SOCCOAST
The United States Coast Guard is a small service whose members are deployed on cutters, stations and bases, at home and abroad. Its size, locations and mission require educational solutions and opportunities that can support the unique needs of this service.
By Margaret Cotroneo Ph.D., RN
SOCCOAST is the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) degree program for the Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard is a small service whose members are deployed on cutters, stations and bases, at home and abroad. Its size, locations and mission require educational solutions and opportunities that can support the unique needs of this service. The Coast Guard’s commitment to providing the best learning opportunities for its personnel is reflected in SOCCOAST whose member institutions subscribe to a “best practice” standard of serving the military.
The SOCCOAST model blends college credits from both traditional and non-traditional sources of learning into a plan for degree completion. For example, 40 percent of major and major-related courses in degree programs offered by SOCCOAST core member institutions have two-way guaranteed transferability, allowing servicemembers to transfer courses back to a “home college” without prior approval. Likewise, SOCCOAST institutions agree to apply credit from military experience and training, as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE), towards degree requirements as appropriate.
SOCCOAST institutions are located on or near specific Coast Guard installations or are selected by the Coast Guard for traditional or non-traditional educational delivery. The Coast Guard Institute in Oklahoma City is the central voluntary education resource for assessing whether an institution’s programs align well with the broader needs of the service. Servicemembers make their needs known to education service officers who have first-hand knowledge of all of the major components of what it takes to access voluntary education programs and resources.
The SOCCOAST project director serves as an academic liaison and academic integrator, bridging the needs and interests of the Coast Guard with the degree programs and requirements of the academic institutions. Prospective institutional members will be asked to provide enrollment data or some other evidence of their ability to attract Coast Guard personnel to their programs. The SOCCOAST project director reviews the proposed degree programs to determine their fit with the requirements of the SOC Degree Network System.
The Coast Guard must then select the proposed degree programs for inclusion in SOCCOAST. Institutions may apply for membership as core (participate in guaranteed two-way transferability) or affiliate (provide highly specialized degree programs that meet an identified need of the service). Specific information about types of membership can be found in the SOC Degree Network System handbooks, located on the SOCCOAST Web page: (http://www.soc.aascu.org/soccoast/).
SOCCOAST Membership Requirements for Core Institutions
Colleges that want to apply for membership in SOCCOAST as core institutions must first be institutional members of the SOC Consortium and subscribe to its principles and criteria. These include:
* Reasonable transfer of credit Reduced academic residency requirements
* Credit for military training and experience when appropriate to the degree
* Award of credit for nationally recognized testing programs (CLEP, DANTES, ECE)
Institutions must demonstrate to the Coast Guard’s satisfaction that other accredited institutions generally accept their coursework. Courses in prospective degree programs are subject to a peer review process in which they are mapped to SOC course category codes and must then gain acceptance by other core member institutions of at least 40 percent of the major and major-related courses in each curriculum in the guaranteed transfer networks. Since the guaranteed transfer process is two-way, the prospective member institution must also agree to grant transferability for these courses.
To remain in good standing in SOCCOAST, institutions also agree to submit student agreements (a formal evaluation of prior learning incorporated into a degree plan). They will be asked to respond to course category circulation reviews to maintain guaranteed transferability, to submit annual graduation reports, and to respond to SOC annual updates of college information in the SOC Degree Network System handbooks.
Degree Networks and Degree Programs Included in SOCCOAST
SOCCOAST colleges participate in guaranteed transfer networks in accounting, automotive maintenance, aviation maintenance, business administration, computer studies, criminal justice, electronics technology, general business, hospitality management and services, information systems management, management, marketing/retailing, office administration and technology, paralegal studies, psychology and welding. New networks are anticipated as new fields of study emerge and are relevant to the Coast Guard.
Within these networks, many degree options are available. In addition, liberal arts programs are available for those desiring a more general degree. The SOC Degree Network System two- and four-year handbooks list associate and bachelor’s degrees by network or academic area, as well as by geographic location and college. The Coast Guard Institute will assist the servicemember by providing an educational assessment of prior learning and experience as well as degree plans.
Many courses are taught on or near military installations via traditional classroom delivery methods. Through distance learning (e.g., on line, CD-ROM, USB flash drives, iPods, PDA, paper-based) and learning assessment, a Coastie can also achieve college credit and a degree anytime, anyplace.
SOCCOAST also works with the Coast Guard to identify degree options that enhance articulation between Coast Guard training, advanced degrees and servicemember career pathways.
