The American Council on Education (ACE) has been a long-standing partner with the Department of War and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) in evaluating military training and occupations for college credit recommendations. Good progress has been made. ACE recently hosted a three-part “Advancing Military Learner Success” webinar series this month, focused on credit for prior learning. One of the key goals is to see how higher education can best use the Military Guide to make informed decisions and support learner mobility and success. Get the facts on getting college credit for service and learn about frequently asked questions.
The ACE Military Guide was revamped in 2021. As the sole source of information for all military courses and occupations since 1954, equivalent credit recommendations are provided and documented on the Joint Service Transcript (JST). Most helpfully, the modernized version allows users to upload the JST and get an instant report showing how their military experience translates. Even though this tool has been in effect for several years now, it is still not widely known.
ACE Military Guide System
Colleges and Universities have improved access, search features, and navigation tools to review military learner education and training. This enhanced and streamlined technological platform enables higher education institutions to better facilitate awarding credit with accuracy and consistency.
The ACE Military Guide page leads to the JST upload feature. The guide itself includes more than 25,000 courses and 3,600 occupations vetted by experts. Through this automation, both military learners and institutions can efficiently make determinations and see prior decisions regarding credit for prior learning in their repository.
Military-connected learners can use the ACE military guide tool to plot their academic and career goals. One of the known challenges for transitioning active-duty members and veterans is articulating how their military training and education background translates to the civilian sector and higher education pathways. The generated report provides a comparison that allows for more meaningful conversations between the learner and higher education institutions.
Better Visibility, Better Outcomes
Convenience matters. The more accessible the information and the easier it is to integrate data and systems, the better the outcome. This includes clearer feedback loops, information-sharing, and insightful academic and career counseling. The ACE Military Guide is a comprehensive decision tool, but it also validates the military member’s education and training, whether specialized or general.
More military service members and veterans should know about how they can efficiently have their JST and overall military training and education deciphered quickly at their fingertips. As ACE represents over 1,600 colleges and universities, higher education institutions are better equipped to support the success of military-connected learners. Ongoing ACE military course and occupation reviews, technological innovation, and stronger data are setting up a brighter future for the military-connected community to get credit for prior learning.
See also New Guide to Getting College Credit for Military Service.
