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A credential documents an individual's ability or skills to perform a role or function. DAU's credentials will help you acquire skills specific to the DoD acquisition workplace. Credentials can help you build skills when you start a job, or add skills as a job evolves or when you move to another position. DAU credentials will complement, not duplicate other credentialing programs. Although subject to change, credentials will supplement, not replace, the current Level 1 - Level 3 certification requirements. The DAU Credential Job-Aid provides detailed guidance on how to get started.
With a few exceptions, DAU credentials are open to all government personnel with access to the DAU Learning Management System (LMS). Most credentials will be open to Industry personnel supporting DoD acquisition programs. Keep in mind that some credentials will include instructor led training requirements and access to those courses may be a limiting factor for those not assigned to a DoD acquisition position. NOTE: The Digital Engineering: DoD Consumer credential is restricted to DoD Employees. One of the required courses for this credential is MBSE (Model-Based Systems Engineering). The license fee for this course is paid by DAU to Coursera. Exception: Non-DoD and Contractor/Industry employees who complete MBSE at their own expense can provide their certificate to the DAU Help Desk and request to be manually enrolled in the Digital Engineering: DoD Consumer credential. Once the completion has been validated, the student will be enrolled in the credential. Please be advised that process could take 7 – 10 business days.
Students that complete a Coursera course after enrolling in a DAU Credential through the Virtual Campus receive credit 7-10 business days after completing the course. If credit has not been received after 10 business days, student should send a copy of their certificate to the DAU Help Desk so the issue can be escalated. NOTE: Students who've completed a Coursera course at their own expense may send their certificate to the DAU Help Desk to request the credit be applied towards the credential requirements. Once the completion has been validated, credit will be received within 7 – 10 business days. If credit has not been received after 10 business days, student should certificate to the DAU Help Desk so the issue can be escalated.
The initial DAU credentials focus on entry-level performance and will generally build practical experience using exercises or simulations. We anticipate more advanced credentials that we develop will require a more significant experiential requirement in order to hone performance, and to allow us to assess how well the candidate can apply the learning.
For the initial credentials we are offering, DAU will be the issuing authority, based on an assessment to verify ability to perform.
Students will need to complete the learning assets and pass an assessment, which in some cases may be a multiple choice exam, to demonstrate their ability to apply what they have learned. Students will have multiple attempts to achieve at least an 80% or better score. The questions are application-focused vs memorization or recall of facts. If students do not pass in the first two attempts, we recommend they reach out to one of the assigned DAU professors to work through the areas in which they are having difficulty, and review the on-line material, before attempting the assessment a third time. If students fail the third attempt, they may take the assessment again; however, we strongly encourage them to do more self-study of the materials provided in the DAU courseware and again, consult a DAU faculty member. Faculty members are found by contacting the DAU Help Desk.
Yes, we kicked off the program in October 2019 with our first 4 credentials. In the third quarter of FY20, we will release a credential to help DoD acquisition professionals manage cybersecurity aspects of their program. Moreover, we will be monitoring the workforce’s interest in earning credentials and plan to develop ones that will help cultivate key job performance skills. You can send feedback and suggestions to Perform@dau.edu.
We are planning to evaluate other public or private sector training sources as alternative providers for portions of DAU credentials. It is important to keep in mind that DAU is developing credentials to complement, not compete with, commercial or other public credentials. We want to offer tailored learning that provides you DoD domain knowledge and builds skills and performance in areas unique to the DoD acquisition environment. So while a commercial credential would not be equivalent to a DAU credential in its entirety, it is very likely that subsets of commercial credentials, such as relevant courses, will be accepted for portions of a DAU credential. In fact, some of the DAU credential designs include learning content from non-DoD sources, based on best fit.
Yes, the DAU equivalency process applies to a credential just as it applies to certification in a career field. You can find information on equivalent providers and the equivalency process at https://icatalog.dau.edu/appg.aspx.
If the student passes a Coursera course obtained through DAU's Learning Management System/Virtual Campus, course credit is automatically applied. If the student passed a Coursera course that was not taken via DAU's Learning Management System/Virtual Campus they may send a copy of the Coursera graduation certificate to the Help Desk to receive credit. Please contact the DAU Help Desk.
