Ocial Newsle er for Charter Oak State College Students

From the Desk of the Provost

I want to take a few minutes to impress upon you the importance of participating in your courses on a regular basis. All colleges are under tighter scrutiny due to changes in regulations at the federal level, particularly regulations surrounding financial aid. Colleges are not allowed to disburse financial aid dollars to students who are not actively participating in their courses. Logging in does not constitute participation. You must be involved in threaded discussions, turn in an assignment, and have work that can be documented, if needed. To assist with this requirement we have implemented a product called Starfish. Starfish sends automatic notices to students who are not logging into their courses or not participating to the minimum standards set by their instructors. If Starfish notifies us that a student has not logged in during the first week or after 10 days, we take action. We can also look into the course to see if work has been submitted or if there has been participation in the threaded discussions. If the student has not been actively participating, the student could be administratively withdrawn from the course, lose financial aid or end up owing the College money. If a student gets a notice from Starfish that he/she has been inactive, it is not enough to just log in. The student needs to go in and actually do the missed work, if the instructor allows this option. If you know you will not be able to log into your course and have made arrangements with your instructor about completing work, please be sure to alert the Academic Counseling Office with proof of this arrangement to advising@charteroak.edu. You will still get the automated emails, but it will prevent unnecessary further actions from the Registrars Office. In one of the previous issues of Update, I mentioned that Charter Oak is now part of the Board of Regents (BOR). The BOR has hired a new president. There is a brief article about Dr. Gregory Gray on page 13. Other items of interest include: Our health care administration concentration was approved as a major by the BOR. We have corresponded with all students currently in the concentration giving them the opportunity to move to the major. Charter Oak received a breakthrough grant from the Gates Foundation to do some innovations around prior learning assessment. Eight members of the college attended an intensive three day meeting in Seattle with the other seven colleges who received funding as well to develop a plan for moving the project forward.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Fall Registration .................... New Courses ......................... New Core Faculty .................. Graduation deadlines ............ Confirmation Letters ............... Commencement 2013 ........... Student Advisory Committee .. Course Evaluation results ..... Protect your identity ............... Student Association News ..... Online chats .......................... New Refund Deadlines ......... Board of Regents President .. Testing News .........................

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UPDATE is edited by Gale Terrill Commencement Coordinator and Assistant to the Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies

Shirley M. Adams

Undergraduate Program News

Enroll in Your Fall 2013 courses NOW!

Fall registration is currently open. The last day to register for Full Semester, Term 1 and Session 1 courses is Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 4 p.m. Only payment at time of registration will secure a seat in your course. We recommend that you register early to avoid being closed out of the course you want. To view a listing of fall courses, click on https://acorn.charteroak.edu/ics/

Please check the academic calendar for other important dates!

https://acorn.charteroak.edu/ICS/Home_Page.jnz?portlet=Calendar

Fall 2013 Course Offerings

The following nine new courses will be offered in the fall. For more details visit http://www.charteroak.edu/syllabus/ ECE 490 HIM 200 HIM 300 HIM 305 HIM 315 MAT 121 MAT 152 MGT 352 PSY 306 Child Study Capstone for ECTC Health Information Systems Medical Vocabularies & Classifications Healthcare Organization Healthcare Statistics Pre-calculus Calculus 1 ( 4 credits) Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Meet Our New Core Faculty

