December 17, 2020
As Director of Marketing and Communications, I attended the AICE Monthly Credential Forum virtual meeting on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
Established in 1998, AICE is dedicated to advancing the international credential evaluation profession by developing standards that ensure consistency and accuracy based on expert research.
AICE continuously reviews and updates the standards through ongoing dialogue amongst professionals in the field, and annual symposiums. AICE also provides a forum that connects the many organizations in the U.S. dedicated to enhancing dialogue about international credential evaluation methodology and placement recommendations.
“We believe the better informed a citizenry is about the philosophies and principles used in evaluating international educational credentials, the more confident and mindful it will be in demanding the highest standard in selecting a credential evaluation service provider,” AICE website states.
The results of these ongoing discussions have culminated in the AICE Standards; a detailed and transparent set of guidelines agreed and approved by AICE’s members to:
- Ensure thorough assessment and research for all evaluations
- Encourage professional accountability for all recommendations
- Promote consistent but adaptive evaluation philosophy over time
- Provide transparency in the credentials evaluation process
AICE continuously reviews and updates the standards through ongoing dialogue amongst professionals in the field, and annual symposiums. AICE also provides a forum that connects the many organizations in the U.S. dedicated to enhancing dialogue about international credential evaluation methodology and placement recommendations.
AICE met Thursday at their monthly credential virtual forum to discuss the reforms in India’s educational system and the choice-based credit system grade conversion. More than 15 AICE (AICE Active Endorsed Members and AICE Affiliates) colleagues examined the reforms regarding the choice-based credit system Indian grading scale. The government of India has taken initiative to the formulation of new education policy and bring out reforms in the Indian Educational System, as well as to ensure the quality of Indian higher education.
“The abstract education system of India is full of intricacies of a different nature. Collaboration and discussion measures are needed to be taken to lessen complexities. From ages, time to time commissions have been constituted to improve and remove the anomalies of Indian education system ensuring quality and uniformity in the India educational system. The idea of quality assurance has been implemented to ensure uniformity in their education system and the Choice-Based Credit System has been confirmed mandatory…Major inventions and innovations have direct bearing on the quality of higher education. Quality is a major concern of the present higher education, which could be assessed by the universally acclaimed system of evaluation, and this could be possible through the choice-based credit system,” IIste.org indicates.
The lively discussion brought to light the issues of discrepancies, standards of credential evaluation methodology, and citing expert research regarding this topic. This potentially could be a very confusing time for those evaluating educational credential documentation from India, but the group today stressed the importance of following set standards and looking to their expert research for answers.
The group discussed this issue congenially and professionally. They discussed exceptions, outliers, and backing descriptors for their findings and came to an agreement.
They also looked to the future of the shift of changes in the educational system of India and these reforms. They are keeping a keen eye on this development to ensure AICE brings the latest research and standards to you. AICE publishes and enforces standards as part of our commitment to best practices and consistency in the credentials evaluation field. AICE Active Endorsed Members meet the Association’s requirements for expertise, evaluation methodology and thorough evaluation reports.
The mission of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) is to provide guidelines and standards to be used by Endorsed Member credential evaluation services regarding the best practices in international credential evaluation. It also provides a forum regarding the development of standards for its member organizations. These member organizations are endorsed by AICE for having demonstrated excellence in credential evaluation and adherence to professional standards through a rigorous membership process.
AICE’s Endorsed Members serve educational institutions, licensing boards, professional organizations, multinational corporations, and individuals. They provide verification, authentication and evaluation of education and professional credentials of studies completed outside the United States. AICE also advances the international credential evaluation profession by developing standards that ensure consistency and accuracy based on expert research.
It was a pleasure to sit in on the monthly AICE Credential Forum. If you join AICE as an Endorsed Member or Affiliate Member, you may join in these important discussions crucial to our work in this profession.
Laura Sippel
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI), was founded in 1994 and is based in Los Angeles, CA, USA. ACEI is a full-service company providing complete and integrated services in the areas of international education research, credential evaluation, and translation. ACEI’s Global Consulting Group®, offers expertise in the following specialties: Media and Branding, Global Pathways, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to interested institutions and organizations around the globe. www.acei-global.org
