2002 Catalog

Table of Contents

Statement of Purpose. 2

Services offered to Academic Students.. 3

Services offered to Business Computer Users.. 3

Services offered to Individual/home computer users: 3

Microsoft Office Specialist (formerly known as MOUS) Training and Testing. 3

Prerequisites for Enrollment.. 4

Academic Standards.. 5

Attendance. 5

Academic Honesty/Behavior.. 6

Timely completion of course work.. 6

Policies for Non-Academic Courses.. 6

Facilities.. 6

Course Schedule Information/Academic Calendar.. 7

Registration Procedures.. 7

Privacy Policy Statement.. 8

Staff. 8

Addendum:  Program Listing/Pricing and Fee Structure. 9

Explanation of Fee and Program Structure. 9

Payment Schedule. 9

Other Fees: 9

Current Course and Program Descriptions.. 10

Table of Courses Offered.. 10

Table of Academic Programs. 12

Table of General (Non-Academic) Programs. 12

Statement of Purpose

The mission of Technology Learning Centers is to provide training and work skills for those seeking employment in computer related fields. 

Technology Learning Centers also provides affordable training and consulting for home and business computer users at all levels.

Technology Learning Centers is owned and operated by Technology Learning Centers, Inc., 2652 US 41 West, Marquette , Michigan 49855 .

The officers of Technology Learning Centers, Inc., are:

William H. Sklar , President

Margaret M. Sklar , Secretary

Faculty as of April 1, 2003 are:

William H. Sklar , Director/Trainer

Todd A. Carter , Training Specialist

Services offered to Academic Students

Academic students receive training, do classroom exercises and/or homework, and receive grades for courses.  Certificates of Achievement and Transcripts are provided for students who successfully complete academic courses and programs.

Í     Technology Learning Centers offers a variety of programs designed to prepare students for the workplace.  Program descriptions and course descriptions are provided elsewhere in this catalog.

Í     Remedial services are provided for students who do not meet basic academic standards to succeed in the coursework. 

Í     Job placement assistance is provided for students who have completed academic programs.  Under no circumstances can placement be guaranteed.

Services offered to Business Computer Users

Business users receive specialized training as needed, normally not for academic credit unless requested.  Some courses offer Continuing Education Units through Northern Michigan University .

Í     Customized training in our classroom or at the business site—
Group instruction or one-on-one training.

Í     Software training for workforce productivity.

Í     Staff development.

Í     Classroom available for rental by corporate or contracted trainers.

Í     Group rates available for scheduled classes.

Services offered to Individual/home computer users:

Í     Scheduled classes for the general public—not generally for academic credit unless requested.

Í     Computer set up assistance for new users.

Í     General hardware and software trouble shooting.

Í     Many non-academic courses carry Continuing Education Units through Northern Michigan University .

Microsoft Office Specialist (formerly known as MOUS) Training and Testing.

Í     Many of the courses and programs provided at Technology Learning Centers serve as preparation for MOUS Certification testing. This applies to both academic and non-academic courses.

Í     To earn the Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification for Microsoft Office or Microsoft Project, a student must pass one or more certification exams. MOUS exams provide a valid and reliable measure of technical proficiency and expertise by evaluating overall comprehension of Microsoft Office applications, the ability to use their advanced features, and the ability to integrate the Office applications with other software applications. MOUS exams are developed and validated by industry experts and are available at over 9,000 testing centers worldwide.

Í     At the time of publication, Technology Learning Centers is the only testing center for Microsoft Office Specialist Certification open to the public in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Í     Certification tests are offered in the following areas:

Prerequisites for Enrollment

Students who wish to enroll in TLC Academic Programs must fill out an application form prior to beginning any academic course. 

Enrollment is open to anyone 18 years old or older.  Exceptions may be made if it is deemed in the best interest of the student and authorized by the student's parent or legal guardian.

A minimum familiarity with computers is required.  In the event a student has no such proficiency, TLC will provide remedial training to prepare for enrollment in academic programs.

Students who do not have a high school diploma are not excluded from TLC programs; however they may be required, at the discretion of TLC staff, to demonstrate basic proficiency in language skills and mathematics.

Academic Standards

(Academic courses and programs only)

Grading Policies:  For each course completed the student will be issued a grade according to the following standard:

A         Outstanding achievement

B          Above average performance

C         Average performance

D         Below average performance

F          Unsuccessful

A grade of W (Withdrawn) will be issued if a student is unable to complete a course due to documented extraordinary extenuating circumstances.

A grade of I (Incomplete) may be issued if a student is temporarily unable to complete a course due to documented extraordinary extenuating circumstances.

I and W grades will be granted at the sole discretion of TLC staff.

Standards for achieving a grade will be specified in a syllabus for each course which will be provided at the beginning of the course or earlier.