The duties and responsibilities of the core faculty includes the following: To establish requirements for such degrees as the College is authorized to award; To establish requirements and standards for award of academic credit and academic assessment; To advise students; To validate credits earned at other accredited institutions; To make original awards of credit; To make recommendations to the governing board for award of degrees to duly enrolled and qualified candidates; and To teach and develop courses and assess student work. Business Committee: Gregory R. Berry has a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, Canada in Organizational Leadership as well as an M.B. A. in Organizational Behavior and Organizational Analysis. He is currently a Professor of Management at Central Connecticut State University. Prior to his position at Central, he was an Associate Professor at Utah Valley State College, Brigham Young University and Texas Wesleyan University. He brings practical experience in the field of human resource management and entrepreneurship. He started three retail operations and worked as the Economic Development Director for Native Indian Bands in Alberta His published work include the journal articles Enhancing Virtual Team Effectiveness: Why Traditional Team Skills are Insufficient and Making Sense of Small Business Growth: A Right WorkForce Template for Growing Firms. He will bring to the College subject matter expertise for course development and review within the Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship focus. Veronica Gill, Assistant Professor, Department of Management/Management Information Systems at Southern Connecticut State University, has a J.D. with a concentration in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and a B.S. in English from Dartmouth College. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Southern, she teaches Charter Oaks HRM 312 Employment Law course and has taught the HRM capstone course. She will bring to the college subject matter expertise in the area of business law as well as human resource management. Jane OGrady, Allied Health Programs Coordinator at Northwestern Connecticut Community Technical College, has a Masters of Healthcare Education from St. Josephs College in Maine, an ADNRN from Berkshire Community College and a Bachelor of Science from Charter Oak State College. She teaches courses in Medical Assisting, Health Information Management, Medical Billing and Coding. She will bring to the college subject matter expertise in the area of health information management, health care administration, and health studies. Timothy J. Raynor, Assistant Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Business Administration, Management and Sport Management Day Program at Albertus Magnus College. He has experience teaching in the traditional, accelerated, blended and online graduate and undergraduate degree programs. He also has experience in developing online and blended courses for Albertus Magnus. He will bring to the college subject matter expertise in the area of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.

Committee on History and Humanities Rev. Steven Blackburn, Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures and Library Director for the Hartford Seminary. He has experience teaching Arabic, Islamic Studies, and French. He has a Ph.D. in Religion and a B.D. in Old Testament Language and Literature from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland, and an M.S. in Arabic as well as a B.S.F.S. in International Affairs from Georgetown University. He will bring to the college his experience in Religious and Judaic Studies as well as foreign language expertise. Jon Brammer, Humanities and English Instructor and Writing Center Coordinator at Three Rivers Community College. He has a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Sacred Heart University and a Master of Arts in English language and linguistics from the University of Wisconsin. He has designed new curriculum for world religions and ethics courses as well as teaching freshman composition and developmental composition. His experience as a writing tutor and writing center coordinator include the development of the University of Wisconsin Online Writing Lab (OWL). Kate McGrath, is an Associate Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University. She has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in History from Emory University, as well as Bachelors Degrees in History and Political Science from the University of Georgia. She teaches or has taught courses in medieval history, world history, women, gender and sexuality studies, emotions and violence Studies as well as social studies for secondary education. We welcome the expertise she brings to Charter Oak in the history and political science areas. Angela Morales is a Professor of Spanish at Central Connecticut State University. She has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.S. teaching certification in Spanish Grammar and Literature from the Universidad Autnoma de Madrid, Spain. In addition, she has advised a number of student thesis and projects. She would bring to the College the depth of knowledge we need to advise students with a modern language background.

Math, Science, and Technology Committee Thomas R. Burkholder, is chair and Professor of Chemistry at Central Connecticut State University. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in Chemistry from James Madison University. His list of courses taught includes physical chemistry thermodynamics, kinetics, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics and spectroscopy as well as supervising and advising student teachers in the B.S. Ed. Chemistry program. He would bring to the College the depth of knowledge we need to advise students with a chemistry background. Kegan G.G. Samuel, is a mathematics instructor at Naugatuck Valley Community College. He has a Ph.D. in and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida and an M.S. in applied Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His list of courses taught range from prealgebra to calculus. He also teaches mathematics online using various platforms and is proficient in the use of Blackboard Learn. He will bring to the College the knowledge we need to advise students with a mathematics or computer science background.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Committee Mitchell Beck, Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education at Central Connecticut State University. He has an Ed. D. in Special Education from Wayne State University and an M.A. in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University. He has been actively involved with seriously emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered youth for the past forty-five years. During that time, he has been a teacher; director of a residential treatment facility; coordinator of an alternative school and professor in teacher training in social/emotional disorders. He has been recognized as an expert in the area of crisis intervention. He has published numerous articles, chapters and a text in this field. Edgar Colon, is a Professor of Social Work and Urban Studies at Southern Connecticut State University. He teaches the Charter Oak Sociology capstone course and sociology courses and is a member of our Distance Learning Committee. He has a DSW from the City University of New York Graduate Center and an M.A. from the Columbia University School of Social Work. At SCSU he teaches courses in social welfare management, clinical practice and research.

