CEU has become a generic term to many – meaning any form of credit for continuing education or training. While such recognition of the CEU is enviable, there is a down-side which fosters misunderstanding and confusion in decision making for both practitioners and learners.

Confusion about the CEU is not new. Since its inception in 1970, it has been somewhat controversial – largely by those who failed to fully understand its true purpose and who tried to compare it to the Carnegie Unit, which is the unit used in higher education known as the semester or quarter hour. Even the Carnegie Unit went through a long period of controversy and turmoil before becoming the recognized standard it is today.

In 1970 a national task force of volunteers first defined the CEU as:

Ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.

It wasn’t until 1974 that the task force issued its first criteria and guide-lines. Between 1970 and 1974, the CEU was hastily adopted and often misused by many sponsors. The state of the art in continuing education and training was much less defined at the time, and practitioners were looking for any kind of guidance and help. Unfortunately, many of these early adoptions led to misunderstanding of the intent and use of the CEU.

The pioneers of the CEU were keenly aware of the diverse purposes and practices in continuing education and training. For example, very few sponsors tested adults, yet in some situations testing is acceptable. Consequently, these pioneers in drafting the criteria provided an option for sponsors to use any method they chose to determine who qualifies for CEU. Using attendance as a standard for course completion was certainly a standard practice then and remains largely so today with many sponsors.

Rather than answer every question for sponsors, the criteria allow sponsors to make some decisions which best serve their needs such as whether to test adults or to use attendance to determine successful completion, etc. In essence, the value of the CEU lies in the eye of the beholder – a philosophy often lost in today’s rush to find definitive answers. Hopefully, this guide will provide practitioners with more definitive answers while heightening their responsibility to meet the needs of those learners and organizations they serve.

CEU: Ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.

• Each activity is planned in response to educational needs which have been identified for a target audience.
• Each activity has clear and concise written statements of intended learning outcomes.
• Qualified instructional personnel are involved in planning and conducting each activity.
• Content and instructional methods are appropriate for the intended learning outcomes.
• Participants must demonstrate their attainment of the learning out-comes.
• Each learning activity is evaluated by the participants.
• The sponsor has an identifiable unit, group, or individual with clearly defined responsibilities for developing and administering learning activities.
• The sponsor has a review process in operation that ensures the CEU criteria are met.
• The sponsor maintains a complete record of each individual’s participation and can provide a copy of that record upon request for a period of at least seven (7) years.
• The sponsor provides an appropriate learning environment and support services.

GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING PROGRAM APPROVAL APPLICATION

The sponsor should submit an application to the Division of Continuing Education for each offering, to be maintained on file by the division. Each application must be submitted no less than 30 (thirty) days prior to a proposed offering although 60 to 90 days is recommended.

Application information should include the following:

• Learner Objectives Level of Instruction
• Subject Matter Evaluation Mechanism
• Teaching Methods Time Schedule
• Faculty Qualifications

Learner Objectives: List the educational objectives for your program. Describe what the participants will be able to do upon completion of this course which they could not do prior to the course.

Subject Matter: Describe the subject matter, as it would be presented in the program brochure mailed to participants.

Teaching Methods: List all the teaching methods to be used. Examples include seminars, small group discussions, audiovisual presentations, lectures, “hands on” instrumentation exercises.

Faculty Qualifications: This section should include the following information for each individual involved in preparation or presentation of the offering.

• Name and address (including telephone number)
• Current job title
• Educational background (degree and date)
• Technical training, including certification and licensure
• Clinical and educational experience

Level of Instruction: Identify the level of instruction for this course as basic, intermediate, or advanced. If possible, state the prerequisite skills and knowledge the participant must have to profit from the offering.

Basic: This introductory material is appropriate for participants who lack previous training or experience in the subject, or whose previous experience or training is minimal.

Intermediate: This material requires knowledge of the basic theory applicable to the general subject, and some prior training and education in the subject.

Advanced: This material is a specialized presentation appropriate for those with working knowledge of current theory and practice who wish to refine their skills or to learn the newest principles and techniques.

Evaluation Mechanism: Evaluation of the participant is an important part of teaching, in that it allows both the learner and the teacher to see how well they performed. Describe the evaluation procedure to be used in order to determine if the participants met the objectives. Evaluation methods that may be appropriate include questioning of participants, a report of a project, preparation of a paper, performance of a laboratory task, etc.

Time Schedule: Submit a detailed schedule of a program activities showing the times the program begins and ends, periods for lunch and coffee breaks, the amount of time devoted to lecture and laboratory periods.

Download the Program Application

RETURN APPLICATION AND ATTACHMENTS TO:
University of Central Florida
Continuing Education
12565 Research Parkway, Suite 390
Orlando , FL 32826
(407) 882-0260

For customer assistance, please call 407-882-0260.