CEU Choices

[bphgravity]

If you had the choice of either online CEU courses or live seminar CEU courses, which would you choose? The basic assumption is that the online courses will be cost effective, time effective, and you can choose the exact content of the courses you take. However, live seminars may provide a better format to interact and ask questions with the instructor and other attendees. They are a great networking opportunity and you usually get a new book or course packet.

What say you?

 

[LAYMAN JOE]

ONLINE! ONLINE! ONLINE!
Unless its an AVO course paid by the company

 

[roger]

Bryan, in my experience and opinion, online courses can't deliver in quality with live seminars and discussions, this doesn't mean online CE has no merit, some are very good.

Starting in July of 08, NC will require at least 4 hrs of every 8 be in the class room.

Roger

 

[infinity]

Around here we need to take a total of 34 hours for each license renewal. That's every 3 years. As of now we're not permitted to take anything other than "live" classes.

 

[cpal]

live, I've never had a fulfilling argument with a computer!!

 

[bkludecke]

live, I've never had a fulfilling argument with a computer!!

Yeah, my computer always wins too.

 

[e57]

Depends on who is paying for my time. On-line won't be lost revenue. 4 days off work is.

 

[e57]

Freind of mine used to teach 'distance learning' and was one of the live persons on the other side of the on-line course work for Pheonix, correcting essays, tests, student e-mail questions and guiding chatroom discussions. I'm sure, (and she has told me about) many aurguments can be had with a computer - if someone is on the other end of it.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

If you had the choice of either online CEU courses or live seminar CEU courses, which would you choose? The basic assumption is that the online courses will be cost effective, time effective, and you can choose the exact content of the courses you take. However, live seminars may provide a better format to interact and ask questions with the instructor and other attendees. They are a great networking opportunity and you usually get a new book or course packet.

What say you?

The words of an experienced person...I do not know how many individuals in this industry understand how important our continuing education is. With the lack of the requirement in the past, the general consensus is that it is not that important... "I always got along without it before", is a common reaction that I hear.
I will say that a combination of both online and actual class time is in my opinion the preferred method. Than enough territory can be had to keep most guys abreast of the necessary info needed to be better informed.

 

[joe tedesco]

Live seminars are always best!

Live seminars are always best!

Live seminars are always best, because of the way in which we can interact and participate in discussions and get to meet some of the people that we eon the Internet.

Another item at a live seminar, is the memory stick, it works wonders when you want to exchange files or images immediately.

 

[ryan_618]

Another item at a live seminar, is the memory stick, it works wonders when you want to exchange files or images immediately.

I wouls agree with that Joe. I have traded info with many people at seminars.

 

[joe tedesco]

Trading Files

Trading Files

I wouls agree with that Joe. I have traded info with many people at seminars.

Ryan:

I was thinking about the possibility of trading files in this manner by asking that the person on the other end send me their memory stick, or drive sized at least 256 MB or more with their files, and then I would return it with my files.

I have many PDF, PPT, PPS, BMP, GIF, and Document files, along with images (my specialty) that would be of interest to anyone in the electrical industry.

Want to try this out?

PS: That goes for anyone else.

My profile includes my address, see my web page and send me a PM if interested.

 

[charlie b]

My home state (WA) has no CEU requirements (yet) for professional engineers, but some of my other PE licenses (e.g., OR) do have requirements. So does my Electrical Administrator License. These can all be handled in any way I choose, so long as I can document the hours. I have attended Mike Holt's Grounding and Bonding Seminar, and that counted as my CEUs for the year.

I managed to get my Electrician Trainee license renewed just before the new State requirement or in-classroom training became effective. But I will have to sit through 8 hours of classroom (or perhaps it is more??), before I can renew again.

 

[tom baker]

Our WA electrical classes are commonly called CEU but they are not, as a 1 CEU=10 contact hours per the IACET. Our electrical classes are CE approved by WA State L&I. This is a Tom thing, but nearly everyone in WA calls there electrical classes CEU and they are not.
you and any other trainees will need 8 hours per year of basic classroom electrical training (BCET), no internet, no correspondence and will need to pass an exam.
My BCET classes were the first two approved by L&I and are also approved as electrical CE. There are some 20,000 electrical trainees in WA state by the way.
If you renew in 2 years you will need 16 hours of BCET.

 

[tom baker]

In my seminars I give a lot of background and have product samples, AFCIs, smart MC cable, etc.
I give the reasons behind the changes. Anyone can get a multiple choice test right, but to me its more important to know how an AFCI works, for example.

 

[donselectric]

its just another money maker for some.
as far as i'm concerned the trade will weed out
the ones that dont open a code book of keep up
with changes

jmo....

 

[kbsparky]

Many licensing boards are disallowing the use of on-line and DVD based seminars, since there is not any mechanism to prove the license holder actually "attended" or viewed the class/video.

I know that I have to physically attend the class(es)to obtain the required hours for license renewal.