Assessment Committee Leonard M. Giambra, is the Director of Institutional Research at the United States Coast Guard Academy. He has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Psychology from The Ohio State University as well as a certificate in teaching at a distance from the University of Maryland. He has previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Miami University and Director of Institutional Research and Planning at Baltimore City Community College. Qing Lin Mack, is the Director of Institutional Research at Asnuntuck Community College. She is pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Hartford and has an M.S. in International Studies from Central Connecticut State University and a B.A. in Japanese Language from the Chinese Peoples Public Security University in Beijing, China. Her previous positions include Associate Director of Institutional Research for the Connecticut State University System and Japanese language instructor in Beijing.

Distance Learning Committee Jeff Dykes is a Science Instructor and Instruction & Classroom Support Technician at Wenatchee Valley College in Omak, Washington as well as an adjunct science instructor for Charter Oak State College and Grays Harbor College in Washington. He has a Master of Science degree in Forest Resources (Emphasis in Microbial Biochemistry and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Washington, a B.S. in Paramedics/Chemistry from Central Washington University and an Associate of Arts in Natural Science and Music Theory. He has published numerous articles and won the Quality Matters Blue Ribbon award for his online chemistry course. Because of his expertise in chemistry, biology, anatomy & physiology and environmental science and on-line technology will be a great asset to Charter Oak as we strengthen our science and health studies curriculum.

Charter Oak awards degrees three times a year (on May 31, August 31, and December 31). Diplomas are also issued three times a year, 4-6 weeks after the May, August and December conferral dates.

Reminder! Graduation Deadlines

Please note that your degree will not be awarded if you have an outstanding balance on your account. To receive your diploma, you must also have completed your financial aid exit interview (if applicable).

If you have any questions, please contact Paul Morganti, Associate Registrar, at pmorganti@charteroak.edu.
The annual commencement ceremony is the first Sunday in June. The next commencement ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, June 1, 2014

Criteria for Letters Confirming Your Graduation

We receive a number of requests from students asking that a letter be sent to a college or to an employer verifying the date of their graduation. We are more than happy to honor this request. However, you should not make the request unless the following criteria have ALL been met: 1. Your academic autobiography or your concentration and essay has been approved. 2. You have submitted your graduation application and survey (see deadlines for submission). 3. You have completed all academic requirements (contact your academic counselor). 4. All of your transcripts have been received by Charter Oak. 5. All fees have been paid (including the graduation fee). 6. All financial aid requirements have been completed. When you have met the above criteria, requests should be made in writing to the Associate Registrar, Paul Morganti, 55 Paul J. Manafort Drive, New Britain, CT 06053, or email pmorganti@charteroak.edu. The request should include the name, title and address of the recipient.

Commencement June 2, 2013

. For the third year in a row commencement day was absolutely beautiful! Temperatures were in the mid-80s with beautiful blue skies. 158 graduates participated this year and Welte Auditorium was filled to the brim with their proud families and friends. We continued with the tradition begun last year by having a bagpiper and this year, Charter Oak alum Tara Keating led the procession into the auditorium. As the graduates followed President Ed Klonoski Tara into the auditorium the audience erupted into cheers and tears! Her joyful and soulful music lent even more pomp and circumstance to the ceremony, and we hope to continue this tradition for all subsequent commencement ceremonies. Many of our faculty and staff were on hand to meet our graduates and their very proud families at the brunch preceding the ceremony and at the reception following. If you will be graduating between August 31, 2013 and May 31, 2014, we hope to meet you and your families at the June 1, 2014 ceremony! A few facts about this years class. Four hundred and eighty-nine graduates comprised the class of 2013. Of those 67% were female and 63% of the graduates were from Connecticut. Graduates represented 34 states and 10 countries (Belarus, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Sweden), as well as graduates serving overseas in the armed services. Graduates from 19 states were in attendance as well as Sweden. The average age was 38 and their ages ranged from 18 to 71. The Board of Regents and the College awarded the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, to one of Charter Oak State Colleges alumni, Kimberly L. Beauregard (right). Ms. Beauregard, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of InterCommunity, a behavioral health organization located in East Hartford, Connecticut, since 2003, following an 18-year career in social services at Rushford Center/MidState Behavioral Health System. She works collaboratively with the Board of Directors, executive leadership team, and area providers to ensure the highest quality of service is provided to clients of InterCommunity. After receiving her bachelors degree from Charter Oak in 1993, she went on to earn a Master of Social Work and Master of Urban Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Master of Psychology from California Coast University. Prior to attending Charter Oak, she earned her Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Mattatuck Community College and a paralegal certificate from the National Institute of Paralegal Studies. We were honored to award Ms. Beauregard, a proud Charter Oak alum and leader in behavioral health, with this honorary degree.
Kimberly L. Beauregard

