BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwire - March 18, 2011) - TestDriveCollegeOnline today announced a partnership with the International Union of Police Associations (I.U.P.A.) to provide its members an opportunity to try online learning at no cost and no obligation while earning credits toward a college degree. TestDriveCollegeOnline enables I.U.P.A. members to assess their college readiness before they commit to an online degree program and pay tuition.
"Continuing education is a significant ingredient of the professional and personal advancement of law enforcement and law enforcement support personnel," Sam A. Cabral, President of I.U.P.A. "We are excited to offer our members this unique way to access post-secondary education while juggling their work and life. TestDriveCollegeOnline is a risk-free program that will give them the understanding and confidence to pursue higher education online."
TestDriveCollegeOnline has developed a College Competency Exam that first identifies if a student is academically prepared for going back to school. The test effectively gauges a student's aptitude through freshman-level English and Math questions. Once a student passes the exam, he or she is assigned an advisor who enrolls them into the TestDriveCollegeOnline program and works with them throughout the process.
Once enrolled, TestDriveCollegeOnline creates a real-life college experience that closely replicates what an individual will likely experience in a typical online degree program. This reveals if studies fit into their work and family life. The courses take five weeks to complete and require about nine hours of study a week. Currently, qualified members have access to common college courses such as Introduction to Business, Psychology or English Composition I at the undergraduate level and Professional Development at the graduate school level. The American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated and approved all TestDriveCollegeOnline courses, so students who pass a TestDriveCollegeOnline course can apply to transfer those credits to any ACE member school. ACE member institutions serve 80 percent of today's college students.
"Online education has democratized access to post-secondary education, particularly for professionals like those in law enforcement who are balancing their education, their careers and their lives," said Richard Capezzali, Executive Vice President of EducationDynamics and creator of TestDriveCollegeOnline. "But too often, students enroll without a clear understanding of the demands and expectations of going back to school. We believe businesses and organizations should be taking steps, such as those taken by I.U.P.A., to help their constituency transition into and succeed in higher education."
This relationship with I.U.P.A. is a result of a new service that TestDriveCollegeOnline is offering to organizations and companies to help them help their constituency successfully return to school. Through TestDriveCollegeOnline, associations can provide a unique education benefit to members and employees at no cost, and students who pass their course can apply the credit earned to a partner college, saving them or their company up to $2000 in tuition.
About TestDriveCollegeOnline and TestDriveGradSchoolOnline
TestDriveCollegeOnline and TestDriveGradSchoolOnline, both services of EducationDynamics, higher education's leading marketing information and technology services company, solve the retention challenges at America's higher education institutions by offering a risk-free way for students to see if they will succeed online by revealing the reality of online education. The two programs were designed to help serious students make informed decisions regarding the pursuit of higher education online. Both services provide the benefit of "test driving" an online course before committing to a degree program or paying tuition. Students who pass their course can apply the credit earned to a partner college, saving them or their company up to $2000 in tuition. To learn more about TestDriveCollegeOnline and TestDriveGradSchoolOnline, visit http://www.testdrivecollegeonline.com/press or http://www.testdrivegradschoolonline.com.
About the International Union of Police Associations
The International Union of Police Associations is the only AFL-CIO union chartered exclusively for law enforcement and law enforcement support personnel. The AFL-CIO affiliation places I.U.P.A. in a position of strength within the labor movement. While I.U.P.A.'s officers, active and law enforcement officers, fight to improve the lives of their brothers and sisters in law enforcement, I.U.P.A. works to improve legislation that protects and affects public safety officers, as well as representing the needs of law enforcement officers and support personnel, whether that be for better equipment, more staff or a fair wage.
"Speaking with one voice, Moving with one Purpose," I.U.P.A. supports law enforcement and corrections officers in addition to support personnel. For more information visit the I.U.P.A. website, http://www.iupa.org/.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Lindsey Mikal
Communications Strategy Group
(303) 433-7020 or (937) 408-9321