Mission Statement
Board for State Academic Awards & Charter Oak State College
The Board for State Academic Awards provides diverse and alternative opportunities
for adults to earn degrees. The Board accomplishes its mission through Charter Oak
State College and the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium. Relying on the judgment
of professional educators, the Board validates learning acquired through examinations,
independent study, work experience, non-collegiate-sponsored instruction, technology-mediated
learning, and traditional study, including Charter Oak courses. The Board seeks to:
- offer coherent, college-level curricula and degree programs which incorporate transfer
credit, examinations, and other methods of credit and competency validation;
- develop valid and reliable tests and other methods to evaluate and assess experiential
and extra-collegiate learning as alternatives to classroom study;
- provide access to and offer educationally sound learning experiences, including courses,
through a variety of means such as video, computer-mediated and other electronically
mediated technologies;
- inform and guide the public about opportunities for earning credentials by alternative
means;
- provide testing and credit registry services, and information regarding such services,
to the public;
- extend access to higher education to all adults who demonstrate the ability to perform
on the collegiate level and to foster the enrollment and graduation of diverse populations;
and
- encourage innovation in meeting the needs of adult learners and to serve as an advocate
for adult learners in higher education.
In all of its activities, the Board for State Academic Awards rigorously upholds standards
of high quality and seeks to inspire adults with the self-enrichment potential of
nontraditional higher education.
Role and Scope
The Board for State Academic Awards, established in 1973, grants degrees through Charter
Oak State College. As a nontraditional college, Charter Oak is designed to provide
adults with an alternate means to earn degrees that are of equivalent quality and
rigor to those earned at other accredited institutions of higher learning. The College,
therefore, collaborates with and complements the missions of other Connecticut colleges
and universities.
Charter Oak State College awards four undergraduate degrees: the Associate in Arts,
the Associate in Science, the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science and is
authorized by the state to offer master's level graduate programs. These degree programs
enable students to meet career and personal goals. The content of the bachelor's degree
programs is structured to provide the foundations needed for advanced study since
a large number of Charter Oak State College alumni continue their education in graduate
school. In addition, the college offers a number of credit certificate and non-credit
programs. Enrollment is open to any adult who demonstrates college-level achievement.
The College endeavors to recognize the diversity and achievements of its entire community.
Recognizing that learning takes place in many forms, Charter Oak State College provides
a flexible approach to higher education. Academic credit may be awarded for course
work completed successfully at other accredited institutions, academic instruction
sponsored by non collegiate organizations, military training evaluations, and online
courses offered by Charter Oak, testing, portfolio assessment, contract learning,
and for learning acquired through many licensure and certification programs.
Charter Oak State College has no campus and offers no classroom instruction, but assists
its students through a variety of academic support services including program planning,
testing, and evaluation. The College also delivers online courses, serves as a testing
center and provides credit registry services, as well as, information regarding other
educational opportunities. The College identifies qualified faculty from regionally
accredited colleges and universities and other experts to assess academic achievement
in areas not measured by standardized tests and to serve as mentors for programs such
as online courses, contract learning, and practica. In recruiting these faculty and
experts, the College actively seeks to identify educators who value the impact of
broad and diverse experience acquired by students.
Charter Oak State College also assists other Connecticut colleges and universities
seeking to provide their students with alternate ways to validate college-level learning;
develops partnerships with the corporate and non-profit community to meet the state's
workforce needs; and through its Connecticut Credit Assessment Program and special
assessments, evaluates and formally recognizes non-collegiate learning regardless
of how or where such learning is acquired.
Charter Oak State College conducts institutional research and assessment to monitor
and evaluate the progress and success of its students, graduates, and programs. The
College uses the results of these assessments to evaluate its effectiveness and to
make changes that respond to student, institutional, and societal needs. As part of
its assessment process and to ensure that its students succeed academically, the college
instituted a six credit residency requirement in the form of a cornerstone course
for new students and a capstone course for seniors.