In 1998, our Board established an award in the name of Ms. Doris Cassiday, academic counselor and one of the founders of the College, in recognition of her lifelong commitment to adult education and her commitment to the College. The Doris G. Cassiday Award is given each year to one or more graduates who have achieved excellence in learning by earning credits through multiple methods and thereby exemplifying the essence of the Charter Oak mission. The following students were the 2013 Doris G. Cassiday award recipients: Katherine R. Avery, Centennial, CO; John M. Kunda Sr., Plainville, CT; Michael H. Riordan, Bolton, CT; Eben D. Salter, Gales Ferry, CT; Donald F. Shogren, Oakdale, CT; Joel S. York, Greenfield, WI. Charter Oak presented the following Awards for Outstanding Academic Performance: Charter Oak State College Honors Dorothy A. Torres General Scholarship Honors: Associate Degree Elizabeth A. Climie General Scholarship Honors: Baccalaureate Degree: Carrie Cline Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society inductees: Bette J. Allen; Rachel Andrews; Nina T. Bellantone, Jessica L. Carlson, Carrie Cline, Ashley Consiglio, Tracy Rebbun-Crossley, Beverly Delventhal-Sali, Roque Diaz, Beth DLuhosch, Nadia Doe, Kristi Droney, Bryan Flores, Betsy Farrell, Jacqueline Hawes, Mary Jason, Kim Krueger, Latoya Lawrence, Steven Lindee, Steven Lockley, Jeri Lynn Mates, Matthew Marotta, Patricia B. Martin, Lisa Marie Mazzola, Lucie McDermott, Ursa Mooney, Robyn Porter, Donna Ridolfino, Barbara Rodriguez, Michael Sanderson, Cindy Sloat, Kimberly Stevens, Susan Tenore, John Thomas, Judith Tweedlie, Barbara Valdes, James West, Letonia Wright, Pauline Zehnder-Swader and Cynthia Ann Zmuda. John Thomas (left), Director of Shelter Operations with Protectors of Animals, gave the Message from the Graduates. Here are some excerpts from his speech. Life throws us some curveballs, though, doesnt it? Full of surprises: Having kids too early; family illnesses; job losses; divorcesjust to mention a few. Sound familiar? Anybody been there? And yet we pony up, look the challenges in the eye and take them on. We keep moving forward and we get through it, we get the job done, we get somewhere good. Ive experienced all those things. And theyve beenin the long run positive formative experiences, all of them. I also used them as reasons why I could not go back to college. But in 2009, I saw the writing on the wall at the company Id been with for over 20 years and I decided it was time to get it done. I enrolled here in September 2009. The shoe dropped for me, employment-wise, in June 2010. I knew that I had to keep moving forward. For me that meant staying in school, no matter what. . . Im standing here talking with you today not because I aimed to. That was never my goal. Its because I set out to be the best student I could be. Its because I wanted to wring the best collegiate experience I could from Charter Oak. Its because I had the audacity to believe that I could make a difference here inside and outside of the classroom. I set out to ace every class (didnt manage that, by the way) and I said yes to every opportunity I could to serve the student body. The point, though, is not what I have or have not achieved. The point is that the principles work. Im not telling you this because I am some sort of example. Im not telling you something you dont know. . . Always believe in yourselves. Opt to have faith in others. Choose your course and stay committed. Lets keep tilting at windmills and lets keep moving forward. Thank you all and congratulations.

Faculty and graduates processing to Welte Auditorium

A creative graduate!