The Coast Guard is committed to providing quality educational options to shipboard personnel. The location, size, mission and limited connectivity of the cutters affect the educational choices available to Coasties afloat. A number of SOCCOAST academic institutions have developed stand-alone courses on CD-ROM or PDA to better serve Coasties afloat, and instructor led courses on cutters are also available. Some colleges are experimenting with iPods and other portable delivery methods, and with hybrid courses that combine delivery methods in order to better serve this population. All of these delivery methods require extensive coordination between education services officers and the colleges, flexible course scheduling and enhanced advising and counseling to effectively serve Coasties aboard cutters.
Advantages of Membership in the SOCCOAST Degree Network
The common features of the SOCCOAST colleges enable servicemembers to complete associate and bachelor’s degrees no matter where they move during their military careers by following a personalized and detailed degree plan. This is clearly advantageous for the servicemember. Without a degree plan and a meaningful evaluation of what has already been learned in the service and elsewhere, the servicemember risks taking unnecessary courses. It is also difficult to transfer miscellaneous credits from various sources to a new college. Instead, by selecting a SOCCOAST home college, getting an official assessment from the Coast Guard Institute and a student agreement, and satisfying the academic residency requirements with one home college, servicemembers can complete their degrees after being relocated or leaving the military and during deployments. This is far better than ending up with a collection of unplanned courses that don’t add up to a college degree. Working with a SOCCOAST school keeps the servicemember on track and can shorten the time toward degree completion.
While being a member of SOCCOAST has clear responsibilities, it can also be advantageous to the college. SOCCOAST institutions support the mission of the Coast Guard by working collaboratively with the service to educate and prepare its members for careers both in and out of the service. Member schools increase adult learner access to their educational programs and can develop new approaches to outreach to a desirable population of students. Being a member of SOCCOAST means being military friendly. Colleges are able to publicize their membership to the military market. They, in turn, receive motivated adult learners whose experience and training can enhance the learning of other students. Opportunities exist for establishing cohort programs and for leveraging educational strategies and resources among member schools. The experience with the SOC model of blended education offers an opportunity to expand and test applications of the service-learning concept of education. The issues that institutions must address in serving the military are also at the heart of many of the issues facing our academic institutions, including the financing of a college education, transfer credit, accreditation, new course delivery methods and applications of technology, and more flexible academic pathways to a career. Finally, the tuition assistance program is a reliable source of payment for college credit for Coast Guard personnel, including civilians.
In summary, SOCCOAST serves as a vehicle for helping to monitor and coordinate quality postsecondary educational opportunities for Coast Guard personnel and their family members in an otherwise fragmented educational environment. The Coastie is always at the center of this effort. ♦
The SOCCOAST model blends college credits from both traditional and non-traditional sources of learning into a plan for degree completion. For example, 40 percent of major and major-related courses in degree programs offered by SOCCOAST core member institutions have two-way guaranteed transferability, allowing servicemembers to transfer courses back to a “home college” without prior approval. Likewise, SOCCOAST institutions agree to apply credit from military experience and training, as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE), towards degree requirements as appropriate.
SOCCOAST institutions are located on or near specific Coast Guard installations or are selected by the Coast Guard for traditional or non-traditional educational delivery. The Coast Guard Institute in Oklahoma City is the central voluntary education resource for assessing whether an institution’s programs align well with the broader needs of the service. Servicemembers make their needs known to education service officers who have first-hand knowledge of all of the major components of what it takes to access voluntary education programs and resources.
The SOCCOAST project director serves as an academic liaison and academic integrator, bridging the needs and interests of the Coast Guard with the degree programs and requirements of the academic institutions. Prospective institutional members will be asked to provide enrollment data or some other evidence of their ability to attract Coast Guard personnel to their programs. The SOCCOAST project director reviews the proposed degree programs to determine their fit with the requirements of the SOC Degree Network System.
The Coast Guard must then select the proposed degree programs for inclusion in SOCCOAST. Institutions may apply for membership as core (participate in guaranteed two-way transferability) or affiliate (provide highly specialized degree programs that meet an identified need of the service). Specific information about types of membership can be found in the SOC Degree Network System handbooks, located on the SOCCOAST Web page: (http://www.soc.aascu.org/soccoast/).
