The circumstance I am familiar with is where the individual had education in another country but loads of experience in the subject matter. When the education is evaluated, many times primary education in other countries does not translate to a high school diploma but rather some shorter period. In this situation, I would submit a variance.
Arturo,
Yes, foreign credentials can be a challenge. It is a good practice to have a reputable translation service provide an accurate translation of the foreign transcript and/or certificate to accompany any variance application. Such a service is also needed to verify foreign HS credentials of new enrollees.
JP Mehlmann
If the prospective instructor did not have enough experience but had a bachelors degree. Another case would be if one had the experience, but not the degree behind them.
Audrey ,
In either of the examples you mentioned, the experience or education should be significant enough to justify a variance application. Since a variance is an exceptional situation, it should only be used sparingly - in cases where you believe the instructor is otherwise qualified.
JP Mehlmann
in our case the field time (5yrs)is the only
real way for instructors to meet the standard
as there are zero degrees in our field.
the gap in knowledge comes up in the less
hands on parts of the program. the instructor
is long on experience and short on teaching skills
or has a degree but no hours in a relevant course
so fare we have focused on finding alumni from our programs who due to some life change need to come in from the field and have a predictable work schedule
so they can help at home "kids, parents, illness
etc" once they get used to the change we can usually
keep them a long time
new program launches will change this for us as we will not have a pool of alumni to pull from
the worry about instructor shortages is one factor
that has slowed our launch of a new program
john,
Thank you for your post. On a different subject: please note that the section in this course on TWC Outcomes Reports is outdated. There is a revision pending to correct this. In summary, the annual TWC CSC enrollment and outcomes report is now submitted through an internet portal and is no longer submitted on paper as the course states. Please see the TWC rules and forms section for the correct information on the TWC outcomes report.
JP Mehlmann
J.P.
I have another question/Thought
Under instructor qualifications
A degree with semester related to field hours works
5 yrs work in field
my question is
a degree plus trade school if a 900 hr program works
but what about a degree plus a trade education measured in semester hrs or qtr hrs?
some of our schools in Texas are non-degree
qtr or semester hrs, how should we give credit
on the education side for this?
Hello John,
Page 8 of the instructor application form lists a variety of combinations of education and experience for instructor qualifications. One of which states that a bachelors degree plus 9 semester or 12 quarter credit hours in the subject to be taught to qualify. If you have a candidate who doesn't fit into any of the categories, I'd suggest either a) choosing the category that is the best fit [if close] or; b) submit as a variance with thorough explanation of how the person is otherwise qualified or; c) call your TWC contact person for their perspective and direction.
Thanks,
JP Mehlmann
One would need to submit a variance if an instructor became qualified in a subject area after their previous approval was submitted for a different subject. You would also need to submit a variance if an instructor feel out of tolerance on their qualification/certification on a particular subject.
Johnny,
In most instances, the school does not need to submit instructor applications to the TWC; unless instructed to do so or, if the school needs to submit a variance request. If an instructor feels out of tolerance or lacking in a particular subject, then it would be better to find a qualified instructor. The variance is designed for an instructor you believe is qualified to teach but does not meet the specific stated criteria in the TWC CSC rules and, per the TWC instructor application.
JP Mehlmann
Would a variance be submitted if the prospective instructor is from another country? Foreign countries may have different requirements that may or may not meet the same standards as ours.
Eddie,
That is a good question. If the prospective instructor has educational credentials (high school/college) from abroad, then have those credentials translated by a reputable translation service. The TWC requirements come down to specific combinations of work experience and education. If the candidate falls short, then a variance may be appropriate if you believe he/she is otherwise qualified. I suggest reviewing the rules and variance guidelines.
JP Mehlmann
Some circumstances where you need to submit a variance to TWC for approval on a prospective instructor are when an instructor doesn't meet the minimum higher education level necessary to teach, short on the number of credit/quarter credit hours needed, or is short on the number of years of practical experience needed.
For example, a potential instructor who has an Associate's Degree including nine semester credit hours or twelve quarter hours in the subject area to be taught, but only has 1.5 years of practical work experience would need to submit a variance to TWC for approval.
A school may submit a variance for approval in an example such as:
A pending Instructor meets the education requirments but does not meet all the experience requirements.
In this case, the school should provide appropriately documented workshop, such as teaching techniques, ensure the instructor has reviewed the course materials and documentation that the instructor has taken the course exam and passed with 90% grade or higher.
Katherine,
Excellent answer that touches on the important concept that the school demonstrates how the instructor is [otherwise] qualified. (i.e. by taking and scoring high/or passing the final exam for the subject to be taught).
JP Mehlmann
Would an instructor in a technical field with a certification of industry standard (such as from Microsoft or CompTIA) in the area in which they desire to teach plus a high school diploma be a variance?
Angela,
Thank you for your question. Any instructor candidate that does not meet the stated TWC CSC criteria which, includes various combinations of work experience and education, would need to be submitted as a variance. Since someone could have a certification with no actual related work experience, a variance would be necessary to make the case that the candidate is otherwise qualified.
JP Mehlmann
Perhaps having an instructor approved by CSC to instruct one program and be a back-up to instruct in another program within that same industry?
Michael,
Thank you for your questions. Is your school new, or in a position where TWC CSC requires you to submit instructor applications prior to the instructor teaching in your school? The TWC CSC rules state:
If a school meets all three of the following requirements, it
is not required to submit Instructor Applications to CSC for
approval.
1. The school has been licensed for at least one year.
2. The school has been accredited by an agency recognized
by the US Secretary of Education.
3. The school has had no more than one substantiated
instructor complaint in the previous year.
If your school does not have to submit applications, you just need to ensure that you have an application on file for the instructor to cover all courses they teach and serve as a back-up teacher. If your school is required to submit instructor applications, then you should submit for all courses that the instructor is qualified to teach. If the instructor is not qualified to teach in another course, then the instructor should not be designated as a back-up for that course.
JP Mehlmann
Would a graduate successfully completing a program at a school, who gained minimum work experience, but does have a Bachelor's degree be sufficient to request an instructor variance? On occasion, I've run across a student that has expressed interest in teaching and based on their understanding of content and leadership in the classroom could do well in that role. I know it is a risk, but with proper training could it work?
