The UNC Policy Manual
400.1.9[G]
Adopted 01/22/80
The essential educational mission
of the University is augmented through a broad range of activities generally
categorized as "public service."
These public services, which greatly extend the benefits which the
higher education system provide to the people of the state, are integral to the
basic instructional and research responsibilities of the University, but they
also have an identity and integrity apart from instruction and research. An
important component of the University's public service is the non-credit
continuing education programs conducted by the constituent institutions.
The scope and importance of
non-credit continuing education have increased in recent years, as individuals
have availed themselves of opportunities to learn new skills, upgrade job
performance, enhance their ability to perform as family members or citizens, or
for personal enrichment. Numerous
professional licensing and accrediting bodies require continuing education as a
condition for maintenance of good standing.
Accordingly, the number and variety of programs offered by higher
education institutions have increased.
The Continuing Education Unit
(CEU) was developed by a task force of the National University Extension
Association and has been recognized by the Southern Association of Schools and
Colleges and numerous professional organizations as a way to provide a
consistent method to record and report the participation of individuals in
non-credit continuing education or the activities of constituent institutions
in this area. In 1973 a "Guide of
the Implementation of the Continuing Education Unit in The University of North
Carolina" was issued to assist institutions in the development and conduct
of non-credit continuing education and extension programs. This guide was
revised in 1980.
As non-credit continuing education
activities become more important to individuals and a more significant portion
of the activities of the constituent institutions, it is important that CEUs be
awarded on the basis of nationally accepted program quality criteria and
administrative procedures. The guide,
developed with the advice and assistance of the University Council on Continuing
Education and the University Council on Teacher Education, will provide
assistance in this regard.
[This is a rewrite of
Administrative Memorandum #135.]
Guide for the Use of the Continuing
Education Unit
The University of North Carolina
January 1980
CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE 2
INTRODUCTION 3
GUIDE FOR THE USE OF THE CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT 4
DEFINITION 4
PROGRAM CRITERIA 5
ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH THE CEU MAY NOT BE AWARDED 6
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES 8
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 12
PREFACE
This guide was
developed with the assistance of the University Council on Continuing Education
and the University Council on Teacher Education and supersedes the "Guide
for Implementation of the Continuing Education Unit in The University of North
Carolina" issued in 1973. Since
1973, fourteen of the sixteen constituent institutions have awarded Continuing
Education Units (CEUs) for non-credit continuing education programs, generally
following the provisions of the 1973 guide.
This guide is
based upon the experience gained since 1973 in awarding CEUs by the constituent
institutions and incorporates many of the provisions of the "Criteria and
Guidelines for Use of the Continuing Education Unit" published in 1979 by
the National Council on the Continuing Education Unit. Adoption by the University of wording from
this Council's Criteria and Guidelines for the sections of this guide dealing
with Definition, Program Criteria, and Operational Procedures will insure that
North Carolina conforms to nationally accepted standards.
INTRODUCTION
In recent
years the scope and impact of non-credit continuing education programs have
increased greatly. Until the concept of
the Continuing Education Unit (CEU) was developed, no uniform unit of
measurement existed to facilitate the accumulation and exchange of standardized
information about individual participation in non-credit continuing education.
In 1968, the
National University Extension Association (NUEA) appointed a task force to
study the need for a uniform recording and reporting system for non-credit
activities and to formulate procedures for nationwide implementation. The
subsequent report of this task force was adopted by the NUEA. The Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools also recognized the need for a uniform unit of measurement for
non-credit activities in its revision of Standard Nine on Special Activities
adopted in December, 1971. Since then
the NUEA task force has evolved into the Council on the Continuing Education
Unit, which performs a national monitoring, but not accrediting, role. Professional organizations, institutions, and
regional and professional accrediting associations have adopted the CEU, and
hundreds of colleges and universities are using the CEU.
The University
of North Carolina has long been committed to and involved in continuing
education as an integral part of its threefold mission of teaching, research,
and public service. The majority of the student body traditionally has
consisted of full-time undergraduate and graduate students who have entered the
University to pursue an uninterrupted sequence of education. But in recent years an increasing number of
students may not be working toward a degree.
