Policies

Rescheduling/Transfers

Students/attendees may request a transfer to a later session of the same course if they cannot continue or complete the one currently in session. Students should send the request for transfer or rescheduling to untwise@unt.edu along with any supporting documentation explaining the need for transfer. A one-time courtesy transfer may be granted if the following conditions are met; not having used a courtesy transfer in the last rolling year; not exceeding the deadline in the table below. Otherwise, a transfer fee will be charged. To regain access to an instructor-led course that is no longer in session, we will issue a reactivation fee.

 

Cancellations/Refunds

Students/attendees or employing agencies may request a cancellation or refund if they or their employee are unable to continue or complete their current course. Please view the table below for refund deadlines. Students should send the refund request for review to untwise@unt.edu along with any supporting documentation explaining the need for course cancellation or refund.

 

 

Self-Paced Courses:

  • Job Skills Training
  • Director
  • Autism Endorsement
  • Blind Premium Endorsement

Instructor- Led Courses:

  • Job Placement
  • Supported Employment
  • Work Readiness
  • ACRE

Refunds

Refunds

Refund requests prior to completing Module/Unit 5 are pre-approved

Refund requests after completing Module/Unit 5 require Director approval

Refund requests during Weeks 1-2 are pre-approved

Refund requests during Weeks 3+ require Director approval

Transfers

Transfers

Transfer fee required

(1x courtesy transfer waiving transfer fee available 1X per year per student)

Transfer must be requested prior to completing Module/Unit 5

Transfer requests after completing Module/Unit 5 require Director approval and a transfer fee,

( 1X courtesy transfer waiving transfer fee available 1X per year per student)

Transfer fee required.

(1x courtesy transfer waiving transfer fee available 1X per year per student)

Transfer must be requested during Weeks 1-2

Transfer requests during Weeks 3+ require Director approval and a transfer fee.

( 1X courtesy transfer, waiving transfer fee available 1X per year per student)

 

An exception to this policy may be granted in the event of the occurrence of a catastrophic event, medical event, or UNT WISE administrative error which significantly impaired the individual’s ability to complete the training consistent with policy. An exception may take the form of a training extension, or a transfer into a later session of the same class, whichever the student/attendee prefers. A written request for an exception with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Director before the last day of training to be considered. If the event prevented the participant from requesting the extension before the last day of training, requests will be accepted up to 30 days after the last day of the training in question. The decision to grant an exception is made based upon the submitted documentation and is final- no appeals will be accepted.

Please note that UNT WISE will only grant a one-time courtesy extension or transfer; if the attendee is still unable to successfully complete the course, we will have to ask them to repay and retake the entire course.

 

Requirements for Completion

UNT WISE students must complete trainings within the advertised timeframe for the training event. Requirements for successful completion are outlined at the beginning of the training, and it is the responsibility of the student to read and understand those requirements.

 

Course

Requirements

Final Test Attempts

Self-Paced

  • Job Skills Training
  • Director
  • Autism Endorsement
  • Blind Premium Endorsement

 

Pass the final test with a score of at least 75% or higher

 

 

2

Instructor-Led

  • Job Placement
  • Work Readiness
  • Supported Employment
  • Complete all assignments
  • Meet minimum point requirement**, and
  • Pass the final test with a score of at least 75% or higher

 

 

 

2

ACRE

Complete all course assignments and receive a final score of at least 70% or higher

 

No final test

 

**Minimum point requirement will vary per course. Please refer to your course syllabus for the minimum point requirement needed to successfully complete the course.

 

If requirements for completion are not met, a failing grade will be issued and no credit will be received. UNT WISE follows a strict 2 test attempt policy but will review requests on a case-by-case basis. Requests for an additional test attempt must be directed to the course instructor and approved by the Director. For students who fail the course but would still like to earn the credential or endorsement, new registration and payment is required.

Should a student choose to retake the course, they may use their own previously submitted original work, but these will need to be saved and reuploaded into the new course as assignments do not automatically transfer over. 

All work submitted by the student must be original (original meaning that the work is created by the student enrolled in the course); shared work and duplicative assignments are not permitted. Violation of this rule is grounds for an immediate failing grade at minimum, and assessment of possible further penalties as determined by UNT WISE staff. Please see the Academic Integrity policy for further details.

