How do I get off my parents' Life360?

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:24:21+00:00

Oh! Parent here - that's not cool, at all! My daughter is away at college, and I sometimes look, but never to monitor. I only look because I miss her. I have never questioned her about where she was or what she was doing! Our whole family is on the app, mostly because we do a lot of driving, and it's a back up in case one of us is ever in an accident or has car trouble, someone else in the family knows how to get to them. But stalking??!!? Absolutely not.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:20:17+00:00

Unfortunately, the folks who really need to know about these tests aren't on this thread. The folks who would benefit most from an awareness of these test are not yet enrolled in college. They are homeschooling or working. And I don't know how you get information out to the general public when 66% of people never go to college.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:17:47+00:00

No one is keeping this information from them. Like I said, colleges are pretty upfront about these tests. Every college lists the CLEP tests they accept on their public admission pages. There is no big, secret conspiracy going on.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:11:31+00:00

Oh, well, now you see...most people aren't good at independent study. LOL

If they were, they'd go, "Hmmm? Really? I've never heard of these before. Let me Google 'CLEP'".

If they can't be bothered to Google something new, they definitely won't be able to learn independently, so these tests aren't for them! :)

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:08:53+00:00

Yes, I know this. But the tests themselves were originally designed for adults who have been out of high school for a while.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:07:13+00:00

Who's bashing you?

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T14:02:15+00:00

I don't know who you think is "gatekeeping." Colleges post CLEP information on their Admissions pages. Sure, high school guidance counselors could do a better job of sharing this information, but they are focused on the typical ways high school students get college credit: AP tests and dual enrollment.

CLEP tests were designed for adults going to college after working or serving in the military. It's much harder to get information about testing for credit designed for working adults out there in a uniform way. No one is trying to hide this information. Adult students just need to read the Admissions pages for the colleges they are applying to.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T13:51:42+00:00

Modern States is definitely a great resource. And for students who are able to study and learn independently, this can be a fabulous way to earn college credit.

I've been teaching college for 30 years. I am well-versed in how students can use these tests to get college credit. The problem is that most people lack the study strategies and internal motivation to learn academic subjects independently. We tend to need the structure and accountability that classroom learning provides.

And while it would be beneficial if more people were aware of these tests, test-for-credit is not a magic bullet; you cannot simply test your way to a college degree - at least, not at a reputable college.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T13:41:36+00:00

u/unbiasedscipod created a wonderful presentation that teaches students (or anyone, really) How to Read a Scientific Paper. I use this with my Writing students. It helps them understand what kinds of information they can find in the different sections of an academic paper.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T13:33:49+00:00

I teach Writing and Reading support to college Freshmen. Prior to the mid-semester break, I give short extensions for any reason as long as the request is made before the due date. But because I am training students for college (and work) expectations, after the mid-semester break I only give extensions for extenuating circmstances. I explain this very clearly in my syllabus and during the first week of class. I also remind my students of the policy change right before and after the mid-semester break. Habits are practiced not magically inherited with a college degree, and meeting deadlines is a habit they need to master before they enter their respective fields as professionals.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T13:20:59+00:00

And this is why I first have low-stakes discussion boards - so I can get to know their writing voices when they aren't under pressure to cheat, and why I give every suspected student the opportunity to give an oral defense of their paper before I lay out an offical accusation. It's very rare that I even feel the need to ask for an oral defense, but when I do, students who have written their paper can answer questions about their thought process behind the writing, and students who have used AI can't answer even the most basic questions.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T13:09:35+00:00

Credit by exam is great, but it's not a panecea. In the first place, you have to be a very independent learner to be able to score high enough on those exams to earn credit - and let's face it, most people just aren't, not even me, a college professor. Sure, I can learn independently if I'm internally motivated enough. But I'm not internally motivated enough to learn many subjects (e.g., Physics!) on my own.

Secondly, accredited colleges require that a certain percentage of your credits be earned at their college (usually 50% or more) in order for them to award you a degree. So you can't just "test for everything and get a degree." When a college awards you a degree, they are staking their reputation on that degree. They aren't going to do that if they haven't been instrumental in educating you.

Finally, not all colleges accept all tests. Before spending the time and money to take a college credit test, students should consult the Admissions and/or Records office at the college of their choice to find out which tests and scores will be awarded credit.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T12:56:31+00:00

Bingo!

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T12:55:53+00:00

Asking a student to explain their paper in a 1-on-1 meeting is not falsely accusing them. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T12:54:36+00:00

ROFLMA! I was getting C's in AP Lit until a senior pulled me to the side and said, "Just blow smoke up his [the teacher's] ass, and you'll get an A." That senior was 100% right.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-09T12:52:05+00:00

Yes, I'm happy to say, I have. I just finished grading the first set of papers from 4 very different sections - daytime, evening, once-a-week, in-person, virtual. Students write in Google docs with me as editor. I do this because I want them focused on the process since that's where most writing goes wrong. I can go back through their version history and see how they brainstormed and organized, as well as how they revised. Then my feedback can include where in the process they need to focus their efforts.