These include those who return to school later in their careers, who
pursue occupational or professionally- related continuing education throughout
their careers, and who pursue continuing education for the purpose of improved
citizenship, cultural enrichment, or personal growth.
As the need
for continuing education among diverse population groups increases, it is
essential that a uniform means be used to recognize individual participation
outside of the degree credit mechanism.
Currently, a variety of methods is used to recognize individual
participation in continuing education, ranging from formal institutional
certificates to informal letters from faculty to student. Such recognition is
often highly significant to the individual involved and at the same time
perplexing to organizations attempting to evaluate the quality of the education
received or to assess the educational effort of the sponsoring institution.
The adoption of a standard unit
of measurement concept will satisfy several needs.
1. The individual will have a method of providing his or her
employer or prospective employer with a meaningful record of educational
activities based on standardized criteria.
2. State and national associations, industry, government,
and other organizations may use the standard unit of measurement as a criterion
for evaluation of prior non-credit training of prospective employees.
3. Educational institutions may use a standard unit of
measurement to determine the involvement of the institution in selected non-credit
activities.
[The
purpose of this guide is to establish policies and procedures for recognizing
individual participation in selected non-credit continuing education programs
of the University of North Carolina.]
GUIDE FOR THE
USE OF THE CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT
THE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEFINITION
One Continuing Education Unit is defined as:
TEN CONTACT
HOURS OF PARTICIPATION IN AN ORGANIZED CONTINUING EDUCATION EXPERIENCE UNDER
RESPONSIBLE SPONSORSHIP, CAPABLE DIRECTION, AND QUALIFIED INSTRUCTION.
Each element included in the definition of the Continuing
Education Unit is an integral part of the larger concept of providing an
educational experience of sufficient merit to be documented in permanent form
on the record of the individual participant.
Ten Contact Hours of Participation
The contact hour is defined as a typical fifty-minute classroom
instructional session or its equivalent.
Ten instructional contact hours are required for one CEU. The number of instructional contact hours is
readily determined in the formal classroom situation. In informal formats, the
clock hour should be used. In more
nontraditional formats, it may be necessary to exercise judgment in determining
the instructional hours required to achieve the educational objectives.
In
An Organized Continuing Education Experience
An organized educational
experience presumes that there has been planning to meet a specific need. The
essential elements of such planning include determination of the program's
educational objectives in terms of:
1.
the clientele to be served;
2.
the new competencies to be achieved;
3. the content or
subject matter to be covered; and
4. the program format and instructional
methodology to be employed to develop the competencies.
Adequate and properly responsive program planning requires
interaction between administrative personnel of the sponsoring organization,
the instructor or educational leaders responsible for the learning experience,
and representatives from the client group to be served.
Under Responsible Sponsorship
The sponsoring organization that awards CEUs must assume
administrative responsibility for the program.
This responsibility includes the assignment of direct supervision of the
activity to a professionally capable program director or educational
administrator and the maintenance of a permanent record system. The reputation and organizational integrity
of the sponsor are reflected in the quality of the educational experience
presented.
Capable Direction
The elements of capable direction include:
1. professional
educational leadership in program planning and development;
2. selection of
the most effective educational format for the intended purpose and objectives;
3. assignment of
qualified instructional staff;
4. adequate
program management and administration; and
5. the design and implementation of
evaluation techniques applicable to both individual participants and the total
program.
Qualified Instruction
Attainment of specified educational objectives requires the
selection of an instructional staff that has the following qualifications:
1.
competence in the subject matter;
2.
ability to transmit the educational content to participants;
3.
understanding of the program objectives; and
4.
knowledge and skill in the instructional methodology and learning
processes to be employed.
PROGRAM CRITERIA
The CEU should be offered only for those non-credit activities
which have been organized to provide systematic instruction, measurable in
duration of time, subject to performance evaluation for the participant, and
which meet the definitional requirements.
The CEU is a flexible unit of measure for selected non-credit
educational programs and may be used to record an individual's participation in
these activities as well as to quantify an institution's sponsorship of
non-credit continuing education activities.
The following criteria are to be met for each non-credit continuing
education activity before CEUs may be awarded to participants and recorded on
individuals' records.