Late Registration

Registrations must be submitted more than one week prior to the start date of the training.

An exception to this policy may be granted in the event of the occurrence of a catastrophic event, medical event, or UNTWISE administrative or technical error that prevented a person from registering on time. Documentation of the event must be sent to UNTWISE along with a full explanation, which will be reviewed by the Director. Business needs are not catastrophic events.

If an exemption is granted and a late registration is accepted, there will be no training extensions. The participant will receive no additional time to complete assignments, and the class will end at the same time as other participants. This means any late registrant will have less time to complete the course.

Credential Renewal: Director

The Director credential is renewed by successful completion of the Director Renewal course before your Director credential expiration date.  When you have successfully completed the Director Renewal course, the renewal certificate will be uploaded to your user portal. If you do not complete the Director Renewal course prior to your expiration date, the credential will expire.  There is no grace period for Director renewal.

Credential Renewal: Employment Services

In order to maintain your provider employment services credential for basic and advanced employment services including your eligibility to provide employment services to TWC-VRS consumers, you must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every three years. Six (6) hours of the 30 hours must be in Ethics. Fifteen (15) of the 30 hours must be taken from UNTWISE. Please note: Continuing education courses completed through UNT WISE may only be counted once during a credential period unless the content has substantially changed. Half of the hours received by earning a new credential or new endorsement during the renewal period may be counted toward the employment services credential renewal.

The expiration date is based on the date of your highest basic employment services credential.  For example, if you hold a credential for Job Skill Trainer/Job Coach, Job Placement, and Supported Employment, the expiration date would be based on the date of the Job Placement Credential.  

When in doubt of your credential expiration date, check your user portal.

For more information please visit this page: Credential Renewal

 

 

Job Skills Training (only) Credential Renewal Requirements

 

  • Five (5) continuing education Units 
  • One (1) hour of the five must be Ethics 
  • Three (3) of the five must be taken through UNT WISE 

 

 

 

When in doubt of your credential expiration date, check your user portal.

 

Job Skills Training and Job Placement + (Supported Employment and Work Readiness if applicable) Credential Renewal Requirements

 

  • 30 hours in total
  • Six (6) hours of the 30 hours must be in ethics.
  • Fifteen (15) of the 30 hours must be taken through UNTWISE

 

 

The expiration date is based on the date of your highest basic employment services credential.  For example, if you hold a credential for Job Skill Trainer/Job Coach, Job Placement, and Supported Employment, the expiration date would be based on the date of the Job Placement Credential.  

 

When in doubt of your credential expiration date, check your user portal.

 

 

Late Renewal

Providers may be eligible for a late renewal and should contact UNT WISE to determine full eligibililty. 


Most providers would have a 90 day grace period calculated from the credential expiration date. Providers who contact UNT WISE and complete their renewal submission during the 90 day grace period may renew credentials with the typical CEU’s, renewal application, and both a renewal & late fee.


**An important note: For providers whose credentials expire and are renewed during the grade period, the credential does remain expired from the first day after expiration until the day of renewal.
For example: ABC Provider has JST, JPS and SE credentials that expire on 6/30/XX. They reach out and complete the late renewal during the grace period on 8/15/XX. UNT WISE verifies all renewal materials and fees have been paid and the credential is renewed on 8/15/XX. The provider’s credentials would remain expired from 7/1/XX-8/14/XX. This expiration would be notated in the Credential Verification (Searchable) Portal and VR staff would not be able to pay for any services rendered during that time.
 

Credential Renewal Submission

Contact hours should be submitted during the last quarter of your credentialing period. Providers can renew 6 months before the expiration date but no earlier. We encourage providers to submit renewal information no later than 2 months before the expiration date to ensure adequate time for processing and follow-up as needed.

For payment processing: Please ensure you are logged in to Canvas to pay the renewal fee.

For application processing: Please ensure you are logged in to your user portal to submit your completed renewal application and any external documentation.

