Misrepresentation
Now that you understand which areas of misrepresentation are federally regulated, Nature of the Educational Program, Nature of Financial Charges, Employability of Graduates and Relationship with the Department of Education explain which area is most important and why?
I don't think you can specify one area that is most important. I think the nature of understanding misrepresentation is that it is a broadly defined category that includes many aspecits. As an employee/associate, you need to become more and more familiar with all aspects of your role so that you properly carry it out in a manner that demonstrates integrity and trust. It is better to say you will get back with the information than simply give any information with the risk it may be a misrepresentation.
Neither is more inportant than the other, they are
all equally important.
All campus departments need to be aware of the seriuous nature of misrepresentation and what not to say, as a student may ask questions of anyone
without knowing their specific area of expertise.
I think hat the all of these are important because if you don't disclose them properly, serious reprocussions can occur
Jim,
Hi! Failing to present disclosures in a clear and consistent manner can create difficulty for the student and the school. Can you think of some of the types of problems that can occur based on what you learned from the course?
Cindy Bryant
All areas have significant importance to potential students to assist in making an informed decision on their education. But I believe the financial charges and financial assistance students use to pay for their education has more significance because of the long-term effects. It is important that a student is knowledgeable about the costs of the program, what financial aid they may be eligible for and their rights and reponsibilities of borrowing federal student loans.
Rita,
Financial aid can have far reaching repercussions when not handled appropriately. Students need to be aware of how failure to repay loans can impact their credit rating which reduces their ability to purchase certain items.
Cindy Bryant
I think that all areas are important. Putting one above the other would be silly. They all play a role in student success at college.
Each area is important and any misrepresentation from any person in any department would be a bad thing. Any kind of misleading would cause the student to think the school is trying to fraud them even if they were not. It can also ruin the reputation of the school to any potential or current students just by having one person feel like they were mislead in any way.
I also believe that all are extremely important and one isn't more than the other. Misrepresentation can happen on any level. Each potential student is different with different knowledge points, which can allow for deliberate misrepresentation.
I’ll have to agree with everyone else. I don’t think any one area of misrepresentation is more important than another. However, from a student’s perspective the two areas of misrepresentation that may have a significantly impact are financial charges and employability of graduates. In fact, coupled together the repercussions can have a major impact on the overall quality of life of the student for many years to come.
Crystal,
Taking the students point of view is an excellent way to make the determination. Good Post!
Cindy Bryant
I believe that any misrepresentation regarding any department can be equally devastating to an institutions credibility and future. It is vital that we project transparency in all of our departments to protect our students and our future.
Rachel,
HI! This is a great observation. Clear representations are the key to protecting the students, staff, faculty and as you mention the institution.
Cindy Bryant
Naturally all areas are important to our school, so that we provide accurate information to our students and our prspective students. Since I work in financial aid, however, the relationship with the department of education is the most important. They provide us with Title IV funding and we always want to make sure that we are in compliance with their regulations.
I believe the Nature of Financial Charges is the most important, due to the long term effects of payback and the effect on their credit score. It is important the students know how much they are taking out and what an estimation of the payback will look like so they can budget accordingly.
While all of these are important, as a career service adviser, I feel Employability of Graduates is the most relative, therefore important to me for two reasons. For one, just the fact that we have to report these numbers gives credence to our college and the programs we provide. We only keep programs that have a viable need in the local community. We cannot and should not misrepresent these numbers – and anytime we report an actually percentage, it must be supported. It is easy for a prospective student to hear what they want to hear. It is also easily misleading since reporting periods vary: annual reviews vs. current cohorts; start dates vs. graduation dates. Reason number two: we must be aware that all prospective students, active and graduated all see and hear what they want to hear. They will know that their father or uncle is making X amount of dollars, so that must be the same for them. Referring them to disclosure statements and the BLS.gov reminds them that each employer, despite industry, hires on a case by case system. Unless the graduate enters the military, nearly all companies have salary ranges that they work within and base that on a series of reasons. These disclosures, as well as ensuring the student understands them, are very important.
For me Cindy the nature of Financial charges is most important because I work in the Financial aid office and if a student is misqouted as price and I am charging something different...well I think you see the issue.
Danielle,
Hi. For your position disclosing how tuition is effected by federal funds is critical. The root of several student complaints is the failure to understand their federal aid or institutional payments.
Cindy Bryant
I feel that the EMplyability of Graduates is one of the most important to understand and effectively discuss with potential students, because this ecompasses the reasons behind why a student looks for education and assistance with learning a new skill.
Knowing the factual information about employment, and how that directly impacts a potential student can be a determining factor in choosing an institution and as well, the program or course offering a student may likely go in to.
Being forthright and factual about the Department of Labor and Statistics information as well as providing our school's graduation rate as well as placement rate, is key in providing a proper respresentation of the school and what we offer.