Definition. The educational
activity fulfills each of the elements in the definition of the CEU: an
organized continuing education experience, responsible sponsorship. capable
direction, qualified instruction.
Planning. The program or
activity is planned in response to the educational needs of a target population
or client group. Such planning includes the opportunity for input from
representatives of the immediate client group, as well as from other
knowledgeable individuals having content expertise and an appreciation of the
educational objectives to be met.
Objectives. A clear
statement of rationale, purposes, and goals is prepared for each educational
activity prior to its initiation.
Instruction. Qualified
instructional personnel are directly involved in conducting the educational
activity.
Performance. Specific
performance requirements for the award of CEUs to participants are established
prior to the offering of the program.
Registration. Participant
registration must include sufficient detail to provide the necessary
information for a permanent record of individual participation.
Records. Program
administration will include a system for verification of satisfactory
completion of the activity by each participant (see discussion of registration
immediately above) and for providing an approved list of those awarded CEUs to
the office responsible for preparing and maintaining permanent records for
individual participants.
Program Evaluation.
Evaluation procedures determined during the planning process are used to
measure the effectiveness of the program design and operation. The qualitative
aspects of CEU programs are to be constantly under review. The method of
evaluation should be developed after specific program objectives have been
stated and should apply to sponsors, programs, and participants.
ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH THE CEU MAY NOT BE AWARDED
Credit Programs. CEUs are
not to be awarded to an individual for any program or course which awards
academic credit, either secondary or collegiate.
High School Equivalency.
Programs leading to high school equivalency certificates or diplomas do
not qualify for the awarding of CEUs.
Indoctrination Programs.
Programs which deal with the internal affairs of an organization do not
qualify for the awarding of CEUs.
Examples include topics such as: rights, benefits, and responsibilities
of employees; structure of the organization; and on-the-job methods, processes,
or procedures.
Committee Meetings.
Committee activities do not qualify for the awarding of CEUs.
Policy Assignments. Board
meetings, delegate assemblies, or similar meetings for policy-making-making
purposes do not qualify for CEUs.
Meetings and Conventions.
Meetings and conventions of societies and associations do not qualify,
per se, as continuing education.
However, planned educational activities programmed and associated with
these meetings may meet the criteria for awarding CEUs if record keeping and
all other criteria for program sponsorship are met.
Mass Media Programs. Participation
in programs delivered through the media (e.g., television, radio, newspapers)
does not merit the awarding of CEUs unless these presentations are an integral
part of an educational program which qualifies under these criteria and
guidelines.
Entertainment and Recreation.
Attendance at lecture series, cultural performances, entertainment or
recreational meetings or activities, and participation in travel groups do not
qualify for CEUs unless such activities are an integral part of a larger educational
program.
Work Experience. On-the-job
training and other work experiences do not qualify for the award of CEUs unless
structured as part of a planned educational experience which fulfills program
criteria set forth herein.
Individual Scholarship. The
independent writing of articles or research reports or the presentation of
papers outside a planned and directly supervised educational program does not
qualify for the awarding of CEUs.
Self-Directed Studies.
Individual, self-directed studies or other forms of independent learning
experiences which are not planned, supervised, and directed by sponsoring
agencies do not qualify for the awarding of CEUs.
Association Membership and Certification Programs. Noneducational activities of associations and
professional societies, which may otherwise be used to qualify for professional
and occupational group membership or certification, are not eligible for the
awarding of CEUs. Examples of such activities include:
1. membership or
service in a professional , occupational, or other society or organization;
2. attendance at annual, periodic, or
special meetings, conventions, conferences, rallies, and retreats;
3. writing or presentation of articles
or research papers;
4. speaking, teaching, or other program
assignments; and
5. self-directed reading or study.
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES
A conservative approach is appropriate when an institution decides
to award CEUs for its continuing education programs. Only those programs which clearly qualify
should be considered.
Determining the Number of Units
One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is to be awarded for each ten
contact hours of instruction, or the equivalent, included in the educational
activity. The number of contact hours
and appropriate CEUs must be determined prior to the beginning of the program,
but only after the objectives, content, format, methods of instruction, and
program schedule have been established.
