SOPHIA Launches Campaign to Find Spokes-Goddess of Learning

MINNEAPOLIS, June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SOPHIA.org is launching a Facebook contest to find SOPHIA the Spokes-Goddess of Learning to raise awareness among potential college goers about the issues of college readiness, student debt and the need to proactively seek out affordable options. One successful applicant will win an iPad®, free online college courses offered through SOPHIA's Pathways for College Credit and become the face of the online education platform that offers free tools for students and teachers as well as a path to an affordable college degree.

"We are searching for an individual who can embody the spirit of SOPHIA, which provides free credible tools for students so they have the resources they need to be better prepared and succeed in college," said Allison Gage, president of SOPHIA. "Our goal for this campaign is to communicate to students that they can make wise choices that will save them time and money on their path toward a college degree, which is a major issue given that debt levels are rising at an alarming rate and causing hardships on our students today."

Individuals interested in participating in the campaign should submit a video 30 seconds or less by June 21 that illustrates their thoughts about making college affordable. Entries will be judged based on originality, cleverness and an authentic concern for an affordable degree. (Complete rules can be found at http://www.sophia.org/news/spokes-goddess-contest-rules.)

SOPHIA Launches Operation College Success

SOPHIA recently launched Operation College Success to offer free tools to help address the issue of college readiness and affordability. With Operation College Success, SOPHIA has expanded its offerings to include free college readiness resources that include ACT math test prep; College Prep Pathways in algebra, statistics and biology; and College Success Skills that provide students with valuable tips and resources to help them navigate the college experience successfully.

In addition to free college readiness resources, SOPHIA has introduced SOPHIA Pathways for College Credit™ (SPCC) – a self-paced program that offers online courses for transferable college credit at a significant savings over traditional college classes.

Students can enroll in SPCC at any time and complete the online courses. SPCC's self-paced courses are better designed to meet the needs of the student than programs that offer one instructor and a rigid schedule. Each course features SOPHIA's Many Ways to Learn™ model where individual concepts are taught by a variety of instructors each with their own style, so students can choose one that works best for them. In addition, all instructional materials are available online and included in the initial price, further increasing the affordability of SPCC by eliminating the expense of textbooks. The American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT®) has evaluated and recommended college credit for five of SOPHIA's online courses. More than 2,000 colleges and universities consider ACE CREDIT recommendations in determining the applicability to their course and degree programs.

The SPCC courses that have received credit recommendations from ACE CREDIT® are College Algebra, Human Biology, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Statistics. Four more courses are under consideration for an ACE CREDIT® recommendation.

To learn more, visit www.SOPHIA.org.

iPad® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. ("Apple").  Apple does not sponsor or endorse the use of its products in connection with this promotion.

SOURCE SOPHIA.org