Necessary Disclosures
What information do you believe needs to be disclosed to prospective and current students so that they can make informed decisions about their education?
Price, placement, financial aid, when classes are running, length of program, what to expect as far as the difficulty of the program. need to gauge students commitment to their education.
All students should be aware of the expectations from their instructors. And, most importantly their own expectations of completing their goal. If a student make their education a goal to complete. The student will realize that they have conquered any fears of completion. I believe this will show the student, that he/she may be able to handle anything related to their perspective career choice.
Outside of the normal discussion points: graduation rates, placement rates etc., prospective students and current students should know what they are getting involved in within their respective field of choice. I normally tell students what a normal work day is like, the kind of clients they would be running across, general pay rates etc. I want them to be fully aware of what they are getting themselves into so they can't come back and say we never told them that
Transparency is the issue here. As long it doesn't violate and compliance regulations or anything of that nature, the student has a right to know as much as possible about the career field they are entering and its requirements and demands.
Kathy,
Thanks, your comments help to complete the picture of what students need to know to make informed choices about their education.
Jay Hollowell
I think a prospective student would want to know placement rates, graduation and retention rates, and maybe student debt amounts as well. These would be important to me if I was making a decision as a prospective student.
Students know about physical and mental demands of their career choice. They should also know realistic expectations of salary potential and employment possibilities.
Students should be informed about their future career, such as what the job description,our
learning environment, externships,and job rates.
I feel students should be made aware of the academic demands of their field of study. Fitting class time and homework into an already busy life for some students can be too overwhelming for them if they are not prepared for it. Students need to be informed of placement and graduation rates of their programs so they can be aware of it during their time of being a student. Students also need to be aware of the demands of their profession once they graduate, as some find out real soon that the classroom is far different than the job world.
Students need to know what will be their expectations in their courses and how this information will transfer over into what is required in the workplace.
The physical demands of the job their chosen field will require. Salary, placement rates.
The prospective student is one of my favorites to speak with. I make sure they are aware of job responsibilities and expectations. We discuss certification(s)and I encourage them to sit for a certification exam. I discuss the classroom environment, the dedication it will take, and time management skills required to succeed not only as a student in their chosen field, but working in that field.
Students should be informed of the demands of the career field they are choosing to enter, along with what we offer to help them meet those demands. This includes the learning environment, passing rates of licensure exams, and job placement rates.
I believe students should be aware of the program requirements before they begin, i.e. the classes they will be taking and the difficulty level of the program in which they are planning to enter. If a student is not mentally prepared for the challenges in which school can bring, they are likely to withdraw. They also should be informed about the demands that they will encounter in their perspective career field upon graduation.
Pass rates, expectations of them as a student as well as on the job, and what requirements they must meet in order to be in the field.
Many things need to be disclosed. Certainly the amount of time that will be required for studies, completing assignments and externship requirements.
Physical demands of the job or potential work hour requirements must also be relayed.
Students need to be aware of the job responsibilities and what is expected of them on the job. I always try to let students know what certification exams they can take and which ones employers are looking for. I envourage all of my students to obtain at least one certification.
I also inform them that if an employer is willing to train them for another aspect of a career field to take them up on that opportunity. It makes you a more valuable employee to them and makes you more marketable to other employers.
I also try to practice full disclosure with my students regarding the career field they have chosen. Many students start the program with the illusion that if they are an officer they will be in complete control of every situation, however this is far from the truth. I try to present the students with real life situations that you don't see on Law & Order or CSI. How will you handle it if an offender looses control of their bodily functions in your office during an arrest? What will you do with an offender who begins banging their head against the window of the car while you're transporting them to jail?
In addition, I try to prepare them for the emotional investment which is necessary to be really successful in this field. How will you feel if one of your clients harms one of their children? How will you feel when you lose a client that you've worked with for two years to a drug overdose. CJ is often a dark and twisted world and being able to maintain your emotional health is essential to preventing early burnout in the field.
Students need to understand what is expected of them. They have to know what the jobs responsibilities entail, hours, who the will be communicating with, and basically a day in the life of that career path. If the institution is credible, they will follow the same standards as the career path that they have chosen.
It is also important for the student to know the history of the college. Placement, Retention, etc.
