Enclosure (1) to COMDTINST 16721.1
(2) Persons performing audits of courses are not required to be experts in the field of the
subject(s) being taught, though that would be of benefit. As a minimum, the auditor
should have a general understanding of the subject area. Field units are encouraged to
make appropriate, creative use of Team Coast Guard by using Auxiliarists, Reserve
personnel, and personnel from other CG units. If Auxiliarists or Reserve personnel
perform oversight, ensure that there are no conflicts of interest based on their civilian
occupations or interests. Personnel who assist or work for competitive courses or
training institutions may not participate in oversight activities and should not have
access to the case files on courses.
(3) An announced or unannounced administrative audit should include:
(a) Review of course attendance records;
(b) Review of written examinations. Rescoring of answer sheets has shown scoring
errors by the instructors. Also the examinations should be reviewed to determine
that they are current and are not being continually reused;
(c) Testing of simulators and training aids to determine that they are in good working
order and that the training aids and simulators in use correspond to those that
have been approved for the course;
(d) Attendance at all or part of a course to review the instructor's techniques and
professionalism. If the auditor is an expert in the field of the course's instruction,
constructive suggestions concerning course content may be offered;
(e) Informal discussions with attendees of the course to determine their level of
progress and knowledge about the subject matter as well as their evaluations of
the course and the staff;
(f) Course feedback provided by students should be reviewed to determine the extent
that students were satisfied with the course. Determine that any applicable
discrepancies noted by the students were corrected; and
(g) Verification that the course was taught by approved instructors.
b.
INFORMAL VISIT. The scope of an informal visit may include, but is not limited to, a
brief records review; informal discussions with managers; audits of courses in progress;
monitoring of examinations and assessments; and discussions with attendees.
c.
COVERT AUDIT.
(1) A covert audit is used to determine if a course is being conducted in an acceptable
manner without the training institution being aware of the audit. In most cases, a
Coast Guard member posing as a merchant mariner and attending the course will
conduct this audit. There is the possibility of the training institution becoming aware
of Coast Guard's representative attending the course with the remote, but possible,
threat of harm. Consideration should be given to requesting CG Intelligence
assistance for these audits.
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