A Certificate of Achievement will be issued to students who achieve a grade of C or better upon completion of each academic course.

Academic Certificates will be issued upon completion of named programs.  To received a certificate, a student must receive a grade of C or better in each course comprising the program.  Exception will be made if a student has been given advance placement status as specified below.  These certificates will serve as notice that the student has satisfactorily completed the program and, in the estimation of the administration of Technology Learning Centers, is competent for employment in fields related to the program.

Students who demonstrate pre-existing proficiency in the subject matter for any course will be given advance placement status and will not be required to complete the course as part of a certificate program.

Attendance

Í     Students are expected to attend all sessions of any class for which they are enrolled.  Occasional absences for documented acceptable reasons will be allowed at the discretion of the instructor.  Unexcused absences will constitute grounds for failure of any course.  Instructors will keep attendance records and notify students who have unexcused absences.

Í     Students with excused absences will be allowed to make up the time by attending sessions of a subsequent session of the same course on a space available basis.  In some circumstances the student may be able to make up the time with independent study, but it should be understood that this is an exception  to the stated policy.  Grades will not be recorded until a course is complete. 

Í     Students with unexcused absences may be required to repeat the course at their own expense to receive credit for the course.

Academic Honesty/Behavior

Í     All work submitted by a student is expected to be the result of the student’s own effort.  Any deviation from this may result in a failing grade in the course for which the work is submitted.  In especially egregious situations such as, but not limited to, multiple offenses of cheating and/or plagiarism a student may be barred from further enrollment in courses at TLC.

Í     Reasonable adult behavior is expected at all times.  Any behavior that is disruptive or detrimental to class progress will not be tolerated.

Timely Completion of Course Work

Í     All course work (assignments, exams, and/or any other requirements specified in the course syllabus) must be completed by the time and date specified in the syllabus.  Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for the course.  Under documented extenuating circumstances an extension of time for completion may be allowed at the discretion of the instructor.

Policies for Non-Academic Courses

Í     Students are expected to attend all sessions of any class for which they are enrolled.  Certificates of Completion will be issued only to students who have attended the entire course.

Í     Reasonable adult behavior is expected at all times.  Any behavior that is disruptive or detrimental to class progress will not be tolerated.

Í   TLC makes no representation as to the competence or qualifications of students who have completed non-academic courses

Facilities

The TLC facility has a computer classroom with 17 student workstations and one instructor station.  Computers will be made available for hands-on activity whenever required for a course.  Additional equipment for student use is available.    This includes but is not limited to:  copy machine, fax, printers, transcribing machine, and Internet access.  Nominal fees for use of this equipment may be applied.

In some cases, students may be able to use their own personal computers rather than the on-site equipment, if their computers are compatible with the requirements of the course for which they are used.  TLC will not provide hardware or software support for student-owned computers.

The classroom and conference room will be available for student use for purposes of studying or preparing course work.  This is for the benefit of students who do not have other access to the equipment required for completing their coursework.  The facility is not intended for recreational use.  A calendar of available times for facilities will be published monthly.

Students are not required to provide any materials or equipment other than incidentals such as notebooks and writing utensils.  Textbooks for all courses will be provided by the school and the cost of books and other required materials will be included in the course fees.

Course Schedule Information/Academic Calendar

Technology Learning Centers does not follow any fixed semester schedule.  All programs and courses are offered on a regular rotating schedule.

Courses are offered on weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings to accommodate all enrollees.  Some courses may be offered on Saturdays.  If there is sufficient demand, any course may be offered on weekends.

Classes are not scheduled on major National Holidays.

To obtain current information about course schedules one may:

Í     Call our office at (906) 225-1557
or toll free at (877) 4-CALL-TLC

Í     Visit our web site:   www.traintlc.com

Í     Send an email message to tlc@chartermi.net

Í     Send a fax to (906) 225-9030

Í     Write to us at 2652 US 41 West, Marquette , Michigan 49855

Registration Procedures

1.      Unless otherwise indicated, all courses meet in the TLC classroom,
2652 US 41 West, Marquette .

2.      To enroll in Academic courses only, students must complete an application for admission.  Upon acceptance of application, students may enroll in any academic course for which they meet the stated requirements.  To assure timely processing of admission and registration it is recommended that students apply at least two weeks before the beginning of any course for which they intend to register.  Students enrolling in Non-Academic courses are not required to submit an application for admission

3.      To register, send a completed registration form with payment or call TLC at (906) 225-1557 to register by phone.  Registration will be considered complete on receipt of full payment.  Registration for academic courses closes one week prior to the first class meeting.  Registration for Non-Academic courses closes three business days prior to the first class meeting.

