Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Amy, The steps you mention are good. In addition, be sure to sign in blue ink and if possible have others review as well prior to submitting. JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Annual Enrollment and Outcomes Reporting

Ronald, Many schools utilize a 3rd party verifier to call employers or use other resources to verify reported placements. The TWC CSC has called employers to verify placements reported in school's annual reports and may now be using other electronic tools for verification. The TWC CSC also modified the annual report to include student social security numbers, and electronic reporting. On the TWC website, there is a link to a 2011 letter to schools outlining concerns and steps taken with the annual report. The letter is dated July 26, 2011 and includes: "During the past several months, TWC has worked… >>>

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Progress Policies

Minnie, I don't know if Kevin is available to reply so I will try: you need to document that progress is being monitored and action taken to help students improve. Many schools use some type of student advisement form and/or improvement plan with the students name, program, progress info etc., as well as the student's signature. The student must be aware of the consequences of not meeting the satisfactory progress requirements. JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Instructor Variance

Minnie, Bachelor programs are not subject to review or regulatory oversight of the TWC CSC (since they ARE subject to Accrediting review - provided your accrediting body is approved by the TX Higher Education Coordinating Board). That said, I agree that it is best to have official transcripts and any other documentation prior to the instructor teaching a class. You want to make sure the person's credentials are valid and verified prior to having that person teach a class. JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Blog Comment

How Hot Are Hotlines?

Cindy,

Your post contains great information. I have seen ineffective hotlines that did not follow the practices you outlined. I believe the biggest problems have been:

Hotline implemented only to impress students, staff, and especially regulators and accreditors.
A hotline that is poorly communicated will quickly be ignored. Stakeholders need to have some kind of feedback on the use and responses from the hotline(i.e. # of items submitted and replied to for each month), to avoid the negative perception of don't use the hotline...it won't do any good...
Campus leadership need to be communicated with and involved in the submissions to the

>>>

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Instructor Variance

Doyle, I believe that if your program offered is at the associate-level and is not regulated by the TWC CSC, you would not need to submit a variance for approval. Programs regulated by the TWC CSC (diploma/certificate) would require a variance for instructors who do not meet the requirements. This is true even though you keep the applications on file at the school (not sent in to TWC CSC) for your instructors who do meet the requirements. If you have a specific situation, you can always check with your TWC CSC contact person to be sure of how to proceed.… >>>

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Annual Enrollment and Outcomes Reporting

Karina, I agree that good communication with students is the key to their cooperation not only for report completion, but ultimately to help in their career search efforts. The first part of this forum question (re: "placed" vs. "not placed", pertains to the TWC definitions for the annual report. i.e. "placed" means the school had a first-hand action in helping the student find employment in their field of study. "Not placed" means the student found a job (also in-field), without the help of the school. JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Progress Policies

Karina, That sounds correct. When you say "completion of all course work", do you mean that the student has passed all courses? This is a standard provision of most progress policies. Some policies require a minimum grade for all courses such as a "B" or "C". JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Best Practices for Applications

Karina, Yes - if you view the discussion thread, you'll see other excellent practices, such as ensuring that all reviewers are trained in what to look for on TWC applications. JP Mehlmann

Joe Mehlmann

Discussion Comment

Instructor Variance

Karina, Military experience as an instructor can be beneficial if you can document that the experience relates to your courses. Many times, such an instructor candidate also has training certificates from their military experience that may be included in the variance request. . JP Mehlmann