Lone Star College participated in a pilot project that looked into modernizing the American Council on Education (ACE) Military Guide. LSC was joined by 12 other colleges and universities nationwide to test a new system of reviewing, evaluating, and awarding credit for military learning, training and experience.
“We were honored to participate in this very important initiative,” said Linda Leto Head, LSC senior associate vice chancellor, External and Employer Relations. “We want to make it as easy as possible for our military veterans to transition into civilian life and be prepared to join the workforce as quickly as possible.”
The initiative was part of ACE’s contract administered by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support which provides career-planning programs for U.S. Armed Forces military members. Pilot institutions created individual accounts with specific workflows to accelerate and assess ACE credit recommendations to award credit to military learners.
“The valuable feedback provided by our exceptional pilot institutions helped develop and enhance features to make it easier for all colleges and universities to align and apply military training and occupational experience to postsecondary institution requirements, ultimately giving military learners a head start on achieving their educational goals,” said Michele Spires, acting executive director, Learning Evaluations at ACE.
Beyond evaluations, key outcomes included better integration with data systems, supporting data exchange standards and measuring how credit recommendations were being applied at each of the pilot institutions.
“We can now better determine the right academic credit to award each veteran which will help save them money and graduate quicker,” said Head.
Since 1954, the American Council on Education has been evaluating military learning and recommending academic credit on behalf of service members and veterans pursuing their educational goals across the nation. For more information visit ACE Military Guide at AceNet.edu/MilitaryPrograms.?
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. Lone Star College consists of seven colleges, eight centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.