Dantes information bulletin (02) feb 2018

DIB

FEB

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

2018

They Have Questions...You Have Answers!

FAQs For Education Planning Tools

Erin Roberts, Communications Division, DANTES

In this issue: Education Planning Tools FAQs

2

Counselor’s Corner

5

Hot News

7

Troops To Teachers

8

Contact Information

10

DANTES Information Bulletin

W

here do I start? What school is right for me? How do I get my transcripts? Who do I go to for help?

Just the thought of pursuing a postsecondary education brings up several questions for many military members. Every student pursuing a college degree has questions as they reach different goals along their education journey. Military members often have more questions than civilian students because their daily duties, deployments and frequent permanent change of station (PCS) moves present even more challenges.

successfully reach their education goals and complete their college degrees. DANTES is just one organization within the VolEd community offering active, National Guard and Reserve component military members education benefits and services.

For the next seven months, the DANTES monthly newsletter will provide military education counselors and advisors with the answers to several frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the various DoD/DANTESsponsored education programs and services. This month, we start with The Defense of Department’s (DoD) FAQs for DANTES Education Planning Voluntary Education (VolEd) commu- Tools. These tools include the Distance Learning Readiness Self-Assessnity has the responsibility of ensurment (DLRSA) program and Kuder ing these education questions are answered to help military members Journey.

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

Education Planning Tools FAQs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for DLRSA 1. What is DLRSA? The Distance Learning Readiness Self-Assessment (DLRSA) was developed to help students who may be considering distance or online learning as an alternative option to the traditional in-classroom learning environment. This program allows students to self-assess their readiness for distance learning.

2. It’s been a long time since I was in school, how do I know if going to school online is right for me?

More than 85% of active duty military students take college courses online. The DLRSA helps military members, veterans and affiliated family members self-assess their readiness for distance or online learning. By taking the short assessment, students gain insight and advice on skills that are supportive of a positive distance learning experience. Essentially, it helps students begin to answer whether they are ready for taking courses online.

3. I really don’t have a lot of time; how long will it take to complete the assessment?

The DLRSA consists of 16 multiple choice questions where students select the statements that best match their current level of readiness. It takes less than five minutes to take the assessment and

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

receive the results via email. However, at the end of the assessment, students have the opportunity to answer optional demographic questions or “SKIP” to the end.

4. If I don’t score well on the assessment, will I still be able to take online classes?

The tool is not meant as a substitute for educational counseling nor to deny any student the opportunity to pursue a distance learning class.

The DLRSA was developed to give military students the opportunity to assess their skills and identify possible weaknesses that may affect their success when taking distance learning classes. An honest assessment of skills and behavior is in a student’s best interest to ensure he/she has the proper support to successfully complete online coursework.

5. What do I do with the results of the assessment?

After completing the self-assessment, students receive an email from dantesdlrsa@srca.net with a link to their results and recommendations. Students should be directed to review the results and share them with an education counselor for further discussion, especially if there are areas where significant improvement is recommended.

Learn more and take the assessment by visiting www.MyVolEd.com/DLRSA

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

2

Education Planning Tools FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Kuder Journey 1. What is Kuder Journey?

Kuder Journey is a one-of-a-kind solution to help military members with college and career planning. Based on specific individual needs, Kuder provides reliable tools to assess a member’s interests, suggest education and career options, prepare a transitioning member for a job search, and connect them to job opportunities.

Tailored career guidance within the program is available to all active military members and can be especially helpful to members in transition. Kuder Journey is a military member’s resource during the military-to-civilian transition process.

2. How does the Kuder Journey program work?

Once a military member registers at http://dantes. kuder.com/, they will be prompted to take three short assessments to determine their Interests, Skills Confidence, and Work Values. After each assessment, the student is immediately presented

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

with their results and a short video explaining how to understand the results. From there, students can explore occupations by their assessment results, their military occupational specialty, or by typing in a specific occupation title. At this point, students can share their results by email with a counselor to continue the education and career planning process. Students can also use the program to search for DoD partnership schools, financial aid, and plan for transition with various job search tools and creates an online portfolio.

3. How long will it take to complete the assessment?

There are the three short assessments inside of the system that take an average total of 20 minutes to complete. Students can review the descriptions and then start with whatever one works best for them first. If they cannot complete all three assessments in one sitting, they can save their progress and return to finish it later. The Interest Assessment takes approximately 9 minutes, the Skills Confidence Assessment takes approximately 7 minutes, and the Work Values Assessment takes approximately 4 minutes.

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

3

Education Planning Tools FAQs

4. Can I take Kuder Journey assessments again?

I am being asked for an activation code, where do I get the code?