For more information, please visit this page: Credential Renewal Submission

 

Disability Accommodation

UNT WISE is committed to full training program access for all participants, including those with disabilities.  Reasonable accommodation and appropriate adjustments will be made to all training programs provided by UNT WISE in order to facilitate equity for persons with disabilities.  No one will be excluded from any training program based on a disability. Anyone who wishes to request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability should follow this procedure:

The participant requests an accommodation in writing and include the following information:

1.    Participant name, credential id (if applicable), phone number, e-mail address.
2.    Training program
3.    Description of disability(ies)
4.    Accommodations requested

Proof of disability may be requested by UNT WISE staff.  Proof of disability may be in the form of medical records for a physical disability (last three years), psychological records for psychiatric disabilities (last five years) and psychoeducational records for learning disabilities (last five years). Accommodation requests and proof of disability will be reviewed by UNT WISE staff.

UNT WISE will respond to the participant in writing with information on the approved accommodations or the need for additional information.

Endorsement Renewal

An endorsement is renewed by successful completion of the specific endorsement renewal course before your endorsement expiration date, and, if applicable, possessing specific credentials required for the endorsement.  When you have successfully completed the Endorsement renewal course and, if applicable, the required credentials are confirmed, the renewal certificate will be uploaded to your user portal. If you do not complete the specific endorsement renewal course prior to your expiration date or  you do not currently hold the required credentials, the endorsement will expire.  There is no grace period for endorsement renewal.

Autism Endorsement Renewal
  • Retake the Autism Endorsement course.
  • You DO NOT need to retake the RELIAS pre-requisites, but you will be required to upload your certificate of completion for the pre-requisites from when you first completed them. If you did not keep a copy, please get in touch with RELIAS

 [GL1]Add this into the table

Feedback and Complaint/Appeals Policy

Feedback Policy

For individuals who have feedback regarding a course they have taken through UNT WISE, we strongly encourage you to complete the in-course Qualtrics survey, which is anonymous and only received by the Director of UNT WISE.

To provide Feedback regarding all other UNT WISE business, you may complete our customer survey form. Please include your name and contact information if you would like a response.

Please email or call the main line for UNT WISE for any general questions or concerns: 940-565-4000. If your questions or concerns are unable to be resolved by following the above steps, please contact the Director of UNT WISE at: lucy.gafford@unt.edu or 940-891-6769.

Complaint/Appeals Policy

For administrative or technical complaints, please contact our front desk at 940-565-4000 or complete our customer survey form.  If the issue is not resolved, please contact the Administrative Coordinator, Amber Brasher at: amber.brasher@unt.edu and 940-565-4417.

For individuals who are taking a non-facilitated (self-paced) UNT WISE course, please contact our front desk at 940-565-4000 or complete our customer survey form. 

For individuals who are taking a facilitated UNT WISE course, please ensure that you have:

  • First attempted to resolve any issues with the instructor.
  • Should the complaint not be resolved at the instructor level, you may contact the Director of UNT WISE at: lucy.gafford@unt.edu or 940-891-6769
  • If the Director is unable to resolve the complaint or appeal, it will move into the Complaint/Appeals process as described below.

Complain/Appeals Committee process:

  • A person should file their complaint as soon as possible, but within 28 days of the alleged event. Should a person be appealing a course grade, the student should file within 14 calendars days after the end of the course. Only final course grades can be appealed. Individual assignment grades will not be reviewed, except as part of the complaint/appeals process related to a deficient final grade.
  • Students should attempt to resolve issues with the instructor first, then the Director. When complaints/appeals are unable to be resolved at a lower level, a complaint/appeals committee will be assigned. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Director may grant an extension of any time limits identified in this policy.
  • A Complaint/Appeals form should be completed and submitted to the Director as soon as possible to begin the formation of the committee review process.
  • The Director will assign the Complaint/Appeals Committee members within 5 days of receipt of the Complaint/Appeals Form. The committee will be comprised of 3 members: one to represent the complainant, one to represent the subject of the complaint or UNT WISE, and one member designated as the Chair of the committee.
  • The committee gathers relevant information to the complaint/appeal, reviews all information and provides a final recommendation to the Director within 14 days of receiving the Complaint/Appeals form.

The Director shares the recommendation with all parties and ensures recommendations are followed.

