Enhancing Your Continuing Education Experience Through Updated ASHA CE Standards and Updated ASHA CE Policies
As a speech, language, and hearing professional, it’s essential to take high-quality continuing education courses to stay up to date with your knowledge and skills. ASHA Continuing Education (CE) has your back—you can trust that any course that’s offered for ASHA Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will live up to your expectations because all ASHA Approved CE Providers must meet our high standards to offer ASHA CEUs for their courses.
Standards for ASHA CE Providers and ASHA CE Policies
ASHA CE recently released updated Standards for ASHA Continuing Education Providers and ASHA CE Policies, which replaced the Requirements for ASHA CE Provider Approval.
The Standards and the Policies were designed to ensure that courses offered for ASHA CEUs continue to align with the evolving best practices in continuing education. The Standards guide Providers in creating quality CE programs, whereas the Policies ensure compliance with operational procedures.
Updates and How They Benefit You
The updates to the Standards and the Policies benefit all learners, whether you pay to use the ASHA CE Registry or track your own professional development hours (PDHs). When you take courses offered for ASHA CEUs by CE Providers, the Standards and Policies ensure that you benefit through
- evidence-based learning,
- accessibility for everyone,
- clear course information,
- learning assessments, and
- control over your own personal information.
Evidence-Based Learning
How this benefits you—Providers must design courses that include the latest advances in scientific evidence and technology relevant to your practice and educational needs.
What change(s) to expect—Courses will include (a) the levels and type(s) of evidence behind the clinical recommendations being presented and (b) information about the potential benefits and risks of a given treatment or technique.
Accessibility for Everyone
How this benefits you—Providers must design courses that are inclusive so that they meet the diverse needs of all learners, including you.
What change(s) to expect—Providers must make instructions available to learners on how to request accommodation prior to the course (e.g. in course promotional materials, or when registering for the course).
Clear Course Information
How this benefits you—Providers must share the essential details of the course—such as ASHA CEU amounts, instructional levels, cancellation and refund policies, requests for accommodations, and what’s required to earn credit. So, you’ll have all the information you’ll need—right up front.
What change(s) to expect—Providers will make all of the important information about the course available to you before you decide to register.
Learning Assessments
How this benefits you—Providers must include, in the course, at least one assessment method to actively measure your progress in knowledge, skills, competencies, or intent-to-change—this ensures that your learning is impactful and relevant.
What change(s) to expect—ASHA CE no longer accepts attendance as the sole satisfactory completion requirement. The Provider may assess course completion requirements using quizzes and tests, self-assessment, skill demonstration, case studies, the learner’s explanation of intent-to-change, and more.
Control Over Your Own Personal Information
How this benefits you—You can choose to have the Provider report your course completion to the CE Registry to earn ASHA CEUs—or you can opt out if you prefer to keep your data private.
What change(s) to expect—The Provider will always ask if you wish to earn ASHA CEUs for completing a course. If you indicate “yes,” then the Provider must tell you that your information will be sent to ASHA CE.
You can trust that Providers of all courses registered for ASHA CEUs must build these courses using best practices in adult learning and instructional design to ensure that they support your professional development. The instructors who lead the courses must stay current with their expertise through their own professional development, and they will disclose any relationship they have that could influence their presentation of the content. If a course or a Provider doesn’t meet the Standards for ASHA Approved Providers or follow the ASHA CE Policies, ASHA staff are available to address your concerns or complaints about courses offered for ASHA CEUs.
Bottom Line
ASHA CE takes your continuing education seriously. We stand behind our ASHA Approved CE Providers because they have met our rigorous standards for best practices in continuing education. When you see a course that a Provider is offering for ASHA CEUs, you don’t have to worry about quality: You can rest assured that Providers have demonstrated their commitment to creating and delivering valuable, high-quality education that aligns with your professional needs. Then, you can focus on what matters most—using your enhanced knowledge and skills to help those who rely on you.