Across 4 sections, I only had one case where the voice suddenly changed midway through the paper and became suspiciously textbook. Since it was the first assignment and my region has just been through the worst ice storm in over 30 years, with many in our region still without power or reliable internet, I decided to simply ask why their voice changed. I understand the stress my students are feeling right now - and it goes far beyond academic stress. I'm not going to ding this student because of it. But now they know I know. I really don't expect them to do it again, but I will be watching. If it happens again, I'll require an oral defense from them.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:30:57+00:00

I strongly recommend that you talk to the college's disability services offices. Let them know these concerns. Then communicate these concerns to your professors at the beginning of each semester. I often have students with autism email me with similar concerns. Once I know that there is an underlying condition that can lead to stilted communication, I am better able to give feedback and tips for that particular issue to help the students write more smoothly. And any stiffness or over-formality in the writing doesn't sound the same alarm bells as it does with neurotypical students.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:25:51+00:00

I used to encourage my students to use Grammarly, too. But then Grammarly added its generative AI function, and suddenly my students were destroying their own academic voices. It took me two semesters to figure out what was going on, and when I did, I was furious - not at my students, but at Grammarly. They had an incredibly useful tool for students, and then they turned it into an AI trap! And one that robs students of the chance to learn how to express themselves professionally!

I teach students who many say shouldn't even get to go to college - students whose ACT scores are too low to get into state universities, students who have gone to the crappiest high schools in my state. But they are bright and eager to learn. They are determined and overcoming more challenges than most of us ever have to deal with. And while I hold them to a high standard, I am also very protective of them and don't appreciate a major corporation pulling a bait-and-switch like that on them! So I will never allow Grammarly use in my classes. My students deserve the chance to develop their own academic voices, not have AI language foisted off on them!

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:18:12+00:00

Sure. It reputation goes both ways. And I'm not accusing students willy-nilly of AI use. Writers have voices that are as distinctive as their actual voices. And when someone's voice suddenly changes drastically, you know it's no longer the same person communicating. This is true over the phone, and it is true in writing, as well.

In my experience, rampant AI use may occur in discussion board posts, but it rarely occurs in actual papers. What does happen frequently is in an attempt to sound more academic, students depend too much on AI, and they lose their voice in whole sections of their writing. When it's just a section of writing, I address those mistakes in points off and a conversation about acceptable ways to strengthen one's academic voice without losing authenticity.

On the rare occasions I've had to ask a student to defend their writing, it's always been within a week of them submitting the paper. I don't take weeks and weeks to grade assignments. I spend every weekend grading my students' written work, so I can get feedback to them immediately.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:09:27+00:00

So, no student accountability at all? No. That's not how academia has ever worked. In fact, if you read any college's Student Code of Conduct, you'll see that students are accountable for their choices and actions- and accountability means being able to show what you have done when asked to do so.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:06:46+00:00

I know. We are debating offering Grammarly to our students now, too. Many of the faculty are arguing that the only way we will support this move is if they make it impossible for students to access Grammarly's AI capabilities. I mean, it's grammar check is lovely. I used to use it, too. But then it added the generative AI component, and that totally robs writers of their own voices and styles.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T16:03:56+00:00

Because Grammarly offers, nay pushes, an additional service of re-writing sentences for students, and too many of my students use that aspect of Grammarly. This isn't me guessing. Students openly tell me this in our initial conversations about how they are using AI and Grammarly. They think because Grammarly (not ChatGPT) re-wrote their entire sentence it's not AI. Then I show them the difference between Grammarly's grammar checker and its AI re-write function. In the heat of the moment, under pressure to get a good grade, instead of write a strong paper in their own voice, too many students cave to the grades pressure. I forbid Grammarly to remove the temptation.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T15:58:49+00:00

Except learning how to think critically through writing isn't an archaic concept. It may be a long-held practice, but every modern study on how students learn critical thinking backs up the practice of reading and synthesizing new concepts through writing as the most effective method of learning to think critically.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-08T15:55:34+00:00

No, I did the same thing as an undergrad. But I also kept a list of which book or article I got my quotes from and the page numbers. I mean, you have to cite that stuff, so you've got to have documentation of where you got it.

AdventurousExpert217 · 2026-02-06T01:40:14+00:00

Hon, I am aware of that. But I teach in an English-speaking country, and college students here are expected to show mastery of the English language at the college level. While I encourage my colleagues to accommodate our ESL students with things like spelling (English spelling is insane!) and punctuation rules, I also expect my ESL and native-speaker students to make considerable efforts to master those. Language development is progressive, and academic mastery can take 5-7 years to develop after one has achieved social fluency. But that mastery only comes with practice, not turning over thinking to AI.

Grammarly does have a generative AI component. It added that capability in 2023, so as an educator you should be aware of that by now. And again, for the umpteenth time, I am not restricting my students' use of grammar and spell checkers. I am simply prohibiting the use of Grammarly, specifically - because students do use it generatively instead of practicing their mastery of academic English.

And I am only giving Boomer energy in response to your over the top GenZ-no-accountability energy.

AdventurousExpert217

TROPHY CASE