Tara Keating, Piper, class of 2012

Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society

Lavene Littles, class of 2007, leads the National Anthem

Student News and Services

Charter Oak Seeking New Student Alternate Representative to the Statewide Student Advisory Committee
Holly Palmer has been serving as your representative to the statewide Student Advisory Committee (SAC for the past half year). This committee reports directly to the Board of Regents (BOR), the organization which oversees Charter Oak State College, the four Connecticut state universities, and the 12 Connecticut public community colleges. The Student Advisory Committee has two voting members on the BOR. She has distinguished herself as an advocate for Charter Oak students during the past year and is the chair of the SAC Strategic Planning Committee. John Thomas, subsequent to his term as SAC representative, became the Alternate Representative until his recent graduation. We are now seeking candidates for the position of Alternate Representative to the SAC. The Bylaws state that the Student Representatives and the Alternate must be actively pursuing their degree and that upon graduation or expiration of the two year term, a new election is to be held for the position. As John graduated in May, we need to begin the process for electing his replacement. Candidates must reside in Connecticut and have the ability to attend monthly meetings that take place in Hartford one Friday afternoon per month. If Holly is not able to attend, the Alternate Representative will take her place and participate in any votes that occur. If you are interested in talking further about this position, please contact Linda Larkin at 860.515.3841 or emailing her at llarkin@charteroak.edu no later than September 1, 2013.

Spring Course Evaluation Results

84% of students responding to course evaluations identified course effectiveness as "high" or "very high" in Spring 2013. 84% of students responding to course evaluations identified instructor effectiveness as "high" or "very high" in Spring 2013. Over time, the percentage of students rating the effectiveness of courses and instructors as "high" or "very high" has been increasing.

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Being Proactive - Protecting your Identity

Protecting your personal information is a number one priority at Charter Oak State College. We employ numerous sophisticated procedures and technologies to secure your information. We now would like to offer you a chance to protect your computers at home. We are partnering with Identity Finder to offer our students a free copy of the Identity Finder software to help you protect your personally identifiable information on your computer. ID Finder will search your computer for any instance of SSN, Credit/Debit Card, Passwords, Bank Accounts Numbers, Drivers License, Date of Birth, Phone Numbers, Address, Passport Numbers located on your PC, Removable Drives, e-mail programs. Once the identity information has been located by ID Finder, you can digital shred, ignore match, or move to a more secure location (perhaps an encrypted drive). Next Steps Go to: http://www.CharterOak.edu/IDFinder Complete Online Form (one download per @CharterOak.edu email address) You receive an activation number via your Charter Oak e-mail Download/install the software and activate using the code Then begin scanning your PC React to the results (Shred, ignore or move) Repeat scan to occur on a weekly/monthly basis Help can be found at: http://www.identityfinder.com/us/Business/Downloads/ StudentInitiative

Volunteer for the Charter Oak State College Student Association Board
Just a few hours will get you . . . a chance to be a voice for the student body in shaping programs; an occasion to meet your fellow students; the opportunity to share experiences and swap tips; and the satisfaction that you have made a contribution. A few hours of your time will help the College . . . plan programs and events; access your creativity and good ideas; gain the knowledge that we are seeking concerning student needs and interests; and make Charter Oak even more responsive to our adult learner population.

By volunteering for the Student Association Board, we all benefit. We ask that you attend just 2 or 3 short meetings per year. Bring your ideas and well provide the pizza and a forum for you to plan for the College. If you live out-of-state and would like to participate, you can do so through conference call. Enjoy the camaraderie of other adult students seeking their degrees through Charter Oak. We are sure that you will find that you have a lot in common. Interested? Contact Linda Larkin at llarkin@charteroak.edu or by telephone at (860) 515-3841.

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Get Expert Advice on Graduate School and Careers

Academic Counseling has been sponsoring a series of chats for students and recent alums on graduate school and job opportunities. Weve invited key faculty to participate and there has been great participation. The first chat was geared to students interested in history, the humanities and law school. The second was on early childhood education and the third on computer science and information technology. The next faculty chat is scheduled for September 5th and will be for those curious about business. The time will be announced in mid-August. Watch your Charter Oak email for more information. Since these chats take place using online meeting software, you can participate no matter where you are located as long as you have an internet connection. What areas would you like to have us cover next? Wed love to have your feedback! Email Linda Larkin at llarkin@charteroak.edu or call her at (860)515-3841.

