Our Accreditation and Continuing Education Program (ACE)
Discovery Expeditions has partnered with Dominican University of California to offer an exciting opportunity for our travelers to earn course credit (CEUs) for some of our trips. The Accreditation and Continuing Education Program is an excellent way for teachers, graduate students, and other professionals traveling with Discovery Expeditions to earn academic or continuing education credit for all you’ve learned during your enriching educational expedition by completing course requirements as part of your trip. It’s a great way to enhance your resume, accelerate your career, and make the most of your Discovery Expedition.
Discovery Expeditions trips are aligned with national education standards and custom alignments can be created for any trip for Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core Standards, your local curriculum, or STEAM. Contact the Discovery Expedition’s Director of Accreditation Programs if you are interested in a custom alignment.
Our ACE Program offers three types of accreditation:
1. Professional Development or Continuing Education - For teachers and other professionals
Dominican University of California is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, (WASC). The School of Education and Counseling Psychology’s Continuing Education and Professional Development Division is responsible for all extension courses. The credit offered is graduate level, meaning that it is post-baccalaureate. It is primarily utilized for professional growth or salary advancement. Graduate Level Extension Semester Units are characterized by 15 hours of contact time per credit/unit, and are associated with a measure of knowledge assessment and/or skills implementation. The words Credits and Units are used interchangeably as geographical locations vary in terminology.
Requirements:
You will be required to complete a series of assignments before, during, and after your trip.
The program offers the option to earn 2 or 3 CEUs. The course syllabus lays out all the requirements needed to fulfill each option.
Registering is easy and is in two steps:
First, register and pay the deposit for the trip. From the Discovery Expeditions Homepage, find your trip page under “Upcoming Expeditions”
Second, once you have registered for the trip, register for the Discovery Expeditions Educational Travel Course (EDUO 9839) on the Dominican University course registration page.
2. Graduate Credit - For graduate students with pre-approval from their college or university
Dominican University of California is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, (WASC). The School of Education and Counseling Psychology’s Continuing Education and Professional Development Division is responsible for all extension courses. The credit offered is graduate level, meaning that it is post-baccalaureate. It may be utilized for professional growth or salary advancement, and transferable to a degree program with prior approval of the institution being petitioned. Graduate Level Extension Semester Units are characterized by 15 hours of contact time per credit/unit, and are associated with a measure of knowledge assessment and/or skills implementation. The words Credits and Units are used interchangeably as geographical locations vary in terminology.
Requirements:
You will be required to complete a series of assignments before, during, and after your trip. Participants choosing this option are expected to be engaged in more in-depth work and have more content responsibilities than describe in option #1 above, and may also want to transfer the units to a degree program.
The program offers the option to earn 2 or 3 CEUs. You can request a copy of the custom designed syllabus for this trip by contacting the Discovery Expeditions Director of Accreditation Programs.
Registering is easy and is in two steps:
First, register and pay the deposit for the trip. From the Discovery Expeditions Homepage, find your trip page under “Upcoming Expeditions”
Once you’ve registered for the trip, send an email to Allan Varni at Dominican University or the Discovery Expeditions Director of Accreditation Programs requesting graduate course credit.
3. Service Learning - For high school students and travelers fulfilling service learning
Some of our courses involve service learning projects. We encourage high school students and professionals interested in applying the experiential service projects we engage in, towards the service learning requirements at their school or work. Please contact the Discovery Expeditions Director of Accreditation Programs to inquire. This option is offered solely through Discovery Expeditions and is not part of our partnership with Dominican University.
Our Certificate of Completion
Upon request, Discovery Expeditions can provide a Certificate of Completion custom designed to your expedition to any traveler who completes one of our expeditions. Please contact the Discovery Expeditions Director of Accreditation Programs to request a certificate.