The decision to award CEUs is not to be made after the offering of the
program, nor advertised as available before the activity has been approved for
the award of CEUs.
When unforeseen circumstances require a significant alteration in
the program schedule, an appropriate adjustment in the number of CEUs may be
recommended by the director or coordinator of the program.
Responsibility for the determination of the number of units to be
assigned rests with the director of the educational office that administers the
program. Assistance and recommendations
from others more intimately concerned with the specific program are desirable
in making this determination. The
accuracy and consistency with which CEUs are assigned depend on the skill and
professional commitment of the director in assessing each learning experience.
In the conventional classroom situation the contact hour relates
to the instructional hour, which is normally a minimum of fifty minutes in
length. In other more flexible formats
clock hours may be a more appropriate measure.
In either case, only the number of complete instructional hours should
be considered in assigning CEUs. For
example, for a program with 17 contact hours, 1.7 CEUs are assigned; likewise
for 17.50 or 17.75 hours, 1 .7 CEUs are assigned.
Programs involving less than ten contact hours of instruction
(less than one CEU) should be evaluated very carefully before a decision is
made to award CEUs to participants. Such
shorter programs should be sufficiently planned and sequentially designed to
meet all program criteria and extensive enough to build a measurable competency
and provide a significant educational experience.
In calculating the contact hours involved in an educational
activity, the following factors may be included:
1. Classroom or meeting session hours
with direct participation between the learner and instructor or discussion
leader are counted as contact hours.
2. Laboratory sessions, clinical
experiences, field trips and activities using nontraditional methods of
instruction (e.g., independent study, directed reading, or correspondence
courses) may be awarded CEUs, but the contact hours must be based on the
equivalent instructional class hours.
3. For correspondence or self-study
courses, the number of CEUs to be applied should be based on the time that the
sponsor estimates will be required by students to complete the course at a
satisfactory level.
Time devoted to the following and similar activities may not be
included when calculating contact hours for CEUs:
1. meeting time
devoted to business or committee activities;
2. meeting time
devoted to announcements, welcoming speeches, or organizational reports;
3. time for study, assigned reading,
reports, written assignments, and other related activities outside of the class
or meeting schedule; and
4. scheduled time allocated to social
activities, coffee hours, luncheons, dinners, etc. (Luncheon or dinner
presentations which are an integral part of the educational experience may be
included.)
When the appropriate number of instructional or contact hours has
been determined, CEUs are assigned on the basis of one unit for each ten
contact hours and one-tenth unit for each additional full contact hour.
Satisfactory
Completion
Once activities have been approved for the awarding of CEUs and
the number of units for the activity has been determined, only those individuals
who satisfactorily complete the activity will receive CEUs. Satisfactory completion will be determined by
the program director or instructor on the basis of criteria for completion
developed by the planning group for the program or activity.
Satisfactory completion in the case of some activities will
require evaluation of the performance of the individual participant. Such evaluation may take the form of a
demonstration or actual performance involving the skill or information
acquired, involve a project or written report, be limited to an oral or written
test or examination involving the material to be mastered, or require other
evidence of satisfactory completion.
When participants are evaluated in any of these ways, their
individual permanent records may carry the performance evaluation, either in
terms of a traditional letter grade, a numerical grade, a pass/fail grade, or
by other designations. A failing mark
should not be entered on the record of an individual participant, however,
since only those individuals successfully completing a program should receive
CEUs. When individuals do not
satisfactorily complete CEU activities, information relating to that activity
should be maintained in the sponsor's activity files for future reference.
In the case of programs in which performance evaluation of the
participants is not deemed necessary, attendance and participation as
determined by the planning group or program director may be used as the
requirement for satisfactory completion of the activity. If attendance is the only criterion for
satisfactory completion, then high minimum attendance requirements should be
established (e.g., attendance during not less than eighty percent of the
instructional hours), and some method of verifying the attendance of individual
participants must be utilized.
Information and records substantiating satisfactory attendance and
participation provide essential backup in support of the CEUs awarded to
individuals.
