ACE and the Department of Defense (DOD) announced today that they will continue and expand a decades-long critical partnership reviewing military training and experiences for college credit recommendations.
Administered by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), the five-year contract will focus on outcomes, including enhancing existing government and postsecondary data systems and virtual technology.
“ACE is extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue its work with DANTES ensuring that veterans and service members have access to and the opportunity to succeed in higher education," said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “We recognize the need to expand the way we work with our country's men and women in uniform by being forward-thinking and widening our ability to link real-world and military experience to classroom expectations."
This ongoing partnership between ACE and DOD is expanding to recognize the growing focus on postsecondary education credentials. Expectations have evolved to require virtual training reviews; data-driven site readiness assessments; outcomes-based tracking and accountability, and more efficient review processes. In the same way, colleges and universities are seeking expanded access to military evaluation data; more visibility into ACE evaluations; and improved rubrics to determine the level of learning service members are realizing from their work and formal training.
Beyond evaluations, key outcomes include a better integration with data systems. Supporting data exchange standards creates the opportunity to analyze use of data when measuring how credit recommendations are being applied at postsecondary institutions, and increasing transparency into how institutions award and align credit recommendations.
“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with ACE and its military review program. It is important that we continue to develop a common language between the Military Training Evaluation Program and institutional partners to better leverage credit recommendations and help service members succeed," said Jeff Allen, DANTES director.
Research shows how critical it is for DOD to continue to invest in the military credit evaluation work that ACE performs. Every semester hour that colleges and universities award toward completion of a service member's degree is worth a minimum of $250 per credit hour in savings of federal Military Tuition Assistance benefits, as well as a savings of service members' limited time. An ACE survey of students who sought credit for prior learning (including service members), college administrators in institutions that award credit for prior learning, and industry representatives found that credit for prior learning programs are being used to effectively increase the likelihood of students earning a degree or certificate, especially among adult learners. Students who receive credit for prior learning are also likely to graduate with less student debt than peers who did not receive credit.
Studies have also consistently shown that college graduates earn more over their lifetime than students with only a high school diploma and have a 30 percent lower unemployment rate in today's competitive and global economy.
Over 60 years of practice in the field, ACE has developed its industry-standard process to evaluate learning in military, workplace, and community settings for college credit equivalency. The process pairs a structured framework to review the content, scope, rigor, breadth, and depth of non-institutional learning with the disciplinary expertise of college faculty to evaluate and recommend college credit equivalents.
ACE is partnering with Vantage Point Consulting to continue this important foundational work. Vantage Point will be a key player in the strategy, design, and evaluation of the project and virtual platform.