A few years ago, I bought a cool HDTV with DLP. The TV’s bulb needed to be replaced. So, I Goggled and found the company’s website and PDF manual. A few minutes later, I found the bulb information. Then, I ordered the replacement bulb needed through their commerce website. In a few days, my TV was up and running.
In another example, I was upgrading my Pentium XP to Windows Vista. I needed to update the device drivers for the Pentium Computer. So, I visited the company’s website and found the drivers and downloaded the PDF documentation I needed for the upgrade. Within a few minutes, I finished installing my update to Vista.
Imagine a world where we could not do this for products we purchased a few years ago? How frustrating would it be? Well, higher education or at least some institutions think it is important to give the community free access to archived information.
Do you think restricting access to prior course catalogs and the course descriptions published by higher educational institutions is fair to students as consumers? We don’t.
Do you think it is fair that institutions remove their archived course catalogs, academic policies and course offerings from their website making it difficult for students transitioning to other institutions? We don’t.
Do you think institutions should pay to archive their course catalogs offsite and separate from their public website making it harder to find and access them? We don’t.
Many institutions should re-think how and where they publish current and archived college catalogs, course offerings and academic policies. We are strongly suggesting institutions publish their current and archived catalogs for the public to access - on their own website. This service is important element living up to the expectations of today’s consumer, just like the companies I mentioned above provide consumers access to their archived product literature and support years after a product Is acquired.
The problem is, many institutions fail to see the importance of retaining the historical documents - making it harder for students, advisors and administrators to evaluate the transition and transfer options to another institution if they desire. Before one enrolls in an academic program, validate if the institution publishes and makes available the academic policies and course offerings in a medium you can access. Retain copies of all college and university catalogs, course syllabi and course content that could demonstrate your prior learning.
Drawing former students back to the college or university website is smart thing to do. It enhances the services offered to them. And, it is the right thing to do to help students no matter where they attend.
With the rising tide of adult students attempting to re-enter college, they often are not enrolled and associated with an institution. Most of these potential students have prior learning and desire recognition for their prior investment before enrolling and deciding on an institution. They need access to archived course catalogs from their prior institution. Each of us, should be able to visit any institution’s website to find the information we need just like I found the information about the bulb I needed to replace in my HDTV. Let's commit to making it easier for all learners by creating an awareness of their special needs on all college and univeristy campuses.