FAQ for Courses & Credits

Presently, all of our courses are passive activities that meet the self-directed study requirement for the individual state boards. Although AIA sets no limits on the number of self-directed study programs, most states limit the amount of self-directed coursework for credit. As technology evolves, so too will our interaction as well as our course activity.

Not if you're an AIA member, we will process your credits for you. All AIA/CES providers are REQUIRED to process credits for AIA members. If you encounter a provider who expects you to self-report, please notify the AIA.

Yes. If you're NOT an AIA member, you need to self-report your credits to your organization/association. RBA provides certificates of completion which can be retrieved via your transcript upon login.

1. Once you pass a course conclusion quiz with a grade of 80% or higher, you'll find an online certificate of completion immediately on the screen that can be printed or saved for your records.
2. An email confirmation will be sent to the email address you have provided in establishing your ronblank.com account
3. The best way to retrieve your certificate of completion is through the ronblank.com website. Simply login; Beneath the login you can then click the “View Transcript” link. All courses you have passed will have a certificate of completion available to view and print directly from your transcript.

Generally, you will receive one (1) credit for each course successfully completed. Successful completion is a score of 80% or better on the final exam. Our courses qualify for 60 minutes of education. Generally, 60 minutes of educational activity is equivalent to 1 AIA Learning Unit (LU), 1 Professional Development Unit (PDH). or 1/10 Continuing Education Unit (CEU). A point one CEU (.1) is equal to one hour or one LU Hour. One CEU is equal to ten hours or 10 LU Hours. State definitions vary so please refer to your licensing board for specific criteria. All of our courses qualify for Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) credit.

Every time you complete a course, our database records your course completion and then forwards an email with your AIA number, name and course information to two people (RBA Office Manager and RBA Web administrator). We have triple back-up documentation of your credits. Every Friday, our Office Manager processes your credit through the AIA transcript office online via an electronic course attendance upload. Upon receipt, the AIA system will match the course participant information (name and AIA number) with provider information (RBA) and update your transcript. Despite the available electronic efficiency, it's not unusual for this process to take 2-3 weeks. If you suspect an RBA processing error, contact us. If you suspect an AIA reporting error contact the transcript office at AIAMemberCareCES@aia.org. You can also check your RBA and AIA transcripts online anytime.

One way to find out if your state has a mandatory continuing education requirement is to contact your state board. Another way is to visit the AIA website at https://www.aia.org/ and follow the information to the states you do business in. http://aia.org/education/ces/mcechart/AIAS074700

Our courses are free for design professionals because our sponsors fund the effort. Our sponsors use the online course to supplement their face-to-face seminars.

Yes, you can retake the same courses every year. Before you take a course, review your RBA or AIA transcript to verify the course numbers and dates of completion to ensure you will receive credit. We recommend that you contact AIA regarding your course completions if you are unsure if you are able to take a course again for credit.. We review courses every year with the subject matter experts to assure the material is the most current. During reviews, we often make revisions. When we revise courses, we resubmit the new course to AIA for approval and post the course with a new course number. Our best efforts to bring you accurate information do not supercede the professional responsibility to act prudently. Please read our content disclaimer for course liability restrictions.

According to the AIA website as of 8-28-2018:
Question: "If I retake a course, will I receive credit?"
Answer: "Some courses (for example, courses on building codes) are often offered periodically with updated content but have the same name and course number. If you take the same course within a 12-month period, you will receive credit once."