Serving on an ACE Review

Team Recruitment and Selection

​​​​​​​​​​​Creating the Evaluation Team

American Council on Education (ACE) evaluation teams consist of subject matter experts. ACE staff identify academic specialists to serve on the team based on courses taught and their alignment to the content of the review. Note that apprenticeship evaluators may be selected based on industry experience. If there are any changes in your contact information, institutional affiliations, or the courses you teach, please update your profile in the Military Training Evaluation Program Review Portal.

The team is structured according to discipline, expertise, appropriate experience, and varying regional accreditations among two-year, four-year, and graduate institutions. There is a formal selection process to identify appropriate evaluators for the team.

Team Outreach and Recruitment

ACE staff will email you with the dates and location of a specific review to see if you are available to participate. This does not mean you have been chosen for the team. Please respond to this email as soon as possible. ACE staff understand that you may not be able to fit the review into your schedule.

We seek evaluators representing different types of institutions and accrediting agencies from across the country. We invite more people than we need, so if you are not selected, please understand that the decision is based strictly on a blend of discipline expertise, alignment with the review, and a variety of institutional types.

Pre-review Communications

If you are selected for a team, ACE staff will confirm your participation via email and then transmit some preliminary logistics, including any travel details for onsite reviews. Please do not make any travel arrangements before you receive the logistics email. See the forms and policies page for details.

About one week before the review start date, you will receive a final email with final review details, which may include a biographical team list, a list of courses or other learning experiences to be reviewed, access to review materials, and other details about the review.

Review Types

​ACE Learning Evaluations reviews are held either onsite at the participating organization’s location or conducted virtually through videoconferencing and using the ACE SharePoint site. Onsite and virtual reviews can last from one to two days, or up to an entire business week, depending on the review type.

 Course Reviews

Courses consist of a set curriculum with measurable outcomes, rubrics, and validated student assessment instruments. Courses may include lectures, small group work, case studies, skills labs, clinicals, practical exercises, computer-based delivery, and discussion boards. The ACE faculty review team:

  • Examines the materials used to deliver the content of the course, including course planning documents, instructor materials, student materials, and assessments
  • Evaluates the content, scope, and rigor of nontraditional learning for college credit equivalency
  • Validates that learners demonstrate stated learning outcomes through graded assessment methods
  • Writes a report on its findings and makes credit recommendations for the course

 Occupation Reviews (military only)

​An occupation evaluation is an assessment of a job assigned to a service member to determine if the learning that has occurred above and beyond formal military training warrants college-level credit recommendations. The faculty review team:

  • Examines the official documentation for the military occupational specialty or rating
  • Validates the occupation’s critical tasks and skills during interviews with service members
  • Writes a report on its findings and makes credit recommendations for each level of the occupation

 Exam Reviews

Exam reviews focus on an evaluation of the content, scope, and rigor of examinations offered by exam providers for college credit equivalency. The faculty review team:

  • Validates that learners demonstrate equivalent college-level learning through the examination
  • Evaluates the exam and psychometric materials for reliability, validity, and fairness

 Apprenticeship Reviews

Apprenticeship programs include on-the-job industry training and related instruction. The review team composed of faculty and industry experts:

  • Evaluates the content, scope, and rigor of an apprenticeship program for college credit equivalency and/or workplace competency
  • Reviews the program for demonstration of professional, workplace-relevant skills, knowledge, and abilities
  • Reviews apprenticeship frameworks and standards to validate that learners develop and demonstrate provided competencies through the program

 Competency Reviews

​For a competency review, the faculty review team:

  • Evaluates the course materials to determine whether the provided competencies are achieved by each student who completes the course​​
  • Reviews courses for demonstration of professional, workplace-relevant skills, knowledge, and abilities in training programs
  • Validates that learners develop and demonstrate provided competencies through training programs
  • Validates that each learner who passes the course has demonstrated achievement of those competencies