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name: aice-fce-reference description: Retrieves authoritative bibliographic references for Foreign Credential Evaluation (FCE) based on AICE standards.

AICE FCE Reference Skill

This skill assists in identifying the correct authoritative resources (books, databases, directories) required to evaluate a specific educational credential. It utilizes the bibliography defined in "Exhibit VII".

When to Use

Use this skill when the user provides educational credentials or documents and asks for:

• Verification of an institution's accreditation.
• Interpretation of a transcript, grading scale, or credit system.
• Guidance on handling specific country credentials (especially China or North America).
• Authoritative sources to cite in an evaluation report.

Bilingual Format

Institution names should follow: English Name (Original Name in Native Language)

How to Use

To provide the correct references, the Agent must follow these steps:

1. Extract Context: Analyze the user's input to identify key attributes:

   • Country of Education (e.g., China, USA, Global).
   • Degree/Level (e.g., Bachelor, Master, PhD).
   • Document Type (e.g., Transcript, Diploma).
   • Specific Issue (e.g., Privacy/FERPA, Grading System).

2. Execute Lookup: Run the provided Python script regarding the credential year.

   Copypython scripts/lookup_refs.py --context "<Insert extracted context keywords here>" --year <Optional: Year>
   

3. Search for Institution Website (Mandatory):

   • For each awarding institution, use search_web to find the official website.
   • Generate a citation using the --make-citation flag:

     Copypython scripts/lookup_refs.py --make-citation "<Institution Name>" "<URL>"
     

4. Generate Response:

   • The script will output citations in APA Format.
   • Ensure at least 3 references are included.
   • If the script returns fewer than 3 references, use search_web or general knowledge to find additional relevant authoritative sources (e.g., AACRAO EDGE, country-specific Ministry of Education websites) to meet the minimum requirement.
   • Append the institution website citation to the list of standard references.
   • Copy the output directly into the evaluation report.

Examples

User: "I have a transcript from Peking University for a Bachelor's degree (Graduated 2005). How do I verify the credits?"

Agent Action: python scripts/lookup_refs.py --context "China Bachelor Transcript" --year 2005

Agent Response: "Based on the AICE bibliography, here are the references for a 2005 credential:

1. AACRAO. (2011). AACRAO Academic Record and Transcript Guide (1st (2011)).
2. Higher Education Press. (2000). Chinese Universities and Colleges (3rd).
3. International Association of Universities (IAU) / Palgrave Macmillan. (2005). International Handbook of Universities (18th).
4. Peking University. (n.d.). Home. https://www.pku.edu.cn"