1. Create a personal home page with a banner message, intro paragraph, photo, and contact information.

Yes, a military member may retake Kuder Journey 2. Add a resume. This is an essential part of an assessments. They should have no problem, if e-Portfolio. Members can store one in their they registered within the last few years. However, personal Kuder portfolio, upload a new one, or military members who registered more than two create one within Kuder. years ago may be asked for an activation code. This 3. Add other sections such as information about does not mean that they cannot retake an assesscertifications they hold, work samples, or a list ment. The member should call the Kuder Client of references. For each section added, members Engagement line at 877.999.6227 and a specialist will be able to make their own title, write an will provide the information needed to retake any introductory paragraph, and then upload an of the assessments. appropriate file.

4. Members may want to add a cover letter to 5. What is the e-Portfolio within Kuder Journey? their e-Portfolio. Again, they can store one, upload a cover letter, or create one within Kuder.

The Kuder e-Portfolio highlights important job 5. When members publish their e-Portfolio, they skills and qualifications. It can include items such will be given a personal web address. Members as resumes, cover letters, and certificates. Military may then release that address to the person(s) members can post their portfolio online for viewing they want to view their portfolio. by others, such as employers. There are five easy steps to create an e-Portfolio under the Job Search Tools tab or the My Portfolio tab.

Learn more about Kuder Journey at: www.MyVolEd.com/Kuder

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

4

Counselor’s Corner Not Familiar with the Assessment Results for the DLRSA? Students receive an email from dantesdlrsa@srca.net with a link to view their unique results after taking the 16 question assessment. The results are divided into four categories: Information, Skills, Motivation, and Habits.

•

Information – refers to the individual’s level of understanding of distance learning

•

Skills- refers to the individual’s self-assessment of their skill levels in reading, writing, and computer use. Those scoring a yellow or red in reading and writing self-assessments may want to take the pre-assessments within the College Placement Skills Training (CPST) program to gain specific information on their readiness for college-level math and English courses. The CPST will provide tailored, self-paced lessons to help improve academic skills. Visit http://www.dantes.doded.mil/service-members/prep-for-college/oasc-cpst.html for more information.

•

Motivation- refers to intrinsic or extrinsic, which means the individuals internal desires to perform a particular task or external factors unrelated to the tasks they are performing.

•

Habits- refers to self assessment of personal habits, organizational skills, seeking help, and setting aide time for study

The results list the original question, the student’s response, and provides a color coded recommendation based on the student’s answer.

At the end of each assessment, there is a summary section addressed to the “Student/Education Center”.

It includes to what level the responses are supportive of distance learning and recommendations for next steps. All recommendations include encouraging students to discuss their options with a counselor prior to enrolling in any education program.

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

5

Counselor’s Corner

Kuder Journey Resources

Need help registering as an administer or want additional guidance to help students with Kuder Journey? Check out the resources below.

Kuder Journey Tutorials • General Overview Tutorial • Administrator Registration Tutorial • Student Registration Tutorial • Assessments Tutorial • Job Search Tool Tutorial These video tutorials are available at: https://app.kuder.com/masterweb/ Templates/DANTES/KUDERJ-T.htm

Student Registration Handout To help students register for Kuder Journey, the student registration handout is available at: http://dantes.kuder.com/DANTES_Active_Duty_ Registration_Instructions.pdf

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

6

Program Updates

Hot News DSST Test Preparation

P

reparing for the DSST exam has never been easier. DANTES partners with Peterson’s DoD MWR Libraries to provide test prep solutions for military members seeking to take a DSST exam.

Login to https://www.nelnetsolutions.com/ dodlibrary/ for access to fact sheets, free printable practice tests (approximately 300 questions) and videos! Simply choose your branch of Service, select the corresponding URL, and select DSST to view the offerings!

Pass Rates Increased!

P

rometric helps service members realize their educational goals through the DSST program.

Each year, a number of DSST titles go through a review by the American Council on Education (ACE) to ensure the most sound exam is being offered.

Prometric constantly evaluates DSST exams by analyzing each item and overall exam performance.

