Managing and Training International Credentials Evaluators

1. Managing and Training International Credentials Evaluators Beth Simpson International Operations Manager, Office of Admissions and Evaluation, University of Phoenix November 8, 2010

2. International Evaluation Department • 18 International Education Officers • 1 full time Spanish translator • 3 evaluators also function as translators in French and Spanish • Certifications pending for Russian, Arabic, Farsi and Hebrew translators • 2 operations managers • 54 years combined comparative education experience © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.” 2

3. Services Provided • Evaluate 195 countries in-house • Provide certified translations of French and Spanish documents • Process Pre-evaluations • 6,531 pre-evaluations completed in Calendar 2010 • Process file evaluations for official admissions decisions • 18,213 international student files in Calendar 2010 • 5,363 unique sets of international credentials in Calendar 2009 • 4138 unique sets of international credentials to date for Calendar 2010 © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

4. Department Philosophy • Our goal is to place the student in the program in which they have the best possible chance of success, in keeping with the best standards and practices of the industry. • Benchmarking • Years of Study • Pre-evaluations • Official admissions evaluations • The University of Phoenix does not fully admit applicants without either receiving and authenticating official original documents, or receiving positive verification from the issuing international institution. © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

5. Department Philosophy, continued • Evaluation Methodology • Evaluate for transfer credit • Convert credits using co-efficient methods, quartering, clock hour conversions • Grade conversions • 12 + 3 Bachelor’s degrees • Admissible to some master’s level programs, based on established success rates and state regulatory requirements • Grade Point Average Conversions © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

6. Department Philosophy, continued • Pre-evaluation process • Standardized request template and workflow • Standardized resolution template • Research documented in file • Official file matriculation • File workflow • Research documented in file • Established performance goals • Quality • Volume © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

7. Department Philosophy, continued • Email distribution groups • Facilitates communication between departments • Grouped by function • Scalable with communication in a non-localized structure • Central source of information • Consistency • Trend spotting © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

8. Resources • Publications • World Education Series Pier publications (AACRAO) • AACRAO Country Guides (AACRAO) • Commonwealth Universities Yearbooks (Association of Commonwealth Universities) • International Handbook of Universities (UNESCO) • Association of Indian Universities Handbooks • NAFSA Guide to Educational Systems Around the World (NAFSA) • Handbook on the Placement of Foreign Graduate Students (NAFSA) • WENR newsletters • Institution Catalogs • Conference handouts © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

9. Resources, continued • Web Resources • Institution • Ministries • Eurydice • ENIC/NARIC • Contacts • Education USA • Agency • Institutions • AACRAO’s EDGE • World Higher Education Database • Internal websites • Job Aids © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

10. Key Components of a Successful Team • Fit • Training Methodology and Philosophy • Managing Trainees • Evaluation Methodology and Philosophy • Managing Trained Evaluators • Challenges © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

11. Successful Evaluator Skill Set • Detail Oriented • Disciplined • Highly analytical • Methodical decision making • Comfortable with gray areas • Determined • Research experience • Language skills • International knowledge or experience • Familiarity with institution policy © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

12. Training Methodology • Evaluators are initially trained on domestic evaluations • Must demonstrate proficiency with domestic evaluations before beginning international training • Training environment • Classroom training allotted two weeks to one month • One on one or in small groups with a dedicated trainer • Morning classroom sessions with PowerPoint presentations and training materials, general resource material • Afternoon hands-on evaluation time, 100% of work quality checked, results logged • Logs sent to manager and trainee • Anticipated development period of 18 months, post training © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

13. Training Methodology • Training environment, continued • Initially, International Evaluators will only process pre-evaluations • 100% of work is quality checked for accuracy • International Evaluators progress to files only after they are trained on all systems of education and demonstrate proficiency with pre-evaluations • As a final step, International Evaluators complete an extended period of 100% quality check of all work completed © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

14. Training Methodology • Begin with the general principles • Define the mission • Define the team philosophy of evaluation • Countries broken down by system of influence: U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Spanish and Portuguese, India, French, Ex-Soviet and Eastern Bloc, Miscellaneous • Resources available • Use of Resources • Processes • Documentation required © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

15. Managing Trainees • Trainees are familiarized with performance goals • Quality • Volume • Managers review quality control logs, reports pertinent to evaluator performance • Managers meet every two weeks, or as needed with trainees to discuss error trends, overall performance • Managers may choose to mentor an international evaluator more closely in a particular area to boost performance © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

16. Managing Evaluators • Completing training is the first step in the development of an International Credentials Evaluator • Development arc of an International Evaluator is 1.5 to 2 years • Management strategies and methods are designed to encourage progress in that arc • Management strategies also focus on building strong team relationships, leading to cooperative efforts and consistency © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

17. Managing Evaluators • Quality check of work continues at a reduced percentage • Open-door policy to discuss evaluation questions or other issues • Bi-weekly one-on-one meetings • Discuss quality and production • Bi-weekly team meetings • Refresher trainings, based on trends • Policy and process changes • Clarifications © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

18. Managing Evaluators • Production • Daily team goal • Daily individual goals • Periodic review of goals • Quality • Weekly audit of pre-evaluations and files for accuracy and completeness • Percentage score given based on completeness and acceptability of documentation, comparability, credit conversions, general education credit application, use of resources, process. © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

19. Challenges • Should all countries be evaluated in house? • Volume of countries • Risk • Target countries based on intake • Staffing • Ongoing process analysis • Training and development time • Turnover • Availability and cost of resources • Cultural awareness © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

20. Questions? © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”

21. Contact Information • Beth Simpson • Phone: 602-557-3749 • Email: beth.simpson@phoenix.edu © 2010 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.”