1. SOC Degree Network System Pre-Conference Workshop
Council of College and Military Educators (CCME)
March 2017
SOC is a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor supporting government-sponsored education programs funded through a DoD-managed contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

2. Colleges & Universities
DNS Stakeholders
Students
College Choice & Informed Decisions
Student Agreements
Guaranteed Transferability
Advocacy
Counselors
Tools & Resources
Education & Guidance
Colleges & Universities
Visibility to Military Community
Liaison between schools & services

3. Serving the Military-Connected Student
Student Agreements
Contract for degree
Degree plan
Guaranteed-Transferability between member schools in related Networks
Transfer credit policy
Non-traditional credit from military training and experience
National Testing Programs (CLEP, DSST)
Advocacy
Academic Residency
25% of degree requirements
30% if degree offered completely online

4. Supporting the Counselor
Resources, publications on SOC DNS Web site
SOC DNS Handbooks (DNS-2 and DNS-4)
College information pages
Base locations
Articulation Agreements
Categorized Course Codes
Transferability Tables (T-Tables)

5. Collaborating with Member Institutions
Increased visibility within the military, voluntary-education community
Demonstrated support of military-connected student
Sharing of information regarding program choice, educational delivery methods for the military-connected student

6. The SOC Degree Network System
What are the building blocks?
Key features valued by Military Services:
Guaranteed-Transferability
Limited Academic Residency
Decreased time to attainment
Affordability 
Student Agreements
Collaborative System of Colleges & Universities  
Graduate Survey
Accessibility to and for Military Students
Guaranteed Course Transferability within the DNS was a central feature for accelerating degree completion. By giving military students a widely recognized planning tool with multiple course options for completing remaining degree requirements, students could track their progress each semester or term.
Career Related – incorporated into and identified in the DNS across all services, assist with transition

7. Current Networks in the SOC DNS
Associate Degree Networks (SOC DNS-2)
Applied Science & Technology
Automotive Maintenance
Business Administration
Computer Studies
Criminal Justice
Electronics Technology
General & Liberal Studies
General Business
Management
Psychology
Technical Management
Bachelor’s Degree Networks (SOC DNS-4)
Accounting
Education/Instructional Development
Health Services Management
Homeland Security
Human Resource Management
Information Systems Management
Marketing/Retailing

8. Course review & Category development
Network Development
Course review & Category development
Designate major and major-related requirements
Define Emerging Network
Network Launch
Peer review through Course Circulation
Results (Courses and Degrees) listed on Web and in handbook
New Network Development
Align with emerging career fields
Pre-Health Science, Cyber Security, Logistics, Aviation are priorities

9. SOC DNS Circulation Process
Courses “tentatively” assigned Category Codes based on course content
New course not added to Category Code or rejecting college’s course removed from Category Code
General Education, major, and major-related courses reviewed
Peer review: circulation process
not 100% approved
100% approved
Course is entered into T-Tables if degree meets 40% standard
Process to determine two-way guaranteed transferability
Peer review system
100% guaranteed two-way transferability within SOC DNS Course Category Codes.
To determine if courses in specific subject areas at DNS member institutions are transferable to courses at other DNS institutions within the same areas.
You will review your institution’s course with theirs and determine comparability based on content, level, credit, accreditation, etc.
This slide illustrates both the creation of the Codes as well as how courses become assigned to the codes - it also showcases the effort that goes into any given circulation - from point of view of SOC staff and college staff.
We develop some category codes internally and also bring in subject-matter experts when creating and revising multiple category codes in a field.
We emphasize content in our tentative assignments of courses to category codes and primarily go by the course description in the catalog, or a syllabus if that does not provide enough information.
Once courses are mapped to a category code, they go out to every other college with a course in or proposed for that category in a peer-review circulation process. 100% of colleges with courses in the category must agree on course additions to the category - reflecting the two-way guaranteed transferability system at the heart of the DNS.
The challenge is in the outcome when only one college objects to the inclusion of another college’s course. In that case, we try to negotiate with the rejecting school; we look at the proposed and the rejecting school’s course to determine which is better fit; and we look at the impact our decision might have on other aspects, such as the percentage of major and major-related courses in any specific degree (wanting to keep all degrees in the system, wanting to maintain strong networks, wanting to sustain 40% transferability minimums)

10. New Network Development
Ready for peer review
NEW Network framework
21 institutions; 40 degrees
~ 150 courses recommended for transfer
Health Science Foundations – 2 YR
26 institutions; 34 degrees
15 NEW course categories
~ 375 courses recommended for transfer
Cybersecurity – 4 YR

11. Network Development - Next Phase
Initial sorting of degrees
31 institutions; 96 degrees
Applied Science & Technology – 2 YR
Initial sorting of courses
34 institutions; 35 degrees
Psychology – 2 YR
Review M/MR guidelines
62 institutions; 76 degrees
Health Services Management – 4 YR
Create M/MR guidelines
37 institutions; 46 degrees
Homeland Security – 4 YR

12. SOC is a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor supporting government-sponsored education programs funded through a DoD-managed contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

13. SOC DNS Search Tool

14. SOC DNS Category Code Example

15. Student Agreements Serve as contract-for-degree for the student
Source of valuable data collection that is reported by SOC to the Military Services
Indicates viability of member institution’s participation in the SOC DNS
Typically receive over 35,000 Student Agreements per year

16. Student Agreement Components
College Information
Student Information
Degree Requirements
Credit Hours Awarded
Guaranteed Transferability

17. Graduate Survey Survey normally conducted in July/August
Captures data from the previous academic year (July 1 through June 30)
Reports number of military graduates by:
Service
SOC DNS Network (2/4 year level)
Member Institution

19. SOC Troubleshooting SOC Academic Counseling Coordinator
Troubleshooting Examples
Clarification of SOC DNS policies and procedures
Getting started or resuming pursuit of a college degree
Locating a SOC DNS college and/or degree
Assistance with requesting a Joint Services Transcript
Guidance regarding service-related absences
Information about the awarding of military training/experience for credit
Advocating on behalf of students when Student Agreement issues arise

20. DNS Milestones Streamlined Handbooks Education Center Training Modules
Career Degree List
Articulation Agreements
Zip File Submission of Student Agreements 
Enhanced website  
Quarterly communications with SOC DNS members 
User feedback survey on the website

21. Future Plans
New Network development aligned with emerging career fields
Renewable Energy – 108% growth
Forensics – 27% growth
Biomedical Engineering – 23% growth
Comprehensive Membership Review  
Member web-based log-in to update meta information
Virtual SOC Informational briefings, webinars 

22. Moderator – Kiwanis Short, Higher Education Programs
Panel Discussion
Moderator – Kiwanis Short, Higher Education Programs
Panelists
Joycelyn Groot, Executive Dean, Military Education, Corporate Training & Business Development Coastline Community College
Ellen Coleman, Associate Director, Military and Veteran Education, Thomas Edison State University
Catherine Smith, Associate Director at University of Maryland University College
ALL

23. Contact Us Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Phone: (800) 368-5622
1307 New York Avenue, NW
Fifth Floor
Washington, DC
Phone: (800)
(202)
Fax: (202)
Web site:
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