CLPs are awarded course by course and issued by the training institution. DAU cannot award CLPs for outside institutions such as the University of New York at Buffalo which hosts CRD 001, Model Based Systems Engineering Course. This course is advertised as 12 hours of training, so it is reasonable to expect your supervisor to award 12 CLPs for completing the Coursera portion of the Digital Engineering Credential.
CLPs are not earned per credential, they are awarded course by course. For example, if a credential is made up of 3 distinct learning assets, you will be awarded CLPs for each completed learning asset. This happens automatically if you are an acquisition workforce member and completed a DAU resident, virtual or online course. Some credentials can be earned by taking courses offered by a 3rd party provider, such a Coursera. In that case, you can request approval of CLPs hours from your supervisor after reviewing the course hours. Defense Acquisition workforce members should consult with their Component on any specific Continuous Learning (CL) guidance and procedures for awarding CLPs.
Yes, most if not all credentials will have an expiration date (most commonly 3-5 years after award) and will require refresher learning to renew the credential date. The credential description and the credential start notification will include the expiration date. You will also be notified by DAU 90 days before your credential expires.
During and upon completion of the training portion of a credential, we will use assessments to help you gauge your ability to perform. Your successful completion of a final/capstone assessment will support DAU's award of a credential.
No. They will be a mix of self-paced online training, instructor-led learning (resident and virtual delivery), simulations, and other content such as videos, reading, and some non-DAU resources.
No. Many will be a mix of DAU and external sources. For example, we are using a Coursera course in one credential. Over time, we anticipate collaboration with the Services and 4th Estate to also access their learning assets, as well as other commercial sources.
No, not at this time. Students must take required courses to earn the credential. We are currently working on giving student credit for courses taken with equivalent providers or earned (via DACM approval) through the fulfillment process. (Please note that the fulfillment process is not available for any course that is less than 10 CLPs.) We can give you credit for Coursera courses taken on your own. You may contact the DAU Help Desk to get Coursera credit to support a credential. In the future we may institute test–out or adaptive learning capability in our online courses.
All DAU credentials you have earned will appear on your official DAU Transcript, as part of your overall DAU training history. Once you pass the credential assessment, DAU will award you the credential and add it to your transcript within 14 days. If not posted within 21 days, contact the DAU Help Desk.
We are evaluating badging systems that comply with the Open Badge Specification, to assess their security and functionality. Our goal is to be able to also offer Digital Badges at a future time, to enable portability of credentials, even if you leave DoD.
Please contact the DAU Help Desk for the instructor contact information.
Please contact the DAU Help Desk for technical support.
Currently at the DoD level, credentials are optional. In the future, credentials are likely to be part of an improved workforce professionalization model, consistent with the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. DAU is working with OSD to evolve beyond today’s 3-level certification model that front loads training based on one’s career field. We envision a new performance-focused framework that has leaner entry-level learning, some mandatory job-focused credentials, and electives based on workforce members and their supervisor determining what training and credentials will best prepare you to perform for your specific job.
The current CL program requirements are not changing. Remember, courseware completed towards meeting a credential also counts towards your CL requirements. As more DAU credentials become available, you and your supervisor can determine which credentials, if any, would be the best use of your learning time and to meet the continuous learning requirements for acquisition workforce members.
Currently, earning credentials is optional. Because this is a new part of what DAU offers, credentials have not yet been integrated into the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification process. As we work with OSD on a next-generation framework for professionalizing the acquisition workforce (per DAWIA), performance credentials and currency training will likely become integral to the lifelong learning of a workforce member.
Cornerstone on Demand, a commercial system that hosts DAU's Virtual Campus application, refers to Credentials as a type of Certification. At this time, all DAU credentials are optional and do not replace the current Level 1, 2, 3 DAWIA certification program.
As the authority to validate a workforce member's training, education and experience against certification standards remains at the agency/component-level, only individual courses completed at DAU will be represented in our learning management system. DAWIA certification records will continue to be maintained in the Army, Navy, Air Force and 4th Estate systems of choice. DAU Credentials are the exception as this process is facilitated by DAU in DAU systems.
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Please note that you should expect to receive a response from our team, regarding your inquiry, within 2 business days.
