FAQ for Continuing Education

FAQ for Continuing Education

The world of continuing education for design professionals is littered with multiple requirements, organizations and acronyms. Let us help you navigate through this landscape. There are some frequently asked questions that usually come to mind which we have answered below, but if you want to understand more about how your company can directly benefit from the opportunity of presenting an accredited continuing education (CE) course to architects, spec writers and other design professionals, please fill out the form below and to the right and one of our CE specialists will contact you shortly.

What is the most important aspect of hosting an online or webinar course on our platform?

Follow up! A point person in your office will receive lead reports containing the contact information of everyone who has participated in your online program or webinar. Participation indicates an interest in your product/service. We generally recommend a “Thank You For Participating in Our Course” email with any additional literature you might want to include or perhaps even a call to action and incentive. Personalization is also effective and meaningful, so you may want to delegate a specific rep in that participants area to follow up and simply lend themselves as a resource (What questions do you have? How can I be of service?). With webinars, attendees are able to ask questions during the webinar, so this can provide a guide for you during follow up in terms of what a potential lead is looking for. But time is of the essence. Therefore, someone on your staff must be able to quickly follow up on these leads. This helps establish a relationship between your company and the design professional after they have completed your program.

What is the advantage of having RBA manage my Lunch & Learn?

Beyond developing an engaging and compelling CE program, RBA’s affiliate InfoSpec, Inc. can assist you through the AIA provider registration process (AIA requires that your company become a provider for in-person delivery). We can also register your course other relevant organizations under our providership umbrella. But we also just take all the work off your hands in terms of registration, simplified attendance reporting, credit reporting on your behalf, certificate distribution, and record keeping.

What is continuing education for design professionals?

Architects in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces must meet Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) requirements for licensure. Eventually all states will require MCE. All architects who are AIA members must complete 18 Learning Units (LU’s) annually to retain their membership. A learning unit represents approximately one hour of study time. Twelve of those LU’s must be of Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) designation, which is a quality standard set by the Architectural Record Examiners board, (ARE). And there are many other credentialing associations that we work with that also require MCE hours. HSW and SD LUs are the most sought after credits by design professionals. SD courses are hosted at www.GreenCE.com provided by GreenCE, Inc. Ron Blank & Associates Inc. and GreenCE, Inc. can create, host, manage, and market engaging, compelling courses for your company that have the HSW or SD designation.

What are the delivery format options for your continuing education program?

There are three general formats for delivery of CE programs: 1. Online/On Demand (module or video learning, available 24/7), 2. Webinar (live instructor, scheduled presentation online) 3. In Person/Lunch and Learn. Note that there are important distinctions between each format. If you have a lunch & learn course and you want to put it up on our online platform, it must be registered as an online program and converted to online format, and vice versa, per continuing education standards and guidelines set forth by states and credentialing associations.

  • Online/On Demand courses are a great fit if you are looking to create a program that is self-contained and you just get the leads to follow up on and connect with your course participants.
  • Webinars are a great format of delivery if you are looking to provide more of a direct connection with your audience with a little more feedback that allows you to gauge where to focus your follow up efforts. Each webinar generally attracts 100-300 attendees, so it is also a very efficient delivery format.
  • In-person or lunch & learns provide you with a more intimate setting and direct interaction that really fosters building a relationship with design firms and your attendees more easily.

How much does a CE course cost to develop and host with RBA?

The cost to sponsor and host a CE course is much cheaper compared to other marketing efforts. You get the most “bang for your buck” educating design professionals through a CE program. To determine the cost, we will have you fill out a course development form. The form will list all of the materials you have available to develop a CE course with such as digital photos, CAD details, video clips, case studies, as well as learning objectives. The more material you can provide to us, the less expensive the development costs. For example, you may already have a Powerpoint presentation that can be incorporated into a course.
After receiving the course development form and reviewing your materials, our continuing education department will provide you with a free estimate for the development and registration of the course. The monthly hosting fee is determined by how many CE courses you currently have sponsored. Many manufacturers sponsor both face-to-face and online courses. We discount the monthly hosting fee for all additional CE courses after the development of the first course you sponsor.