Considering graduate school or job opportunities in your field of study?

Join Academic Counselor, Karen Schultz, for the first in a series of online interactive discussions with Charter Oak Business faculty

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Carlo Esidore

will answer your questions about careers and graduate school in: Business Administration Organizational Leadership Human Resource Management Bring your questions or just listen in to this interactive discussion on Thursday, September 5th.

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New Refund Deadlines

Effective with the fall 2013 semester, the refund schedule will change. The objective of the change was to bring the college in closer alignment with the other ConnSCU institutions and also to preserve more revenue to the college due to the declining state support and limited fee increases. Since all students have access to their course prior to the start of the semester, this change should not negatively affect students. Announcements will be made on the portal and current students will receive an email on the change in policy. The terms and conditions that students have to accept will also highlight this change. This also means that as of DAY 1, students will receive a W on their transcript if they withdraw. A clean drop with 100% refund and no W only happens PRIOR to the course start date. Once the course starts (DAY 1) the 50% refund and the W grade are in effect. All courses: 100% before the first day of classes 50% for the following: 5 week course 5 days from start of classes (by Friday @ 11:59pm) 8 week course 7 days from the start of classes (by Sunday @ 11:59pm) 10 week course 10 days from start of classes (by Wednesday of second week @ 11:59pm) 15 week course 13 days from start of classes (by Saturday of second week @ 11:59pm)

Dr. Gregory W. Gray, President of the Connecticut Board of Regents

Dr. Gregory W. Gray was selected to be the next President of the Board of Regents, which governs the 17 Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (ConnSCU), which includes 12 community colleges, four state universities and Charter Oak State College, on May 16, 2013, and officially began his tenure on July 1, 2013. Dr. Gray previously served as chancellor of the Riverside Community College District in California, which includes three community colleges, more than 2,000 employees, and an annual credit enrollment that surpasses 100,000. Dr. Gray holds a bachelor in science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in Education from the University of Pittsburgh, and a doctorate in Education from Penn State University

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Testing News

DSST Test Scores Over the last 5 years Prometric has revised a number of its DSST exams. The score scale for those exams uses scores ranges from 200 to 500, with the cut score (pass point) set at 400. Letter grades (other than Pass) for the following DSST tests are not available: Business Ethics in Society Business Math Criminal Justice Substance Abuse Ethics in America Fundamentals of College Algebra Here's to Your Health Introduction to Business Introduction to Computing Introduction to World Religions Management Information Systems Personal Finance Principles of Finance Principles of Statistics Principles of Supervision In order for students to adequately prepare for the above DSST exams, download the test-taker bulletin at http://www.getcollegecredit.com. Web Sites for CLEP & DANTES Save time and money and get the latest information on these examinations at: CLEP: http://www.collegeboard.com/clep DSST/DANTES: http://www.getcollegecredit.com Tidbits for Test takers Excelsior Exams: Through an agreement reached with Excelsior College, Charter Oak will offer registration for a number of Excelsior College Examinations on its website www.CharterOak.edu. Students who register for exams will take them at a secure Pearson VUE testing center (www.pearsonvue.com). Students can review the new exam offerings and register online at www.CharterOak.edu/examreg. Excelsior has established a reasonable cost for many of their exams of $99 & students can register through our web-site. Study Tips: Supportive texts are listed on the DSST website but are not exclusive. If you find that you are in need of further resources to aid in you preparing for the exam, you may reference either the most current edition of the texts listed on the DSST website, or texts used at a local college or university for a course with the same class title. It is recommended that you utilize the resource of more than one textbook.