SOCCOAST Membership Requirements for Core Institutions
Colleges that want to apply for membership in SOCCOAST as core institutions must first be institutional members of the SOC Consortium and subscribe to its principles and criteria. These include:
* Reasonable transfer of credit Reduced academic residency requirements
* Credit for military training and experience when appropriate to the degree
* Award of credit for nationally recognized testing programs (CLEP, DANTES, ECE)
Institutions must demonstrate to the Coast Guard’s satisfaction that other accredited institutions generally accept their coursework. Courses in prospective degree programs are subject to a peer review process in which they are mapped to SOC course category codes and must then gain acceptance by other core member institutions of at least 40 percent of the major and major-related courses in each curriculum in the guaranteed transfer networks. Since the guaranteed transfer process is two-way, the prospective member institution must also agree to grant transferability for these courses.
To remain in good standing in SOCCOAST, institutions also agree to submit student agreements (a formal evaluation of prior learning incorporated into a degree plan). They will be asked to respond to course category circulation reviews to maintain guaranteed transferability, to submit annual graduation reports, and to respond to SOC annual updates of college information in the SOC Degree Network System handbooks.
Degree Networks and Degree Programs Included in SOCCOAST
SOCCOAST colleges participate in guaranteed transfer networks in accounting, automotive maintenance, aviation maintenance, business administration, computer studies, criminal justice, electronics technology, general business, hospitality management and services, information systems management, management, marketing/retailing, office administration and technology, paralegal studies, psychology and welding. New networks are anticipated as new fields of study emerge and are relevant to the Coast Guard.
Within these networks, many degree options are available. In addition, liberal arts programs are available for those desiring a more general degree. The SOC Degree Network System two- and four-year handbooks list associate and bachelor’s degrees by network or academic area, as well as by geographic location and college. The Coast Guard Institute will assist the servicemember by providing an educational assessment of prior learning and experience as well as degree plans.
Many courses are taught on or near military installations via traditional classroom delivery methods. Through distance learning (e.g., on line, CD-ROM, USB flash drives, iPods, PDA, paper-based) and learning assessment, a Coastie can also achieve college credit and a degree anytime, anyplace.
SOCCOAST also works with the Coast Guard to identify degree options that enhance articulation between Coast Guard training, advanced degrees and servicemember career pathways.
The Coast Guard is committed to providing quality educational options to shipboard personnel. The location, size, mission and limited connectivity of the cutters affect the educational choices available to Coasties afloat. A number of SOCCOAST academic institutions have developed stand-alone courses on CD-ROM or PDA to better serve Coasties afloat, and instructor led courses on cutters are also available. Some colleges are experimenting with iPods and other portable delivery methods, and with hybrid courses that combine delivery methods in order to better serve this population. All of these delivery methods require extensive coordination between education services officers and the colleges, flexible course scheduling and enhanced advising and counseling to effectively serve Coasties aboard cutters.
Advantages of Membership in the SOCCOAST Degree Network
The common features of the SOCCOAST colleges enable servicemembers to complete associate and bachelor’s degrees no matter where they move during their military careers by following a personalized and detailed degree plan. This is clearly advantageous for the servicemember. Without a degree plan and a meaningful evaluation of what has already been learned in the service and elsewhere, the servicemember risks taking unnecessary courses. It is also difficult to transfer miscellaneous credits from various sources to a new college. Instead, by selecting a SOCCOAST home college, getting an official assessment from the Coast Guard Institute and a student agreement, and satisfying the academic residency requirements with one home college, servicemembers can complete their degrees after being relocated or leaving the military and during deployments. This is far better than ending up with a collection of unplanned courses that don’t add up to a college degree. Working with a SOCCOAST school keeps the servicemember on track and can shorten the time toward degree completion.
While being a member of SOCCOAST has clear responsibilities, it can also be advantageous to the college. SOCCOAST institutions support the mission of the Coast Guard by working collaboratively with the service to educate and prepare its members for careers both in and out of the service. Member schools increase adult learner access to their educational programs and can develop new approaches to outreach to a desirable population of students. Being a member of SOCCOAST means being military friendly. Colleges are able to publicize their membership to the military market. They, in turn, receive motivated adult learners whose experience and training can enhance the learning of other students. Opportunities exist for establishing cohort programs and for leveraging educational strategies and resources among member schools. The experience with the SOC model of blended education offers an opportunity to expand and test applications of the service-learning concept of education. The issues that institutions must address in serving the military are also at the heart of many of the issues facing our academic institutions, including the financing of a college education, transfer credit, accreditation, new course delivery methods and applications of technology, and more flexible academic pathways to a career. Finally, the tuition assistance program is a reliable source of payment for college credit for Coast Guard personnel, including civilians.
In summary, SOCCOAST serves as a vehicle for helping to monitor and coordinate quality postsecondary educational opportunities for Coast Guard personnel and their family members in an otherwise fragmented educational environment. The Coastie is always at the center of this effort. ♦