4.      Payment may be by cash, check, money order, or credit card.

5.      Advance registration will guarantee a seat in high-demand courses and helps us with our planning.

6.      Cancellations. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes with low enrollment. In such cases 48 hours notice will be given whenever possible. Enrollee has the option of a full refund or credit toward a different course or service. Cancellations by enrollee must be at least one week prior to the beginning of a class to receive a refund. No refund will be given for cancellations within five days of start of class or for no-shows, except as specified in the next paragraph.  A processing fee of $10 or 2% of the amount refunded, whichever is greater, will be deducted from the refund

7.      Refunds for students denied enrollment:  All tuition and fees paid by the applicant shall be refunded if the applicant is rejected by the school before enrollment.  An application fee of not more than $25.00 may  be retained by the school if the application is denied.  All tuition and fees paid by the applicant shall be refunded if requested within three business days after signing a contract with the school.  All refunds shall be returned within 30 days.

Privacy Policy Statement

We respect your privacy.

In general we do not share any information about our clients with anyone.  If a participant in one of our programs is sponsored by an employer or public service agency, we will report on that person’s participation when asked by the sponsor, but only if the participant has signed a waiver permitting us to disclose such information.

We do not use cookies or any automatic form of information acquisition about visitors to our web site. No information about visitors is collected by us unless it is voluntarily provided.

Staff

Bill Sklar , Director

Í     11 years K-12 teaching experience in public and private schools in Philadelphia and Detroit

Í     9 years administrative experience in the Transportation Department, Detroit Public Schools

Í     5 years full-time faculty, Business Computer Information Systems, Northern Michigan University plus additional experience as faculty adjunct

Í     BA, University of Michigan , 1964

Í     MBA, Northern Michigan University , 1986

Í     Certified Master Microsoft Office User Specialist

Í     Contact Bill at tlc@chartermi.net

Todd Carter , Training Specialist

Í     5 years Lead Software Instructor, Central Business School , Marquette , Michigan

Í     1 year Lead Trainer, CompUSA, Pensacola , FL

Í     1 year freelance contract computer trainer

Í     BA, Northern Michigan University , 1976

Í     Microsoft Certified Professional

Í     Certified Microsoft Office User Specialist

Í     Certificate, Medical Office Specialist, Central Business School

Í Certified Master Microsoft Office Specialist

Í     Contact Todd at tlctodd@chartermi.net

Addendum:  Program Listing/Pricing and Fee Structure

This structure is effective April 1, 2003 , subject to change or modification at any time.  Changes will be posted on the TLC web site.  Current students will be notified of changes at least 30 days before they take effect.  The lists beginning on the next page include all academic and non-academic courses currently offered by Technology Learning Centers.  Each course may be taken independently, but most courses are part of more comprehensive programs listed below.

Clock hours are 50 minute hours; detailed course descriptions and outlines will be posted and updated regularly on the TLC web site www.traintlc.com.  Printed copies of course descriptions are available on request.

Explanation of Fee and Program Structure

Some courses stand alone and are not part of more comprehensive programs.  Most courses are part of programs which will either prepare the student for a specific specialized area, or provide general preparation at a specific level of competency.  In the Tables of Courses below, each course which is associated with a program is identified as such.

In the Tables of Programs below, each program is associated with the courses which comprise it.  Academic Students will receive a Certificate of Achievement for each course they complete successfully (with a grade of C or better), and a separate certificate for any program completed successfully.  Non-Academic students will receive a Certificate of Completion for each course completed.

The following discount structure applies when a student enrolls for a complete program at one time.  The current discount is at least 20% for all programs.

Notes:

• Discounts are not dependent on achievement.  They apply regardless of the success level of the student
• Once a student has registered for a complete program, they may enroll at  any time the courses for that program are offered within one calendar year of enrollment (two years for OSC only). If any course is not offered at least twice during that time period, the student will have the option of receiving a refund at the discounted rate for that course, but the discount will still apply for all other courses for which the student enrolls in the program.
• If a student is unable to complete a program for which they have paid in full, the student will be entitled to a refund of fees for courses not taken, but the full course fees before discount will be applied to courses completed.. There will be no refund for courses in which the student formally enrolls but does not complete.

Payment Schedule

If a student makes full payment for a program at the time of enrollment, all applicable discounts will be applied immediately.

If a student makes a commitment to complete a program at the time of enrollment in the first class for that program, but does not pay in full, then payment at the full undiscounted rate will be expected for each course at the time of enrollment.  When the student enrolls and pays for the final course in the program, the applicable discount will be applied retroactively.

Partial payment plan.  When the amount due for any course or program is greater than $499, 50% of the fees owed are due at the time of enrollment.  A payment schedule will be developed on a case by case basis.  No student will receive a certificate for any course for which payment in full has not been received.

Other Fees:

Current Course and Program Descriptions

Table of Courses Offered

Table of Academic Programs

Table of General (Non-Academic) Programs

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