Comment on Divine Smith's post: This is so important to know.
As hard as it may be, schools should avoid "bashing" their competitors in order to convince a prospective student that they have the better program, or better campus. Rather, they should highlight all the positive aspects of their institution and let the school sell itself.
This part of the training provides me a general review about the regulations that a school must respect such as accreditaton and licensing requirements that are important to be in compliance.
In the advertising and marketing of our programs to our consumers (students), we must continue to abide by the regulations imposed by each state in which we service and support students. Information given to the students should be accurate and precise so to not illegitimately gain the trust and business (enrollment) of the student. Just as in any field of work, there are requirements and metrics we have to meet to be successful and ultimately remain employed, with this standard or goal one can feel pressure to perform but should still uphold the standards of ethics and credibility.
It is important to be transparent and honest in all advertising and social media. Catalogs must be provided to all enrolled students and contain each requirement from your licensing state.
Coming from a position in which I was required to maintain our school's catalog and handbook, I was familiar with a lot of the regulations. Since I am moving states it was good to learn the differences and what I must be aware of moving forward.
It's important to know the state regulations for the state in which we work in order to assist in maintaining compliance for our organization.
It's nice to know the benifits that are in place for military vets!
The "Will I get a job" question is the one most often heard from new students. We need to have accurate data and a place to point them to so that they can see what past experiences have been. I do like to ask former students to do a presentation and tell of their experience in the school, how they approached the courses, and what most helped them to get a job after graduation.
Prospective students come from a variety of backgrounds and it is good to get an idea of how to handle certain, specific situations.
I appreciated how this module emphasized the importance of clear, unambiguous communication in all of our school literature and documents. The rules for catalogs in particular are very clearly defined and add to my understanding of all the possible issues surrounding a prospective student's decision whether or not to choose our school. This gave me some new knowledge of the depth of consideration students must give to the decision of whether to pursue education at our institution.
Just be honest and tell people the truth.
I learnt that it is very important for institutions to present realistic references regarding their facilities, equipment, and services available to students to reduces risk of a student alleging misrepresentation by the school. I also learnt that it is very important for schools to avoid saying negative comments against their competitors or other schools.
Always refer back to the catalog for information - it should be the accurate information to provide to students. Marketing should be focused on accurate and consistent information.
It seems like it is much easier to cause a violation than we might think! It is important to understand the regulations and policies to ensure we do not jeopardize a student, the institution, or ourselves.
This chapter reveled the many specifics and details to maintain integrity and honesty in marketing materials, whether printed, websites, social media, etc. Descriptions of what is available at the school's campuses should be realistic and descriptive of what is available at the facility, equipment with age, services and classrooms. If photos are used for schools with multiple campuses they must be clearly identified with each site. If student testimonials are used, they should not be solicited and should be sincere and honest. Marketing materials may be required to be submitted for approval by various regulatory companies. Availability of financial aid is to be included with specifics defined for Military students. Competitive integrity should be respected to not put down another institution in any areas such as cost, quality of program, outcomes of programs, etc. There must be information to enrolled students, employees and instructors on drug and alcohol abuse prevention. A student Right to know due to be shared with students each July 1 to include graduation rates, transfer rates, etc. Loan counseling must be provided for enrolled students. Campus security information should be provided each October 1 to include any updated concerns. Overall, this chapter had lots of regulatory details.
FERPA is in place to ensure that the school is transparent, and the student is informed of regulatory communication via various modalities including social media. Military benefits were discussed.
Sure am glad I don't work in Admissions, as an owner of several business, I had to always do a lot of sales. My friends said I had a knack for embellishing the truth. Admissions would not be the job for me.
Being a mom of military personnel, I was very intrigued to find out more information about their benefits. All very helpful.
The states' regulatory bodies exist to make sure that schools regulated by them are following guidelines and treating students fairly. I have found that some states have stricter regulations than the Department
Comment on Jamilia Johnson's post: Jamilia that surprised me as well! like you, I know of professional courtesy, but did not realize that there were laws against actually bad-mouthing a competing school.