Credential Course Fees

A government purchase order or credit card authorization must be received prior to the start date. If you encounter any difficulties when trying to pay for the training, please contact UNT WISE at (940)565-4000 or untwise@unt.edu for further assistance. Participants will be enrolled in the training, subject to availability, once full payment has been processed.  

Expedited Verification - Applies to Instructor-Led courses only- $60. (Non-refundable)

If a student needs their instructors to grade assignments and open the final ahead of schedule, an expedited fee of $60 is required. Students will also need to notify their instructor of the expedited request. 

Transfer Fee - Applies to Instructor-Led and Self-Paced- $25

If a student needs to transfer to a later course session, a $25 fee is required. Please see the table above for transfer, refund, and cancelation requirements.

Reactivation fee - Applies to Instructor-Led and Self-Paced - $20

If a student needs to regain access to a course that is no longer in session, a $20 fee is required in addition to the transfer fee. Please see table above for transfer, refund, and cancelation requirements.

On Demand

On Demand programs may be viewed at no cost.  Programs will be available for contact hours if the participant pays applicable fees and completes an assessment over the content.  On Demand programs are available for contact hours 12 months after the program's original airing. Participant must complete the assessments to gain contact hours before the program expires.  No refunds are available for On Demand programs.

Registrations

For UNT WISE Credential Courses: Registration for instructor-led courses such as Job Placement, Supported Employment, Work Readiness, and ACRE closes at the end of the week of the start date. After registering for a course, you should receive an e-mail message with instructions on how to access the Canvas website 3-5 days before the course begins. First-time registrants should receive an email from Instructure on how to complete account setup and create a password. We encourage all enrollees to frequently check their spam folder for any email correspondence. If you are experiencing any issues logging in, please reach out to UNT WISE staff for a password reset. Likewise, if you require accommodation, please email your course instructor and copy untwise@unt.edu. Please include your full name, course title, and registration date in the email.

For Transition Programs: Registration for summer programs must be received six weeks prior to the event’s stated deadline. Payment in the form of private pay or a service authorization must be received to complete the applicant’s registration.  Once an applicant has been accepted for the summer program, no refunds will be issued. If the sponsoring organization wishes to substitute a participant, application process must be completed prior to be beginning of the event to ensure time to fully accommodate participants.

Release of Information

Due to the University privacy policy, we are unable to release scores or information to anyone other than the person who completed the course. Students whose course fees were paid for, either by an employer or Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselor, will need to consent to the disclosure of educational records.

If you would like to request a verification of completion (VOC) for a past training or grant UNT WISE permission to share information with an established party, please contact us directly at untwise@unt.edu. 

Academic Integrity Policy

Policy Statement.  UNT WISE promotes the integrity of learning and embraces the core values of trust and honesty.  Academic integrity is based on educational principles and procedures that protect the rights of all participants in the educational process and validate the legitimacy of credentials and endorsements awarded by UNT WISE. In the investigation and resolution of allegations of student academic dishonesty, UNT WISE’s actions are intended to be corrective, educationally sound, fundamentally fair, and based on reliable evidence. This Policy is intended for UNT WISE students only.

Definitions.

  1.  Academic Misconduct “Academic Misconduct” means the intentional or unintentional action by a student to engage in behavior in the academic setting including, but not limited to: cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic misconduct, forgery, plagiarism, and sabotage.
  2. Cheating. “Cheating” means the use of unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise, including but not limited to:
    1. use of any unauthorized assistance to take exams, tests, quizzes, or other assessments;
    2. use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments;
    3. use, without permission, of tests, notes, or other academic materials belonging to instructors, or other students of UNT WISE;
    4. dual submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to a different class without express permission from the instructor;
    5. any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage on an academic assignment.
  3. Fabrication. “ Fabrication” means falsifying or inventing any information, data, or research outside of a defined academic exercise.
  4. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty. “Facilitating academic dishonesty” means helping or assisting another in the commission of academic dishonesty.
  5. Forgery. “Forgery” means intentionally falsifying or altering a score, grade, or official record or the signature of another.
  6. Instructor. “Instructor” means any UNT WISE employee who has been assigned instructional responsibilities for the course
  7. Minor Violation. “Minor violation” means errors in judgment without clear intent by the student to violate the Academic Integrity Policy.
  8. Major Violation. “Major violation” means a serious act or acts of academic misconduct that supports evident substantial disregard for the academic integrity of UNT WISE
  9. Plagiarism. “Plagiarism” means use of another’s thoughts or words without proper attribution in any academic exercise, regardless of the student’s intent, including but not limited to:
    1. the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement or citation
    2. the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person
  10. Sabotage. ”Sabotage” means acting to prevent others from completing their work or willfully disrupting the academic work of others.
  11. Student. “Student” means a person who has previous taken or is taking courses at UNT WISE.

