A mention of Saylor Academy on the discussion forums of the legendary Straight Dope? That’s probably, like, one degree of separation from Cecil Adams. We’re honored. Speechless! (But capable of typing, hence this post.)

Now that we’re done crowing, though, we suggest you take a look at the post if you or someone you love are interested in affordable college credit through alternative pathways — the contribution from “bibliophage” is a concise run-down of the major players and lesser-known options, such as Excelsior College’s OneTranscript service for combining disparate credits on a single transcript.

And we do indeed have full-length physics courses, sought by the original poster (a teacher who needs physics for professional development).

Although our two physics courses are not officially recommended for credit yet, we have specific plans in the works and high hopes for them. We know, too, of teachers who have had their Saylor courses approved for professional development credit by their district superintendents.

All of which is just to say: (1) thanks to bibliophage, a fifteen-year veteran of the SD boards, for making us famous; (2) to state the obvious, there are increasing intersections between college credit, individual/group professional development, and casual personal learning — we are working hard to understand and occupy that space; (3) we’re eager to help push the boundaries of what individual online learning can do and what kinds of recognition — credentials — are most useful to people.

If you have a success story to share, a “use case” that demonstrates how your courses met particular goals, we’d love to hear about it! Share in the comments or drop us a line.