Trident University International's Innovative Approach to Military Credit Evaluation Showcased at Military Conference

Trident University International Team presents at the annual Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) symposium on the subject of "Assisting our military students: Maximizing non-traditional credit and decreasing time to meet educational goals."

CHANDLER, Ariz., March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Trident University International, a member of the American InterContinental University System (Trident), was honored to present at the annual Professional Development Symposium of The Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) held in New York City in January under the theme, "50 Years of Innovation."

Christina Hoang, VP of Admissions, Brittney Drake, Associate VP of Student Finance, Rebecca Jones, Associate VP of the Center for Student Success, Kendra Temple, Director of Alumni Engagement, and Abby Dolan, Registrar, presented a session titled "Assisting Our Military Students: Maximizing Non-traditional Credit and Decreasing the Time to Meet Educational Goals."

Topics discussed during the presentation include Trident's Fastrac, an initiative designed to simplify the credit transfer and prior experience evaluation process for students. Recognizing that many students have acquired knowledge through their employer, military service, or elsewhere, the University established this initiative to help eligible students maximize their prior experience for potential transfer credit.

A key component of Fastrac includes Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) where Trident may award students at all levels from undergraduate to doctoral credit for eligible professional training or experience.

Additionally, Trident offers Challenge Exams for undergraduate students in select courses, including Psychology, Sociology, and Biology. Successful completion of an exam provides a student with proficiency credit that they can apply towards an undergraduate degree. To be eligible, a student must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, they cannot have previously attempted the course, cannot have already received transfer credit for the course, and must have a Challenge Exam eligible class in their degree plan or as an available general elective course.

For eligible students, Trident will request and review an updated Joint Services Transcript (JST) on behalf of students. This allows student support staff to apply previous learnings for eligible credit if it fulfills any remaining graduation requirements at Trident.

"We evaluate eligible students on a monthly basis, after census for the most recent session start," explains Abby Dolan. "This gives us an opportunity to maximize the credit transfer opportunities for military students. "

The JST process impacts all military students with a rank of E-4 to E-9 who have attended a session within the last calendar year and have not had a JST uploaded to their record in the last year. Students provide a signed transcript request authorization to request an updated JST. If changes to a student's degree plan are required, the RO will communicate updates to the Center for Student Success and Student Finance departments.

"The success of Trident's Fastrac program relies on the cross-functional partnership of university departments. Each department dedicates its work to the benefit of the students they serve and the departments with whom they collaborate. As evidenced by our team who presented at CCME, every department is considered a key stakeholder in the success of our students." shares Christina Hoang, VP of Admissions, Trident.

CCME's primary goal is to address the educational needs of the men and women who serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. At this year's event, representatives from the U.S. Armed Forces and multiple educational institutions, including Trident, served on panels, and led discussions centered around improving educational resources for members of the military.

The organization that would become CCME got its start in the 1970s when a group of Education Services Officers (ESOs) met regularly to share ideas on how to best meet the needs of military personnel seeking a college education. Educational institutions that supported the military were soon brought into the fold.

"Trident has a long-standing commitment to serving the educational needs of past and present members of the military," states Kendra Temple, Director of Alumni Engagement. "Our continued involvement with CCME allows us to strengthen this commitment and expand the resources available to military students around the world."

Learn more about CCME and its commitment to educating servicemembers.

About Trident University International
Founded in 1998, Trident University International is a member of the American InterContinental University System, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org). Trident uses the EdActivetm learning approach, which employs case-based learning in an online setting to teach real-world relevant critical thinking skills designed to enhance the lives and education of students. Trident offers quality associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs and certificates, led by a qualified faculty team, over 80% of whom have doctoral degrees. Trident has over 32,000 alumni, of which more than 27,000 have a military affiliation, and has received acknowledgments from Washington Monthly and Military Times for their dedication to student success. Visit http://www.trident.edu or call at (855) 290-0290 to learn more about Trident's wide range of educational options.

Media Contact

Jennifer Cross, Trident University International, 714-816-0366, [email protected]

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SOURCE Trident University International