Credit Transfer: the University System of Ohio and Awarding College Credit toward Military-Based Credit

Transcription

1 Credit Transfer: the University System of Ohio and Awarding College Credit toward Military-Based Credit Meeting with Chief Academic Officers January 14, 2010

2 Provide an overview of the initiatives in Ohio related to military/veteran students. Illustrate the current practice among Ohio public colleges/universities in awarding college credit toward various military means available to military/veteran students. Discuss the future direction of credit transfer in military-based credit.

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4 Ohio GI Promise Executive Order S Created July, 2008 To honor veterans' service and attract them to Ohio's workforce To take proactive steps to better serve those who have served our country. Ohio s Promise 1. Offering in-state tuition for qualified veterans 2. Participating in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium 3. Creating the Ohio GI Promise Council 4. Providing scholarship opportunities 5. Building a network of support

5 Creation of Ohio s Department of Veterans Services Signing of Post-9/11 GI Bill Most significant expansion of benefits and services for veterans in Ohio since the end of the Second World War

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7 The University System of Ohio wants to ensure that veterans (and their families) in Ohio are given every opportunity to achieve the promise of a higher education. Veterans and their families will make significant and important contributions to the state of Ohio in many ways: 1. They will help expand Ohio's skilled work force with their knowledge and professionalism; 2. They will bring their maturity and motivation to Ohio's higher education classrooms; and 3. They will enrich Ohio's communities through their leadership, selfless-service, and dedication.

8 The University System of Ohio will raise Ohio s Educational Attainment (primary goal of the Strategic Plan) by: Graduating more students Keeping more graduates in Ohio Attracting more talent to Ohio These are economic growth drivers.

9 Accept credit received through military training and experience. KEY STRATEGY: The University System of Ohio will accept credit received through training and experience in the United States Armed Forces or National Guard, as long as it has been approved by the American Council on Education or a regional accrediting body, such as the Higher Learning Commission. The University System of Ohio colleges and universities will join Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a consortium of institutions dedicated to helping veterans succeed. (Strategic Plan, pp 59, Transfer of Military Credits)

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11 Created in 1972 to provide educational opportunities to servicemembers who, because they frequently moved from place to place, had trouble completing college degrees. The SOC functions in cooperation with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense, and Active and Reserve Components of the Military Services to expand and improve voluntary postsecondary education opportunities for servicemembers worldwide.

12 The SOC is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) through a contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The contract is managed for DoD by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).

13 Approximately 1,800 accredited colleges and universities Military-friendly institutions with flexible policies that allow mobile servicemembers and their families to complete degrees rather than just accumulate course credit.

14 SOC Consortium Guide on CD or SOC website with an institutional information page, including the awarding of non-traditional credit and points-of-contact for a SOC institutional representative, SOC counselor, and veterans program administrator or school certifying official.

15 1. Reasonable Transfer of Credit : avoid excessive loss of previously earned credit and avoid course work duplication. 2. Reduced Academic Residency: limited to no more than 25% of degree requirements with no final year or semester in residence (may require 30% for undergraduate degrees offered 100% online) 3. Credit for Military Training and Experience: recognize and use ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services in evaluating and awarding academic credit for military training and experience.

16 4. Credit for Nationally-Recognized Testing Programs: award credit for at least one nationally-recognized testing program such as College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) General and Subject Exams, DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), or Excelsior College Examinations (ECE). Information cited from:

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21 EXAMPLE OF AARTS TRANSCRIPT

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27 33 exams (5 General and 28 Subject Exams) Exam areas include Composition & Literature, History & Social Sciences, Sciences and Mathematics, and Business. Scores range from 20 to 80. ACE recommends 50 as a passing score. Earning credit for knowledge students have acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits, or internships.

28 Free to the following eligible military personnel and eligible civilian employees. Military veterans can seek reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for CLEP exams and fees. Military personnel (Active Duty and Reserve) - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army and Air National Guard Eligible civilian employees and spouses of participating Reserve Component and Coast Guard personnel Department of Defense Acquisition Personnel (only eligible for the following computer-based exams: Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Marketing) Exams administered by College Board.

29 38 Exams Exam areas include Social Sciences, Mathematics, Applied Technology, Business, Physical Sciences, and Humanities. Over 90,000 exams administered annually. Scores range from 200 to 500 (400 as a passing grade)

30 Earning college credit based on the knowledge acquired through previous education or career post in the military. Effective October 1, 2006, DANTES authorized upfront funding of DSST test fees for eligible military and civilian examinees at national test centers that administer the Internet-based DSST tests. DANTES does not fund paper-based DSST testing at national test centers. Exams administered by Prometric, which is owned by Educational Testing Service (ETS).

31 51 exams Exam areas include Arts and Sciences, Business, Nursing (associate and baccalaureate levels), and Education (many offering upper-level credit according to the ACE recommendations). Excelsior College (formerly Regents College) is regionally accredited and grants associate and baccalaureate degrees in Liberal Arts, Business, Technology, Nursing, and Health Sciences. Score of 50 as a passing grade

32 Excelsior College offers distance learning courses and programs. Free to all Military Personnel. DANTES funds most Excelsior College Exams taken at authorized DANTES test centers for all active duty military, National Guard, and Reserve Component personnel. Also targets high school/home-school students. Exams administered by Excelsior College, but the credit hours and minimum passing score are recommended by the American Council on Education.

