tips for writing college-level papers, and even shows your student how to develop a photographic memory. And if your student has been a poor test taker in the past, Mr. Voeller’s chapter on test-taking techniques might be just the help you’re looking for.
Chapters covering internships, online and correspondence courses, and independent study opened my eyes to the other paths my students might take to achieve their educational goals. The chapters are jam-packed with practical information, and the appendixes in the back of the book list degrees and courses available online and through correspondence study, credit-by-examination programs, degree-planning worksheets, Internet resources, and accrediting agencies. If you decide that the Accelerated Distance Learning idea is the right one for your student, you won’t be left wondering how to go about it. All of the nitty-gritty practical stuff is there.
--Product review by Kendra Fletcher, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC
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