Academic Integrity in the ACE Review Process

Transcription

1 An Evaluator s Primer Academic Integrity in the ACE Review Process militaryed@acenet.edu

2 American Council on Education Leadership and Advocacy

3 Guiding Philosophy Center for Education Attainment and Innovation What an individual learns is more important than when, where, and how the individual learned it.

4 The Center for Education Attainment and Innovation College and University Partnerships Military Programs / Evaluations Corporate Programs College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT)

5 Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions

6 Evaluation Activities Evaluate formal courses and occupational specialties Publish course and occupation descriptions and academic credit recommendations Transcript and registry services

7 Value of an ACE Review Academic institutions Learners Organizations Military

8 About Military Evaluations The Military Evaluations Program provides institutions with a basis for recognizing military educational experiences in terms of civilian academic credit. Since the early 40s, MEP has reviewed and made credit recommendations for thousands of college-level courses offered by the military services. Since 1974, MEP began evaluation of military occupational specialties as well.

9 Overview: Process for Military Programs DoD contract Course and occupation materials submitted ACE s Content Review Committee (CRC) Review Team Selection Committee Pre-site visit telephone conferences Team site visit and recommendations

10 About Military Evaluations 2012 Fiscal Year 41 reviews 452 courses / occupations 2,557 SH of credit recommended 235 teaching faculty members 165 academic institutions represented

11 Military Programs Does Not Evaluate Air Force courses transcribed by the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) Military schools with degree-granting status Courses outsourced to colleges and universities Coast Guard additional skill identifier / qualification codes

12 Overview: Process for Corporate Programs Organizations contact ACE to determine eligibility to participate ACE s Content Review Committee (CRC) Review Team Selection Committee Pre-site evaluation visit Team site visit and recommendations

13 Corporations Government

14 The National Guide

15 ACE Transcript Recognized by colleges/universities, state credentialing authorities, and employment agencies Learners can maintain their own accounts online

16 Reflections or Questions? On to the Evaluation Process

17 The General Review Process day project cycle Conduct pre-meetings with points of contacts Travel to training locations Review materials (conduct interviews for occupations) Document evaluation and write descriptions Final reports

18 Overview: The Evaluation of Courses Formal military instruction and military occupations specialties; courses approved by a central authority Correspondence courses with proctored end-of course exams Distance learning/online courses with documented rigid control test conditions and firm identification of the student.

19 The Program of Instruction (POI) POI parallels a syllabus Official course documentation Must be maintained at ACE All services use POIs Branch specific supporting documents

20 Review Committees Content Review Committee (CRC) Role Determines the appropriate content and academic disciplines for courses and occupations Reviews discipline alignment by the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Determines the scope of the team Review Team Selection Committee Role Reviews evaluators nominated for the team Approves nominations

21 Evaluator Diversity Community College 19% Practitioner or Other 3% Accrediting agencies Types of institutions 4-Year College 27% University 51% More than 7,000 faculty on military teams (since 1954)

22 Evaluative Criteria for Courses Content Assessments Learning Outcomes Applicability to Postsecondary Programs Depth and Breadth of Material Level of Difficulty

23 Evaluative Criteria for Courses Content, scope and rigor must be at the post-secondary level!

24 Types of Credit Graduate Upper Division Lower Division Vocational / Certificate

25 No Credit Recommended Course is too limited in scope or too narrowly focused to be comparable to college courses. Course content lacks academic rigor expected in college-level courses. Evaluation and assessment methods are inadequate to support learning outcomes and course content. Material presented for review is insufficient to allow team to make judgment.

26 Course Review Process Summary No magic elixir or secret formula. Content, Scope, and Rigor are the key elements of the faculty review. The review team gives primary focus to course content and learning outcomes. The final recommendation is a team decision as well as internal oversight prior to any release of credit recommendations.

27 Reflections or Questions? On to Occupation Evaluations

28 The Military Occupation Evaluation Occupation is a job designation by the military service Review and assessment are more experiential in nature Teams validate demonstrated and expected job knowledge, skills, abilities by pay grade

29 Occupation Evaluation (MOS) Army Enlisted and Warrant Officer (MOS) Navy General ratings, limited duty and warrant officer specialties, and selected Naval Enlisted Codes (NECs) Coast Guard General rates and ratings, warrant officer specialties, and selected aviation billets (pilots) Marine Corps Enlisted ground and aviation MOS

30 Military Occupation Evaluations: The General Process Review Committees Content Review Committee (CRC) Review Team Selection Committee Teams Travel to the military installation Review official occupation documentation Interview service members Develop final recommendations

31 Military Occupation Evaluations: Official Documentation Occupation manuals Technical guides and training manuals Promotion examinations Study guides Other official branch specific documentation

32 Military Occupation Evaluations: Service Member Interview Focus on the representation of the job expectations at the pay grade Clarification and validation of the official military documentation

33 Military Occupation Review: Team Process Synthesis of information Alignment to current curricula Determination of post secondary content and rigor Team consensus must be 100%

34 Serve as an Evaluator You must be actively teaching college-level courses. When your discipline expertise is needed, you are contacted directly to serve on the ACE team. ACE pays all evaluators an honorarium and travel.

35 Faculty Evaluator Database Online application Academic institution affiliation Degrees / credentials Current teaching position Short biography Resume or CV required CIP codes identified Routinely audited

36 Evaluator Handbook Clarifies the review process Demystifies expectations Tools, resources, veteran evaluator tips

37 Reflections or Questions? On to Transcript Overview

38 Transcript Services Validation of credit recommendations

39 Value of Transcripts Degree completion Training and certification verification Employment Job advancement Skills documentation Advanced college placement Courses in certification programs State credentials verification Resume development

40 Transcript Complexity Service member s record ACE Database (Military Guide) The Transcript Registrar System (Service specific)

41 The Military Guide

42 The Joint Services Transcript (JST) 42

43 Benefits of the JST Expands Return on Investment (ROI) Savings of tuition assistance funds ACE Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) academic credit earnings Uniformity and centralization Modeled after SMART Centralized operations center Single source (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard) Alignment of service specific information Branch of service seal Occupations Service guidance and information Centralized web based information for each service 43

44 Key Components of the JST Transcript Core Course Completions Military Experience College-level Test Scores Other Learning Experiences (OLE) Summary Page Displays ACE credit recommendations only SOC Transferability Codes Academic Institution Page College courses (Coast Guard, Marines, Navy) Certificates, Degrees, Licenses and Apprenticeships 44

45 Supporting Service Members and Veterans No more DD295 Streamlined corrections and update procedures Online access to request official copies Unofficial copies any time Updates or corrections ~ service specific Timelines Navy / Marine Corps > launched Army > Wednesday, 2/27/13 Coast Guard > TBD 45

46 Supporting Colleges / Universities No more DD295 Free transcripts online Delivery turnaround 24 hours Technical assistance for online accounts Multiple accounts available per institution Secure; PDF format Limited mail outs Feedback opportunities for transcript improvements Error reporting via jst@doded.mil 46

47 JST Key Contacts JST Operations Web: Fax: (850) (respond within 24 hours, first work day if holiday or weekend) Laurine Anderson, Program Manager Loueen McGrath, Application Lead/Subject Matter Expert DANTES Dr. Sandra Winborne, Manager, Military Evaluations Program ACE Military Programs Michele Spires, Director Eve Howard, Associate Director 47

48 Transcript Support JST Frequently Asked Questions JST Video and Resources DANTES Programs ACE Military Transcripts Portal 48

49 Lifelong Learning Resource Center American Council on Education One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 250 Washington, DC Toll Free: Military Programs or Corporate Programs or NEW