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34 Survey sent to each institution to update information in September-October 2009 Consortium Guide includes public, private, and proprietary institutions in Ohio 45 Ohio institutions registered in Guide (26 out of 36 public institutions registered) 58 Ohio institutions registered in Guide (35 out of 36 public institutions registered)

35 Contains information about each institution, contact information, accreditation, and non-traditional learning methods accepted or not accepted at that school. CLEP General Exams English Comp, Humanities, Math, Natural Sciences, & Social Sciences and History with maximum credits and required minimum scores. CLEP, Subject Exams, DSST, Excelsior College Exams, Advanced Placement Exams, Professional Certification Exams, Military Training and Experience Credit, American Council on Education (ACE) CREDIT approved credit, and Experiential Learning credit.

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37 60% of Ohio institutions awards credit for at least one CLEP General exam, 34% not awarding credit, 6% with no set policy (case-by-case). English Comp & Math are most widely accepted among 5 CLEP General Exams by both public and private schools. 74% awards credit for some CLEP Subject; 50% awards credit for some DSST. 42% awards credit for all or some Excelsior College exams; 39% case-by-case.

38 Greater percentage of awarding military-based credit by private than public institutions Use of recommendations from American Council on Education (ACE) English and Math scores are all over the scale Use of variable scores and maximum credit hours in social sciences and humanities. Some used percentile as a minimum score required. Use of No Set Policy (case-by-case evaluation) as a response in some cases.

39 Mixed perception about credit-by-examinations. 64% of institutions Awards English Composition credit, but only 57% of that wanted to see essays. 2-year colleges are more receptive to CLEP General Exams and Experiential Learning credit. 4-year colleges/universities are more receptive to CLEP Subject, DSST, and Excelsior College credits.

40 CLEP General Exams Credit being awarded and a minimum score required are scattered all over the board, especially on 2-year side. ACE recommends a maximum college credit of 6 semester hours and a minimum score of 50 or 500. Several institutions required way above and below minimum scores recommended by the ACE.

41 ACE recommends a maximum college credit of 6 semester hours and minimum score of 50 or 500. The data below show the variation of scores and credit hours for each CLEP General Exam. English Comp - 2-Year: score, 3-9 semester credits 4-Year: score, 4-7 semester credits Humanities 2-Year: score, 3-9 semester credits 4-Year: 500 score, 4-8 semester credits

42 Math - 2-Year: score, 3-9 semester credits 4-Year: score, 3-8 semester credits Natural Sciences 2-Year: score, 3-9 semester credits 4-Year: 500 score, 5-8 semester credits Social Sciences/History 2-Year: score, 3-9 semester credits 4-Year: score, 4-8 semester credits

43 All public institutions award credit toward some or all basic military training. 88% of Ohio s public institutions awards some type of college credit toward career-post experience in Army and Marine Corps; 85% for Navy and Coast Guard. 91% of two-year colleges awards credit toward careerpost experience in Army and Marine Corps, compared to 83% by the four-year counterpart.

44 86% of two-year colleges awards credit toward careerpost experience in Navy and Coast Guard, compared to 83% by the four-year counterpart. 97% of Ohio s public institutions indicated that they award some type of credit toward corporate training experience recognized by the American Council on Education. 95% of two-year and 100% of four-year public institutions award some type of credit toward corporate training recognized by ACE.

45 1. Missing data Miami (just joined the SOC on November 17, 2009) and Zane State (submitted information on December 15, 2009) 2. Ohio University had multiple listings with a few discrepancies: OU Zanesville and Independent & Distance Learning Programs. 3. The SOC survey has examined CLEP General Exams in detail, but not the Subject Exams. 4. Use of the answer Some left many questions (What does some mean Equivalent courses or simply general electives or area credits?)

46 5. Confusion about the required scores - Is it 50 or 500 (two-digit or three-digit number)? - What does the ACE recommended score mean? (Some faculty may question the validity of a score of 50 or 500 as equivalent to a grade of a C.) 6. Lack of understanding about the rigor and validity of ACE recommendations. 7. Lack of information, such as institutional mission or goals for creating a military credit policy

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48 1. Standardizing CLEP General and Subject Exams? 2. Displaying for which military credit each institution accepts and awards college credit on u.select (e.g. Minnesota State System)? 3. Re-evaluating transfer credit policy related to military-based credit at each institution?

49 4. Re-evaluating the residency requirements at each institution, based on the SOC guidelines? 5. Attending an educational workshop conducted by the American Council on Education (ACE) about their recommendation process? 6. Offering an educational conference/summit covering all types of military credit that will be presented by the ACE?

50 7. Collecting detailed data on CLEP Subject, DSST, and Excelsior College Exams from all public colleges/universities in Ohio? 8. Identifying the test takers (Is it only military personnel who takes the exams)? 9. Identifying issues preventing institutions from accepting certain exams as a whole or individual subject exams?

51 10. Investigating the motivation behind private institutions policies on military credit (why is their acceptance rate of military credit higher than the public counterparts)? 11. Monitoring all institutions commitment to SOC Guidelines and Principles (SOC does not produce a compliance report)?

52 12. Establishing a statewide policy on awarding college credit toward previous military experience or credit-by-examinations earned while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces?

53 Paula Compton, Associate Vice Chancellor, Articulation and Transfer Ohio Board of Regents (614) Hideo Tsuchida, Assistant Director of Policy Articulation and Transfer Ohio Board of Regents (614)

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