By: Ed R. Hattabaugh, DoDMOU Program Analyst, DANTES
INFORMATION
AUGUST 2023
Unlocking Endless Opportunities: Discovering the Benefits of TA DECIDE
BULLETIN
DANTES
In this issue: MOU TA DECIDE / 2 JST - Military Transcript of the future / 6 Hot News - Military One Source -Listen and Learn / 7 Contact Info / 8
https://dodmou.com/TADECIDE/
TA DECIDE for Counselors
TA DECIDE is a dynamic information and comparison tool specifically designed to assist participants of the Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance (TA) program in making well-informed choices regarding schools and education programs. It offers a personalized experience tailored to the needs of TA participants.
This tool combines various sources of information, including the DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), DoD Tuition Assistance data, Department of Education/College Navigator data, and details from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ GI Bill Comparison Tool. Information is conveniently presented in an easy-to-use format.
TA DECIDE serves as an additional resource for education counselors who help service members select the right school that suits their requirements. It allows users to research and compare schools that have signed a DoD VolEd Partnership MOU. Only schools that have successfully completed a rigorous screening process and have been accepted into this program are eligible to accept Military Tuition Assistance benefits.
2
To be eligible for consideration, schools must meet certain criteria such as being accredited by a national or regional accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education (ED), state-approved for veterans’ education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and certified to participate in federal student aid programs through Title IV of the Higher Education Act.
With over 2,500 partnership schools available at more than 8,400 locations, TA DECIDE empowers service members with comprehensive information to make informed decisions about their education.
The search engine within TA DECIDE draws upon more than ten trusted data sources from across multiple government departments to provide detailed information on school accreditation, degree levels and
Check
out
I was able to submit my pending updates this evening. Thank you very much for the quick and effective support!
programs offered, learning methods available, classification codes for instructional programs (CIP code), cost estimates including tuition fees, books/supplies expenses, room/board costs if applicable. Additionally, it provides specific DoD Tuition Assistance data related to each school.
There are several reasons why service members should choose to use this tool. It is easily accessible online, allowing for self-paced exploration or guidance from education counselors. With a selection of over 2,500 approved MOU schools, users can compare and contrast different options to make the best decisions for their educational journey. Furthermore, TA DECIDE ensures that all schools have been vetted by the DoD to guarantee quality and eligibility for military tuition assistance.
the
for the DoDMOU
Much appreciated. Thank you so much. I am able to move around and update the account. I appreciate your help 3
Customer Feedback
Technical Team!
For education counselors, TA DECIDE offers additional resources such as a list of participating DoDMOU institutions, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a source document providing further details on the tool.
TA DECIDE serves as the official source for researching and comparing DoD MOU partnership schools for Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve component service members. It is available 24/7 to both service members and the general public at: https://www.dodmou. com/TADECIDE/.
The ultimate goal of TA DECIDE is to provide high-value information on educational costs and outcomes so that service members can effectively compare different institutions they may be considering. While it supports individualized searches tailored to each user’s needs, it also offers an extensive depth of information that military professional education counselors can utilize in assisting service members in finding education institutions that best align with their goals.
4
COLLEGE COMPARISON TOOL
Choose the Right School for You
STUDENT BENEFITS
• 100% of schools are eligible for military tuition assistance
• Easy on-line access for your convenience
• Self-paced or education counselor-guided
• Thousands of schools to choose from and compare to make the right decision
FIND ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS
• TA DECIDE can be accessed 24/7
• 2,400+ approved schools vetted by DoD for quality and value
• Official source for military TA eligible schools
RESEARCH & COMPARE SCHOOLS
• TA DECIDE allows you to research and compare all the schools that have signed a DoD VolEd Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DoD MOU)
• Compare schools side-by-side based on degree programs, costs, military and veteran student outcomes, and more
• Make informed decisions on schools and programs to meet your goals
TA DECIDE
The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education (VolEd) Program, through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), manages TA DECIDE, a college comparison tool to assist military members with selecting the right college for their needs.
TA DECIDE includes all educational institutions that have signed a DoD VolEd Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DoD MOU) and are eligible to receive DoD tuition assistance (TA) funds. TA DECIDE is fueled by more than 10 recognized and trusted data sources from across the Departments of Defense, Education and Veterans Affairs.
LEARN MORE WITH ONLINE RESOURCES
• https://www.dodmou.com/Home/InstitutionList
• https://www.dodmou.com/Home/Faq
VolEdconcerns@navy.mil
5
DANTES.mil
OPPORTUNITY
MILITARY TRANSCRIPT OF THE FUTURE COUNSELOR FEEDBACK WANTED
Rebecca Hilgeman, Prior Learning Assessment Systems Analyst
The Joint Service Transcript (JST) is the #2 most in-demand support service in the DoD Voluntary Education Enterprise. The JST is an academically-accepted document approved by American Council of Education to validate Service member’s military occupational experience and training to include college credit recommendations, as well as a suite of tools and capabilities for Service members to manage their professional development.
Modernizing the JST
DoD is currently developing a Modernized Military Transcript (MMT) prototype to more holistically capture a service member’s military learning, work experience, competencies, academic and professional development achievements in order to understand how that capture pertains to, and benefits, readiness and transition.
Counselor Feedback Wanted:
DANTES is forming a counselor stakeholder group for the Modernized Military Transcript prototype. This will allow counselor stakeholders to cross pollinate ideas, find similar pain points and agree to a modern solution/functionality for the counselor role. We are looking for a diverse set of counselors from each Service, with varying roles and positions. If you use the JST, we want to hear your voice! No other (conditions/experience) required!
This stakeholder group could make a difference for the 8 Million+ Service members and veterans who use the JST.
If you would like to participate and join our Counselor Stakeholder Group, please email Rebecca Hilgeman at beci.j.hilgeman.civ@us.navy.mil by 31 August 2023.
About the Project:
In July 2018, DoD’s Reform Management Group issued a decision memo instructing the Department to (1) consolidate contracting and management of education and training, (2) develop a common catalog of education and training courses, and (3) develop a common repository for learner records. These three lines of effort are being implemented under the Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization (EDLM) reform. The ELRR project implements the third element of the EDLM reform.
In 2020, the ADL Initiative spearheaded two projects, an Enterprise Course Catalog and an Enterprise Learner Record Repository (ELRR) in support of the EDLM Learning Systems Modernization line of effort.
In September 2022, the ADL Initiative partnered with DANTES in a one year effort to explore how the Joint Services Transcript (JST) will meet EDLM requirements. The intent of this effort is to develop a JST prototype that leverages ELRR microservices, data models, and data management infrastructure to demonstrate how the JST can leverage defense-wide learner data.
6
DANTES has collaborated with Military OneSource, a Defense Department resource to help you navigate military life. Topics include education, deployment, relocation, recreation, relationships, money management, parenting and more. Listen anywhere and anytime you have a quiet moment. You can find direct links to DANTES topic discussions below:
Coming in August 2023 - College and Career Planning with Kuder Journey
Credit-by-Exam Program DANTES Overview Overseas Education Opportunities Online Academic Skills Course
7
HOT NEWS
Jeff Allen, Director
Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government, except that copyrighted materials cannot be reproduced without written permission from the copyright owner. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by DANTES of the linked websites, or the information, products, or services contained therein. For more info contact us: DANTES_Outreach@us.navy.mil https://www.linkedin.com/ company/10843412 8
Michelle Alexander, Editor