A designated official of the sponsoring institution or
organization, usually the program director or the instructor, must verify and
report that each individual has (or has not) met the specified completion
requirements and is (or is not) to be awarded CEUs. Individual permanent records are to be
established indicating the CEUs awarded to each participant.
Permanent
Records
The sponsoring institution or organization is responsible for
establishing and maintaining a record of all CEUs awarded to individual
participants. Cumulative records for
each individual participant are to be available on a permanent basis and issued
as an official statement or transcript upon the request of the
participant. A nominal transcript or
transfer fee may be assessed for this service.
Records of each continuing education activity should be available from
the sponsoring institution or organization, describing as clearly as possible
the audience, purposes, format, content, duration, teaching staff, course or
experience prerequisites, and level of instruction, so that valid judgments
concerning the educational experience can be made by the recipient of the
record. The following information must
be included on all transcripts or official statements:
1. name and
address of the awarding organization or institution;
2. name of the individual
participant;
3. social security
number of the individual participant;
4. title of the
program or activity (as descriptive as possible);
5. completion date
of the program or activity; and
6. number of
Continuing Education Units awarded.
Items of information which should be retained and may be recorded
by the sponsoring organization include:
1.
brief description of the program or activity with some indication
of content, level, objectives, and format (to be retained permanently in the
sponsor's files and made available upon request);
2.
evaluation of individual performance, if available;
3.
instructors utilized in the activity;
4.
location of the program (city or facility);
5.
cooperating organizations (company, agency, association, or
institution);
6.
additional personal information about the participant (address,
date of birth, educational background, employment status, program status,
etc.).
Program Quality
Since program
criteria set forth for CEUs must be applied to each approved program or
activity, the qualitative aspects of CEU programs are constantly under
review. Representatives of the target
audience participate in the program planning process to insure the suitability
of the subject matter to the level of application. The changing needs of audiences are thus
readily transmitted to CEU program sponsors to facilitate program revision and
updating. The inability of a program
sponsor to adjust to the changing needs of client or user groups results in
decreased accept ability for programs offered.
Sponsor
integrity is therefore subject to constant review when CEU criteria are fully
met. Planning, administration,
presentation, and evaluation functions must be continuing concerns of both
program sponsors and user groups.
Increased responsibility for planning and evaluation must be assumed by
user groups if CEU programs are to be fully relevant and useful.
Proper program
planning provides opportunities for qualitative checks by user groups to assure
that the level and scope of the instructional content is consistent with the
qualifications of the user group (participants) and is properly designed to
fulfill the educational needs and objectives of the participants.
Evaluation
Methods of evaluation to determine the effectiveness of non-credit
continuing education should be developed and applied as an integral part of
each program. Without an initial
statement of specific objectives for each program, it is difficult, if not
impossible, to ascertain that desired goals have been attained. Program objectives developed during the
planning process may include, but are not limited to:
1. changes in the attitude and approach
of the learner to the solution of problems;
2. presentation of
new knowledge or updating obsolete information in specific content areas;
3. introduction to
and/or mastery of specific skills and techniques; and
4. improvement in the selective
responses of the learner .
Both immediate and long-range analysis of each program and of
student achievement by the program sponsor is essential for maintaining the
effectiveness of future programs.
Innovative approaches to evaluation are encouraged. Sponsors as well as students engaged in
non-credit programs should be encouraged through appropriate orientation to
accept evaluation as an essential element in non-credit programs.
Group indices will usually suffice to indicate the effectiveness
of the educational effort, but provision should be made for recording
evaluative indices for individual participants whenever appropriate.
Reporting Requirements
The General Administration of the University of North Carolina
collects educational data from the sixteen constituent institutions on a
regular basis. These data are used for
long-range planning, legislative information, budget requests, and many other
purposes. Data pertaining to the CEU are
useful in documenting the substantial contribution of the University in the
field of non-credit educational activities.
The following information about activities awarding CEUs during the
preceding fiscal year is therefore requested by the General Administration as a
part of the regular annual reporting requirements submitted by October 15:
1. total number of CEUs awarded by the
institution;
2. number of programs for which CEUs
were awarded;
3. number of participants receiving
CEUs.