(a) Responsibility of Providers.
(1) A provider is responsible for:
(A) the administration of each course, including, but
not limited to, compliance with any prescribed period of time for
any required course topics required by the Act, Chapter 1102, and
Commission rules;
(B) maintaining student attendance records and pre-enrollment
agreements;
(C) verifying instructor qualification, performance
and attendance;
(D) proper examination administration;
(E) validation of student identity acceptable to the
Commission;
(F) maintaining student course completion records;
(G) ensuring all advertising complies with subsection
(c) of this section;
(H) ensuring that instructors or other persons do not
recruit or solicit prospective sales agents, brokers, easement or
right-of-way agents, or inspectors during course presentation; and
(I) ensuring staff is reasonably available for public
inquiry and assistance.
(2) A provider may not promote the sale of goods or
services during the presentation of a course.
(3) A provider may remove a student and not award credit
if a student does not participate in class, or disrupts the orderly
conduct of a class, after being warned by the provider or the instructor.
(4) If a provider approved by the Commission does not
maintain a fixed office in Texas for the duration of the provider's
approval to offer courses, the provider shall designate a resident
of this state as attorney-in-fact to accept service of process and
act as custodian of any records in Texas that the provider is required
to maintain by this section. A power-of-attorney designating the resident
must be filed with the Commission in a form acceptable to the Commission.
(b) Use of Qualified Instructor.
(1) Except as provided by this subsection, a provider
must use an instructor that is currently qualified under §535.63
of this subchapter (relating to Qualifications for Instructors of
Qualifying Courses) to teach the specified course.
(2) Each instructor shall be selected on the basis
of expertise in the subject area of instruction and ability as an
instructor.
(3) A provider shall require specialized training or
work experience for instructors teaching specialized subjects such
as law, appraisal, investments, taxation or home inspection.
(4) An instructor shall teach a course in substantially
the same manner represented to the Commission in the instructor's
manual or other documents filed with the application for course approval.
(5) A provider may use the services of a guest instructor
who does not meet the instructor qualifications under §535.63
of this subchapter for qualifying real estate, easement or right-of-way,
or inspector courses provided that person instructs for no more than
10% of the total course time.
(c) Advertising.
(1) The following practices are prohibited:
(A) using any advertising which does not clearly and
conspicuously contain the provider's name on the first page or screen
of the advertising;
(B) representing that the provider's program is the
only vehicle by which a person may satisfy educational requirements;
(C) conveying a false impression of the provider's
size, superiority, importance, location, equipment or facilities,
except that a provider may use objective information published by
the Commission regarding pass rates if the provider also displays
next to the passage rate in a readily noticeable fashion:
(i) A hyperlink to the Commission website's Education
Provider Exam Passage Rate page labeled "TREC Provider Exam Pass Rates"
for digital media; or
(ii) A URL to the Commission website's Education Provider
Exam Passage Rate page labeled "TREC Provider Exam Pass Rates" for
non-digital media;
(D) promoting the provider directly or indirectly as
a job placement agency, unless the provider is participating in a
program recognized by federal, state, or local government and is providing
job placement services to the extent the services are required by
the program;
(E) making any statement which is misleading, likely
to deceive the public, or which in any manner tends to create a misleading
impression;
(F) advertising a course under a course name other
than the course name approved by the Commission; or
(G) advertising using a name that implies the course
provider is the Texas Real Estate Commission, including use of the
acronym "TREC", in all or part of the course provider's name.
(2) Any written advertisement by a provider that includes
a fee that the provider charges for a course must display any additional
fees that the provider charges for the course in the same place in
the advertisement and with the same degree of prominence.
(3) The provider shall advertise a course for the full
clock hours of time for which credit is awarded.
(4) The provider is responsible for and subject to
sanctions for any violation of this subsection by any affiliate or
other third party marketer or web hosting site associated with or
used by the provider.
(d) Pre-enrollment agreements for approved providers.
(1) Prior to a student enrolling in a course, a provider
approved by the Commission shall provide the student with a pre-enrollment
agreement that includes all of the following information:
(A) the tuition for the course;
(B) an itemized list of any fees charged by the provider
for supplies, materials, or books needed in course work;
(C) the provider's policy regarding the refund of tuition
and other fees, including a statement addressing refund policy when
a student is dismissed or withdraws voluntarily;
(D) the attendance requirements;
(E) the acceptable makeup procedures, including any
applicable time limits and any fees that may be charged for makeup
sessions;
(F) the procedure and fees, if applicable, associated
with exam proctoring;
(G) the procedure and fees for taking any permitted
makeup final examination or any permitted re-examination, including
any applicable time limits; and
(H) the notices regarding potential ineligibility for
a license based on criminal history required by §53.152, Texas
Occupations Code.
(2) A pre-enrollment agreement must be signed by a
representative of the provider and the student prior to commencement
of the course.
(e) Refund of fees by approved provider.
(1) A provider shall establish written policies governing
refunds and contingency plans in the event of course cancellation.
(2) If a provider approved by the Commission cancels
a course, the provider shall:
(A) fully refund all fees collected from students within
a reasonable time; or
(B) at the student's option, credit the student for
another course.
(3) The provider shall inform the Commission when a
student requests a refund because of a withdrawal due to the student's
dissatisfaction with the quality of the course.
(4) If a provider fails to give the notice required
by subsection (d)(1)(H) of this section, and an individual's application
for a license is denied by the Commission because the individual has
been convicted of a criminal offense, the provider shall reimburse
the individual the amounts required by §53.153, Texas Occupations
Code.
(f) Course materials.
(1) Before the course starts, a provider shall give
each student copies of or, if a student has online access, provide
online access to any materials to be used for the course.
(2) A provider shall update course materials to ensure
that current and accurate information is provided to students as provided
for under §535.62 of this subchapter (relating to Approval of
Qualifying Courses).
(g) Presentation of courses.
(1) Classroom Delivery.
(A) The location for the course must:
(i) be conducive to instruction, such as a classroom,
training room, conference room, or assembly hall that is separate
and apart from work areas;
(ii) be adequate for the class size;
(iii) pose no threat to the health or safety of students;
and
(iv) allow the instructor to see and hear each student
and the students to see and hear the instructor, including when offered
through the use of technology.
(B) The provider must:
(i) check the photo identification of each student
at class sign up and when signing in for each subsequent meeting of
the class;
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