A unique and consistent aspect of education throughout the world is that it is always in flux. Decisions are deliberated, decrees are passed, communiqués are issued, and everyone is left scratching their heads about whether they have the most up-to-date information. A colleague once compared the evaluation of foreign qualifications to assembling a jigsaw puzzle with moving pieces. Such is the life of an international admissions or credential evaluation professional!
So, how does one combat such a significant hurdle? How can we be confident we are assessing qualifications fairly and accurately when the facts are always changing? It is a massive undertaking that necessitates consistent monitoring of policy changes, easy access to evaluation resources, and (above all) constant communication and collaboration with other professionals in the field. More than a decade ago, ECE® Connection was launched in response to these challenges, and it continues to be a trusted source of information on international education.
ECE® Connection (or The Connection) is maintained by ECE professional evaluation staff and provides free information on global educational systems for credential evaluators, admissions professionals, and anyone who evaluates foreign educational documents. The website features news and blog articles, evaluation and training resources, a message board, and ECE® Connection Advantage—a paid subscription service that offers additional tools and resources.
A toolbox for evaluation challenges
To stay up to date on education system changes, monitoring global current events is essential. The News & Notes section of The Connection provides blog articles, curated headlines, and notes relevant to credential evaluators. Recent articles include the latest Weekly News Brief, Nigerian government cracks down on fake certificate scams, and Examining three-year bachelor's degrees in the United States.
In addition to helping evaluators stay on top of current issues, The Connection provides an easy-to-navigate Resources section. Free resources include valuable content like training videos, research and analysis reports, links to external resources, and ECE® Education System Charts. Resources are regularly added and updated.
Finally, as collaboration is key, the Message Board offers an opportunity to connect with an online community of credential evaluation professionals. It provides a platform to discuss hot topics, share information, and ask questions about academic credentials and education systems. The Message Board is monitored by ECE evaluation staff, who are happy to provide guidance or insight. Collaboration. Cooperation. Community. This is what The Connection is all about!
Quick answers with premium features
While The Connection offers an abundance of free materials, a subscription to ECE® Connection Advantage provides access to more premium features to assist credential evaluators and admissions professionals in their international education research.
- ECE® Education System Charts and Keys detail the education systems of 40 countries. The full Charts and Keys publications are available exclusively to Advantage subscribers and provide descriptions of benchmark qualifications depicted in the Charts. See the Guide to ECE® Education System Charts and Keys for more information and Ireland Chart and Key for a free preview.
- Grading Scales provide suggested U.S. grade conversions for educational programs. Grading Scales are organized by country and identified by type, level, and/or defining characteristics. See the Guide to Grading Scales for more information and Brazil Grading Scales (see sample below) for a free preview.
- Credential Equivalencies provide suggested U.S. equivalencies for benchmark credentials from over 60 top-sending countries. See the Guide to Credential Equivalencies for more information and Brazil Credential Equivalencies for a free preview.
- Sample Documents contains a collection of more than 5,000 high resolution academic documents. Sample Documents provide useful context for credential comparison and authentication. The collection also includes credentials that have been confirmed as fraudulent.
Brazil Grading Scale
Finally, Advantage subscribers also enjoy access to exclusive research, including our digital library of print publications. The publications range in topic from general (like Grading Practices in the United States) to country-specific (such as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Its Educational System and Methods of Evaluation). See Grading Practices in the United States for a sneak peek.
For an overview of what is offered, see the table below:
Connection and Connection Advantage Features
Your subscription is a click away
Visit The Connection to stay current on international education matters, access tools and resources for evaluators, and connect with colleagues in the field of comparative education. Subscribe to Connection Advantage for unique features like exclusive publications, credential and grade equivalency recommendations, and access sample credentials, we hope to see you there!