When the ACE review is complete, exam titles are reviewed,

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

republished and deployed to the market. In reviewing the data, we can see marked improvement in pass rates for several of the titles reviewed in the past year:

Test Titles

Jan 2017 Jan 2018 Pass Rate % Pass Rate % Increase

Astronomy

29%

69%

40%

Foundations of Education

17%

67%

50%

Introduction to Business

67%

80%

13%

Principles of Physical Science

25%

57%

32%

Technical Writing

42%

73%

31%

Further improvement on pass rates can be achieved through emphasis on the value of test prep materials available to service members at www.getcollegecredit.com, through the DSST app, and additionally, through the Peterson’s DoD MWR Libraries. http://www.dantes.doded.mil

7

Troops to Teachers Highlight

TTT Virginia Center Helps Navigate Teaching Licensure

T

is navigation of the licensing process, according to Kelley Clark, Coordinator, Troops to Teachers Virginia Center, “This has proven to be invaluable! In addition, we work very hard to provide a complete wraparound service, which means going beyond the licensure step. We encourage active military who plan to exit within a year to initiate career planIn 2017, ten states received grants to help ensure ning. We provide opportunities for job shadowing that veterans and service members transitioning and, once licensed, we assist veterans with writing from military service receive the assistance needed their resumes and honing their interview skills. to pursue employment in America’s schools as Most recently, we have added our Virtual Coffee teachers. Virginia is one House to our website as a of those states to receive … our favorite part of the job - seeing place to share learning oppora grant and the first nine a veteran make it all the way to the tunities for service members months have proven quite classroom and knowing that he/she is at any stage of their career successful with 1,293 ser- happily making a difference every day. exploration.” vice members receiving ~ Kelley Clark, Coordinator Knowing that the navigation assistance on the pathway process will be challenging, to becoming a teacher. service members can help themselves make their The Virginia TTT center opened for business on way to the classroom easier. Clark encourages the College of William & Mary campus and began service members to start early, “By starting the helping veterans in May 2017. Since receiving the process prior to leaving the military, they expand grant, Virginia center personnel have counseled their options. We also encourage our participants to 294 service members and veterans assisting them take advantage of our job shadowing experience, with some part of the decision-making or licensure try substitute teaching, and/or talk with other vetprocess as they pursued a transition into the teach- erans who have already become teachers. We are ing field. very glad to help our TTT participants make these connections!”

The most important service provided to veterans roops to Teachers (TTT) is the Defense Department’s transition program that helps service members and veterans meet the requirements necessary to become K-12 teachers, in public, charter and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools throughout the United States and its territories.

DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

8

Troops to Teachers Highlight

Becoming a teacher can be challenging, but many who teach will tell you that the journey definitely has its rewards. The TTT state grants and the commitment of folks like those working in the Virginia TTT office are committed to program success and the mission of putting more veterans in our nation’s classrooms. “It is important to us that we find the best fit for each participant. For some, this may mean applying directly to our Virginia Department Of Education (VDOE) for a provisional license, but for others, it means gaining more experience or education before entering the classroom. In order to be sure each service member and veteran finds that best fit, our counseling services need to be individualized and relational. Although it can be a challenge to personalize our services rather than taking a onesize-fits-all approach, we know this is best for the veterans and their future students. And the relationships we form with our veterans is the best part of our job!” says Clark.

For more information about the Virginia TTT office, visit their website: www.troopstoteachersvirginia.org

Troops to Teachers VIRGINIA CENTER

Benefits of a Teaching Career: ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Make a difference in someone’s life Involvement with your community Flexible work schedule Excellent benefits Variety…every day is a different day Job security Share your passion

Our services include:

At Troops to Teachers Virginia Center, we are proud to help you transition into teaching.

•

Individualized counseling and transition planning

•

Navigating state teacher licensing requirements

•

Connecting participants with hiring officials

•

Ongoing support and mentorship

•

Networking opportunities

•

Possible financial incentives

All of these services are available through the Troops to Teachers Virginia Center at no cost to you.

The Troops to Teachers Virginia Center is a collaboration between Virginia Department of Education, Troops to Teachers National Office and the William & Mary School of Education.

troopstoteachersvirginia.org

|

tttvirginia@wm.edu

|

757-221-3415

 @TTTVirginia

 @ProudtoEducate

call: (757)221-3415 email: tttvirginia@wm.edu follow Facebook: www.facebook.com/tttvirginia follow Twitter: @ProudtoEducate DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

9

DANTES Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support

DANTES OCONUS European Advisor (Contingency Operation Support)

6490 Saufley Field Road, Pensacola, FL 32509 (850) 452-1901

011-49-611-143-544-1230/1210

usarmy.badenwur.usareur.mbx.dantes-euro@ mail.mil

DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil

www.DANTES.DoDed.mil DANTES4Military.Education

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

DANTESpulse.DoDlive.mil

DANTES Information Bulletin The DANTES Information Bulletin is published monthly to inform education personnel about DANTES programs and to help promote more efficient customer service to service members.

Email all inquiries to DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil.

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.

Jeff Allen, Director Michelle Alexander, Editor DANTES Information Bulletin

Vol 483

http://www.dantes.doded.mil

10