Procedures and Responsibilities.

Responsibility for Violations of Academic Misconduct.

  1. UNT WISE Instructor. Instructors have primary responsibility for academic assessment. A finding by an instructor that academic dishonesty occurred may be considered grounds for academic penalties, up to and including failure in the course. Decisions about the degree of academic penalty to impose will be based on the seriousness of the violation. Instructors are expected to report all allegations, factual summary statements, and sanctions involving instances of academic misconduct to the director of UNT WISE.
  2. UNT WISE Director. When an instructor and student cannot reach agreement regarding the degree of academic penalty, the instructor may seek guidance and advisement from the Director of UNT WISE. The Director has the following responsibilities:
    1. review single violation reports to determine whether the violation should be categorized as a major or minor violation.
    2. administer the procedures and sanctions as set forth in this policy, including investigation of possible major violations and misconduct involving multiple or repeat violations of the policy; and
    3. consult with instructors and students about procedures and rights, and inform students of impending investigations, misconduct findings, misconduct sanctions, and appeal rights as related to major, multiple, or repeat violations.
  3. Student. Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally. A student is responsible for responding to an academic dishonesty report issued by an instructor or the Director. If a student fails to respond, appropriate academic actions in the absence of the student may be made.
  4. Academic Penalties. The following academic penalties may be assessed upon determination that academic misconduct has occurred:
    1. Admonition. The student may be issued a verbal or written warning.
    2. Partial or No Credit for an Assignment or Assessment. The instructor may award partial or no credit for the assignment or assessment on which the student engaged in academic misconduct.
    3. Course Failure. The instructor may assign a failing grade for the course.
    4. Revocation of Credentials. The student’s credential may be stripped if academic misconduct is discovered post-facto. 
    5. Contract Reporting. Texas Workforce Commission staff may be  notified of the student’s academic misconduct.

 

Should a student’s appeal of an academic misconduct penalty extend beyond the grade submission deadline, the student will be assigned a grade that reflects the recommended penalty. Upon conclusion of the appeal process, the student’s grade will be adjusted accordingly based upon the outcome of the appeal.

  1. Procedures for Violation of Academic Dishonesty.
    1. Instructor Actions. An instructor who suspects that a student has engaged in an act of academic misconduct must make a good faith effort to contact the student in writing as soon as possible after detecting the suspected academic dishonesty. The instructor’s initial communication should be sent via the Canvas inbox, and should convey the details of the suspected academic misconduct in sufficient detail to allow the student to prepare a written response, and direct the student to schedule an in-person conference with the instructor to discuss the suspected misconduct.
      1. If the student does not respond to the instructor’s written communication within five (5) days of the instructor sending the email, the instructor may assess academic penalties in-line with the suspected academic dishonesty.
      2. If the student responds to the instructor’s written notice of suspected academic misconduct a conference with the instructor should be scheduled. As part of the conference, the instructor will review all the evidence or information relevant to the suspected act of academic dishonesty and provide the student a full opportunity to respond.
      3. If, after the conference, the instructor determines that the student has not engaged in an act of academic dishonesty, no sanctions will be imposed and the instructor will notify the student immediately.
      4. If the instructor determines upon preponderance of the evidence that the student has engaged in an act of academic dishonesty, the instructor will notify the student of this determination in writing, as soon as possible, if not immediately upon the conclusion of the conference.
      5. The instructor will submit to the Director of UNT WISE a factual summary of the incident, and any relevant documents, to support the findings and the imposed academic penalty.
    2. Student Appeal of Instructor’s Actions.
      1. If a student disagrees with an instructor’s determination of academic misconduct or with an academic penalty, the student may submit a written appeal per UNT WISE’s Appeals Policy.