Continuing Education and Customized Training

Policy

The Continuing Education and Customized Training (CE/CT) unit is recognized as the official CE/CT administration, registration and reporting unit for Minnesota State University, Mankato for all Continuing Education, Non-Credit, and Customized Training offerings. The University reserves the right to review all CE/CT programs in advance for appropriate content and setting, and may decline to provide Contact Hours or CEUs. Official records of participation in continuing education activities, regardless whether CEUs were awarded, are recorded through the CE/CT unit.

All continuing education and customized training programming offered by members of the University, shall work through the official CE/CT unit.  Any non-academic programs with learning outcomes will contact the official CE/CT unit in the early planning phase of each event/program and will work with the CE/CT staff.  The CE/CT unit will assist with planning, pricing, budget, attendee registration, attendee/student inquiries, payment collection and the transmitting of individual student transcripts for all non-credit programing including continuing education, professional development and/or customized training. The designated CE/CT unit is the official body that issues Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Contact Hours, Clock Hours and Continuing Education Credit for all attendees/students through the Office of the Registrar.

Definitions

According to the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), the primary purpose of Continuing Education Credit or Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is to provide a permanent record of the educational accomplishments of an individual who has completed one or more significant non-credit educational experiences. The system documents participation in structured learning activities outside of traditional academic credit.

Continuing Education (CE) is defined as participation in a Non-Credit (NC) learning experience, including one or more of the following:

1. A formally organized instructional activity in the form of formal lectures, courses, seminars, webinars, or any other similar type of educational program designed to educate an individual or group of individuals to provide further skills or knowledge (not intended solely for academic credit).
2. A conference which provides participants with educational information and experiences.
3. Any activity or event containing educational value for audiences as determined by the university.

Customized Training (CT) is defined as participation in a Non-Credit (NC) learning experience for incumbent workers—those already employed—who require tailored training to meet the specific needs of business, employees, or an industry as a whole. The training may involve:

1. A formally organized instructional activity customized for a specific company or group of individuals.
2. Consulting and training with business and industry to develop and deliver skills-based instruction identified as essential by employers and executives. This includes assistance with on-the-site job training or classroom instruction to stay competitive.

Defining Continuing Education Credits

1. Contact Hour, Clock Hour or Continuing Education Credit - defined and counted as one (1) for one (1) hours of participation in an organized educational experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. For each hour of training, the participant receives one hour of Continuing Education Credit, Contact Hour or Clock Hour based on the needs of their industry

A. Contact, Clock Hours and Continuing Education Credit do not carry academic credit and shall not be convertible to credits, but may be offered as supporting evidence for evaluation of prior learning for university credit.

B. The number of contact hours must be determined prior to the beginning of an activity by the department or sponsor offering the continuing education opportunity and communicated with Continuing and Professional Education unit.

C. Contact or Clock Hours will NOT be awarded for the following activities:

i. Committee meetings

ii. Policy assignment

iii. Mass media programs

iv. Entertainment and recreation

v. Work experience

vi. Individual scholarship

vii. Association membership

viii. Academic courses that are audited

2. A CEU is defined as one (1) continuing education unit (CEU) earned when ten (10) contact hours of participation in a university-defined continuing education activity has been completed. (1.0 CEU = 10 contact hours exclusive of breaks; 0.4 CEU = 4 contact hours). Partial CEUs may be awarded on the basis of total contact hours involved.

A. CEUs do not carry academic credit and shall not be convertible to credits, but may be offered as supporting evidence for evaluation of prior learning for university credit.

B. Non-instructional times such as breaks, lunches, participant introductions, and welcoming speeches are not included when calculating CEUs.

C. CEUs are not pre-approved by any professional licensing or credentialing body unless specifically noted as such.

D. CEUs will NOT be awarded for the following activities:

i. High school equivalency programs

ii. Orientation programs

iii. Committee meetings

iv. Policy assignment

v. Meetings and conventions, unless prior approval grants the program meets CEU guidelines

vi. Mass media programs

vii. Entertainment and recreation

viii. Work experience

ix. Individual scholarship

x. Self-directed studies without prior approval

xi. Association membership and certification programs, unless prior approval grants the program meets CEU guidelines

xii. Audited academic courses

Procedure

Any University employee developing and/or preparing to offer non-credit continuing education, professional development or customized training programing, including but not limited to those referred to as workshops, seminars, lectures, classes, conferences, events held either on or off campus, will contact the designated CE/CT unit at the early planning stages of the program.  Following the initial dialog, the CE/CT staff will provide further procedures and outline expectations.

Rationale

To provide event planning support to members of the University and official Continuing Education and Professional Development records for our students/attendees.  The CE/CT unit will offer an efficient method of collecting and reporting data for all Non-Credit (NC), Continuing Education (CE), and Customized Training (CT) programs so reporting is timely and accurate to the Office of the Registrar.  By doing so, students may obtain official transcripts of NC educational experiences and information regarding NC activities can be reported to the Office of the Chancellor.

The primary result of the implementation of this policy:

1. The creation of an institutional process for the registration, payment, planning, implementation and recording capability of NC and CT for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to continuing education and community service functions.
2. The creation of records thereby providing an official transcript of continuing educational experience for learners to document efforts at self-improvement and a commitment to lifelong learning.
3. The recognition of the CE/CT unit as the official office for NC, CE and CT programs