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CLEP College Composition: the exam score along with the essay exam offered through Excelsior College and the DSST Public Speaking exam will be available no sooner than 4-7 weeks after you take the exam. Please note this delay when planning these exams preceding graduation. TECEP: A report of your TECEP exam score will be mailed to Charter Oak approximately two months after the exam has been taken. Charter Oak administers TECEP exams only to our matriculated students. Registration is through the Thomas Edison web-site. When considering having Charter Oak administer another colleges correspondence/distance learning exams, please call our testing office in advance for an appointment. These appointments should be made prior to ordering the exam from the university; and it is required that you make our staff aware if the exam will be paper based or on-line. Complete and mail the required forms to the university offering the course clearly stating the date of the exam. Call us at (860) 515-3708 a few days prior to the exam to make sure that it has arrived. To reserve a space for a CLEP or DSST exam that you will be taking at our Newington location, please use our on-line test registration. The proper website to utilize for such registration is www.registerblast.com/cosc. If you have a disability and need special accommodations, arrangements must be made by calling us immediately following the scheduling of your exam. If you are a Charter Oak State College student outside of Connecticut, please take the time to review the CLEP and DSST website for the testing center nearest you. Testing FAQs Q: I need more assistance to complete my self-study for a CLEP or DSST exam. What should I do? A: Commercial test preparation guides are available in larger bookstores or on line. They may provide some secondary assistance in your study regimen. If you need even more structure, you might consider the istudysmart study program: http://www.istudysmart.com Q: How long does it take to know my exam score? A: CLEP scores are shown immediately (with the exception of College Composition) with the official scores mailed from CLEP in approximately two weeks. DSST scores are sent approximately 2 weeks after the test date. You can also view your results from their web-site. Q: When can I re-take a specific exam? A: In most cases, you will need to wait at least 6 months to re-take a specific exam. Q: How long will it take to study for an exam? A: Your study habits have a lot to do with the time needed. Most exams are worth 3 semester hours of college credit. We suggest that you provide yourself with ample time that suits your learning style. Some accomplished test takers may be able to complete their study in half the time of a typical course. However, this varies by the individual. The key to remember is "time" is not your focus. Learning the subject matter is what counts. Q: I took my exam at Charter Oak State College; dont you keep the score? A: No. Charter Oak State College is only a test center for your exam. Only if you designate Charter Oak State College as your score recipient will we be sent your official exam score from the testing company. You must do this the day you take the exam, as you complete the testing companys registration information. More FAQs can be found at: www.charteroak.edu/current/academics/earningcredits/exam/ examfaqs.cfm

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Test Administration Schedule September 2013 January 2014

CLEP & DSST Exams are held at 85 Alumni Road in Newington, CT Pathways/Early Childhood Exams are held at the main office at 55 Paul Manafort Drive
MONTH September CLEP (R ) 5 (10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.) (F) 6 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 7 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 13 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 21 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) DSST/DANTES (R ) 5 (10 a.m. & 12:30) (F) 6 (11:00 a.m.) (F) 13 (11:00 a.m.) (S) 14 (9 a.m. & 11 a.m.) (F) 20 (Public Speaking Only) COSC Pathways (S) 7 (2:00) (S) 14 (2:00)

October

(S) 5 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 11 (11:00 a.m.) (F) 11 (11:30 a.m.) (R ) 17 (10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.) (R ) 17 (10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.) (F) 18 (11:00 a.m.) (F) 18 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 19 (9 a.m. & 11 a.m.) (S) 26 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 25 (Public Speaking Only)

(S) 5 (2:00)

(S) 19 (2:00)

November

(F) 1 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 9 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 15 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 16 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.)

(S) 2 (9 a.m. & 11 a.m.) (F) 15 (11:00 a.m.) (F) 22 (Public Speaking Only)

(S) 2 (2:00)

(S) 16 (2:00)

December

(R ) 5 (10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.) (F) 6 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 7 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 13 (11:30 a.m.)

(R ) 5 (10 a.m. & 12:30) (F) 6 (11:00 a.m.) (F) 13 (11:00 a.m.) (S) 14 (9 a.m. & 11 a.m.)

(S) 7 (2:00)

(S) 14 (2:00)

January

( R) 2 (10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.) (F) 3 (11:30 a.m.) (S) 4 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) (F) 24 (11:30a.m.) (S) 25 (9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.)

(R ) 2 (10 a.m. & 12:30) (F) 3 (11 a.m.) (S) 18 (9 a.m. & 11 a.m.) (F) 24 (11 a.m.)

(S) 4 (2:00) (S) 18 (2:00)

All CLEP & DSST/DANTES are administered at 85 Alumni Road in Newington, CT. Pathways exams are administered at the main office, 55 Paul Manafort Drive, New Britain. ( R) Thursday (F) Friday (S) Saturday

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