Q: Developing a policy on CEU's here at CSM. I'm looking to outline what type of courses earn CEU's and which courses don't. Do you have anything to assist me?
A: Here is what we know about CEU’s:
There are many different processes for determining whether the content of a course warrants awarding CEUs. In some instances, professional associations specify the requirements that courses must meet to qualify for the profession's acceptance of the CEU. Thus, you might determine that the content is adequate, but the organization that requires the CEUs may have different criteria. If you are serving specific professional groups, e.g., nurses, you should determine the criteria required by the certifying organization for CEUs and develop your evaluation form based on that.
Most organizations do not have specific requirements. The International Association for Continuing Education and Training has developed the "standard" for CEUs. This information might help you develop a form or checklist that will serve your needs. The reality is that most institutions set their own standards, and award CEUs based on the amount of instructional time.
Anyone can offer a CEU. The question is, who will accept that CEU as valid? If a company offers CEUs for internal training, then that company obviously will accept that CEU as proof of continuing education. It may not be accepted elsewhere. So, the issue becomes whether the entity requiring the training accepts the CEU as valid. In this case, it is valid for employees of the company, and possibly for others.
Some professions require that CEUs meet specific standards of their profession. Nurses, for example, must earn their CEUs from providers that have been approved by their professional association.
IACET has established standards for CEUs, but these are not universal standards. What’s more, IACET does not “own” the term, CEU, so they have no control over the quality of CEUs offered by other institutions. They basically have influence only on IACET members. What this means is that all CEUs are not created equal, and the bottom line is that if an individual’s organization will accept the CEU as valid, then it is valid for that instance.
Some professions might NOT accept some CEUs. Even if they meet IACET standards. They may have their own unique requirements for training within their profession.
An organization or institution does not have to be an IACET member in order to grant CEUs. LERN offers CEUs, but is not an IACET member, for example. It is questionable whether membership in IACET actually increases the perception of value of the CEU by people seeking continuing education. It is more likely that if their institution or organization will accept the CEU, then that’s all that is of concern.
LERN, as you probably know, has introduced the ILU, International Learning Unit. Whereas CEU awards are frequently based on "seat time," and have no evaluative component, ILUs include both instruction and assessment. To earn an ILU or a fraction of an ILU, students must pass a quiz with 80% correct answers to demonstrate mastery of the content that has been presented. In the information age, the measure of one CEU for 10 hours of instruction is no longer appropriate because seat time is not equivalent to competency.