Procedures for Awarding the CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT (CEU) for Participation in Noncredit Continuing Education Programs.

Basic definition of the Continuing Education Unit (CEU)

A CEU is defined as ten contact hours of participation in an organized noncredit continuing education activity under (1) responsible, competent sponsorship, (2) capable academic direction, and (3) qualified instruction.  A program must meet these three criteria to be considered for CEU certification.

The CEU contact hour requirement represents a sufficiently small amount of participation in continuing education so that it will be possible for an individual to accumulate a substantial number of such units over a limited period of time. Following are three examples of situations where the CEU could be awarded and how the appropriate number of CEUs to be assigned would be computed.

1. Short‑term education program (conference, institute or workshop)

            Contact hours: 18 (6 hours a day for 3 days)
            Outside assignments: 6 one-hour assignments (estimated by program coordinator)
            Total contact hours: 24

TOTAL CEUs = 2.4

3. Internet‑based Class

Contact hours (electronic or otherwise): 6
On‑line assignments: 26 one-hour assignments (estimated by instructor or facilitator)
Total contact hours: 32

TOTAL CEUs = 3.2

The criteria and guidelines for awarding the CEUs set minimum contact hours for awarding them.  At our discretion the University may require more extensive standards such as submission of papers and/or passing tests. An individual must achieve a minimum score of 80% on a course/certificte program in order to satisfactorily complete it and be awarded CEUs.

Assignment of CEUs will be based on the instructor/department’s judgment of the average number of hours of work required to complete the course. The total of these hours would then be divided by 10 to calculate the correct CEU total.

Purposes of the CEU

• A uniform unit of measure for continuing education and training
• A nationally recognized unit of measure
• A concept that can be used by different sponsors
• A concept useful in a variety of learning formats
• Criteria by which the quality of learning activities are judged
• A systematic means for program development and delivery
• Criteria by which educational sponsors are evaluated
• A requirement for the documentation of learning experience

Eligible Programs
Across the country, CEUs are assigned to the following types of noncredit programs by sponsoring units:

• Intensive noncredit courses, seminars, or workshops in technical and professional areas, especially in continuing professional education programs.
• Training programs focusing on new technologies, techniques, information or development in specialized fields.
• Programs to be used in partial fulfillment of certificate or licensing requirements or to renew existing licenses.
• Programs sponsored by associations or societies in collaboration with an academic department.

Criteria for Determining Program Eligibility
At Ohio University, programs must meet the following criteria if they are to award CEUs. These are criteria that Lifelong and Distance Learning agrees identify sound programs. The assistant director of the non-credit programs will use these criteria when reviewing each application.

• Planning – The program or course must be planned in response to the educational needs of a specific group. Input must be available from the target group as well as from experts in the field.
• Purpose – A clear statement of the program or course purpose and goals must be prepared before initiating the program.
• Performance – Specific performance requirements for awarding CEUs must be established prior to the start of the course.
• Records – Within the program there must be a system for verification of satisfactory completion of courses for programs attended by individuals and for the transmittal of such data to the office maintaining permanent records.
• Presenters - The instructional personnel are well qualified by education and/or experience.  If instructors are not Ohio University or academic professionals, their qualifications should be specified on the CEU application.
• Evaluation - Evaluation procedures determined during the planning process are used to measure the effectiveness of the program design and operation.

Occasionally, professional associations and other clientele groups will request that University academic and administrative units co‑sponsor programs and award CEUs for participation. In general, these requests will not be granted unless the above criteria are met.

A copy of the form used to request CEUs is available here: CEU Application.  Additional copies can be obtained by calling the Division of Continuing Education, 703 South Washington, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 (618) 536-7751.

CEU Approval Process

Ohio University Lifelong and Distance Learning follows the national standardized process required to issue CEUs. The first step is to complete the CEU application and submit it to the Division for approval four weeks prior to when the program (longer if your brochure or other promotional material lead time is greater) is scheduled to begin. Applications are reviewed by the Assistant Director of Non Credit Programming in Lifelong and Distance Learning. After application approval and the CEU set-up fee are received the process is complete. After the program takes place the sponsor will be required to submit a list of participant names, addresses and e-mails with the CEU fees for only those wishing to receive CEUs. Lifelong and DIstance Learning will record this information and send official CEU certificates to participants. A permanent record of the program and participants will be maintained by Lifelong and DistanceLearning.

1. Complete the application form requesting the awarding of CEUs, paying particular attention to the number of actual contact hours and hours spent on outside assignments in order to calculate correctly the number of CEUs to be awarded.
2. Obtain the signature(s) of the head(s) of the sponsoring unit(s). This may include signatures from University and non‑University program sponsors.
3. Submit the form for Lifelong and Distance Learning review and approval to: Assistant Director – Non Credit Programs, Lifelong and Distance Learning, 100 Haning Hall, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

Announcement of CEU Availability
The brochure or other material sent out to participants for registration purposes should contain the following information relating to CEU availability:

This program has been approved for an award of                  Continuing Education Units by Lifelong and Distance Learning at Ohio University to those who wish to obtain this recognition for participation.

Some of those attending a continuing education program may be required to show proof of attendance. Paid participants will receive a certificate of completion.