Feedback from Participants is Vital to the Success of the Transition Assistance Program

Courtesy Photo | If you are a transitioning service member who has recently attended TAP, in the classroom, virtually, or completed courses online via Transition Online Learning, you can still access the TAP participant assessment and provide your feedback via the link provided during TAP. If you are unsure of where or how to access the participant survey, contact your local transition office. (Graphic courtesy Military-Civilian Transition Office)  

UNITED STATES

03.10.2021

Courtesy Story

DoD, Military-Civilian Transition Office

ARLINGTON, VA – If you have transitioned out of the military in the past 30 years, chances are you participated in the Department of Defense (DoD) Transition Assistance Program (TAP). With over 200,000 individuals participating in TAP on an annual basis across 185 installations worldwide, there should be no shortage of participant feedback – but there is – and virtual learning might be to blame.

In-seat learning is the preferred method of delivery for the TAP curriculum. However, as a result of COVID-19, many installations have moved to 100 percent virtual or a hybrid-delivery model for TAP curriculum modules.

After each module in TAP, service members have the opportunity to provide feedback via the TAP Participant Assessment on their experience with the curricula, instructor, and knowledge gain.

“Participation in the TAP Participant Assessment is 100 percent voluntary and completely anonymous. Normally when service members are receiving in-person instruction, the instructor will call attention to the survey after each module which in turn increases participation,” said Melinda Manyx, Curriculum Program Manager, Military-Civilian Transition Office (MCTO).

“As a result of COVID-19, many service members are taking the virtual curriculum. While there is still a request at the end of each course and instructions for the survey, many choose not to take it,” she continued.
Participant feedback is vital to the success of the program. It allows curriculum creators to gauge what areas of the curriculum are being received well or potentially need revision.

“It also alerts us to any parts of the TAP curriculum or delivery that may need to be addressed or revised or items that just don’t resonate well with the audience,” said Manyx.

So, say you take the participant assessment – what happens next?

“When a service member chooses to take the survey and make comments about their TAP experience, a representative from our office actually reads those comments. It doesn’t disappear into a black hole of survey feedback,” joked Manyx.

In many cases TAP participant feedback has actually changed the TAP curriculum for the better by providing content to update, clarity on the wording, and recommended topics to be included.

The program has changed a lot over the past 30 years and will continue to change to meet the needs of transitioning service members, their families, and their caregivers.

If you are a transitioning service member who has recently attended TAP, in the classroom, virtually, or completed courses online via Transition Online Learning, you can still access the TAP participant assessment and provide your feedback via the link provided during TAP.

If you are unsure of where or how to access the participant survey, contact your local transition office.

“Bottom line, we want to hear from you,” said Manyx.

About the Military-Civilian Transition Office:

The DoD Military-Civilian Transition Office formed as a result of a merger between two DoD programs under the Defense Human Resource Activity’s Defense Personnel and Family Support Center in January 2020. The office provides policy and program oversight for the Transition Assistance Program and the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

MCTO’s mission is to continually improve the delivery of resources, information, and assistance provided through the programs, promoting their effective and efficient support of transitioning Service members and members of the National Guard and Reserve, their families, and communities worldwide.

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• Date Taken: 03.10.2021
• Date Posted: 03.10.2021 12:51
• Story ID: 391034
• Location: US