NCEES PE vs continuing education hours vs Covid-19

[powerpete69]

Hey all,
Normally, you need 30 continuing education hours every two years to maintain your professional engineering license in Ohio for example.
The norm is you can get a max 6 hrs online and you are required to get the other 24 hours in a classroom.
The question is this, has the NCEES lowered their expectations for in class learning due to lack of available classroom courses due to Covid-19?
Does anyone have any information or experience on the subject?

 

[dkidd]

You appear to be mistaken.

Ohio Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Requirements

How to complete Ohio’s engineering PDH requirements to renew your license. Find the subjects that are acceptable and find online courses and webinars.

www.pdhengineer.com

For a webinar to qualify for credit, the provider must be able to verify and confirm attendance and participation. All thirty (30) of the PDH required each biennial renewal cycle can be earned through webinars.

 

[powerpete69]

Awesome news....thank you so much!

 

[bwat]

Note that Continuing Education (CE) credits is not the same as Professional Development Hours (PDH). CE credits are usually harder to get and are more line with college credits. PDH hours are typically much easier for which to qualify and they typically count on a one-to-one basis for hours and several states let you multiply the PDH credit x2 for any where you were presenting/teaching something. And the PDH hours is often what the state boards are looking for and the qualification of a PDH is more or less on the licensee to determine if it qualifies. I didn't know about this until a few years back when I started having to worry about my renewals. It's really not too bad. Just keep notes on anything you did that might qualify toward PDHs.

 

[gadfly56]

Note that Continuing Education (CE) credits is not the same as Professional Development Hours (PDH). CE credits are usually harder to get and are more line with college credits. PDH hours are typically much easier for which to qualify and they typically count on a one-to-one basis for hours and several states let you multiply the PDH credit x2 for any where you were presenting/teaching something. And the PDH hours is often what the state boards are looking for and the qualification of a PDH is more or less on the licensee to determine if it qualifies. I didn't know about this until a few years back when I started having to worry about my renewals. It's really not too bad. Just keep notes on anything you did that might qualify toward PDHs.

By your definition, NJ requires only PDH's, not CE's, and all of them can be earned on line. There is a minimum requirement, IIRC, for at least 2 hours of the biennial requirement to be in engineering ethics. My company has made online training available for free through a company called Red Vector. That company has pre-qualified a number of courses with various states to meet the PDH or CE requirements. All I have to do when I start a course is toggle my license number(s) and it will automatically track course completion suitable for the various licenses.

 

[bwat]

By your definition, NJ requires only PDH's, not CE's, and all of them can be earned on line. There is a minimum requirement, IIRC, for at least 2 hours of the biennial requirement to be in engineering ethics. My company has made online training available for free through a company called Red Vector. That company has pre-qualified a number of courses with various states to meet the PDH or CE requirements. All I have to do when I start a course is toggle my license number(s) and it will automatically track course completion suitable for the various licenses.

Every state is (can be) different. My point is to read the specific state's requirements and make sure you know whether they are looking for CE or PDH and what qualifies. PA was something like 1 CE = 30 PDH. Most of the states I have my license in only require PDH and the requirements are surprisingly easy to achieve if you are actively working as an engineer.

 

[gadfly56]

Every state is (can be) different. My point is to read the specific state's requirements and make sure you know whether they are looking for CE or PDH and what qualifies. PA was something like 1 CE = 30 PDH. Most of the states I have my license in only require PDH and the requirements are surprisingly easy to achieve if you are actively working as an engineer.

This is what Red Vector gets paid to do. By your definition, I have never run into a state that requires CE's. Do you know of any states that do, and how many CE's do they require for renewal?

 

[bwat]

This is what Red Vector gets paid to do. By your definition, I have never run into a state that requires CE's. Do you know of any states that do, and how many CE's do they require for renewal?

Any idea how much are they charging? It's very easy to figure out what each state needs, but if it's only a small fee for them to track this for me, I may look into it for our company as well.

For example, here's PA's info. Only two pages and easy to read:

https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/EngineersLandSurveyorsandGeologists/Documents/Board%20Documents/Board%20Document%20-%20Eng%20Act%2025%20CE%20section%204.5.pdf

1 college credit = 45 PDH
1 CE = 10 PDH
and easy to find things that qualify:

(3)Completion of correspondence, televised, videotaped and other short courses or tutorials relevant to professional practice.
(4)Completion of seminars, employer-sponsored courses, workshops or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions or conferences relevant to professional practice.

and the double credit for teaching/presenting:

(2)Teaching any of the activities listed in clause (1)(i), (ii), (III) and (iv) shall equal double the amount of PDH units provided for in those subclauses. Teaching credit shall be awarded for teaching a course or seminar but shall not be awarded to full-time faculty members in the performance of their duties at their employing institutions.

I don't know which states need CE vs PDH off hand. I said "most states" but in reality it could be "all states" for me require PDH and not CE. I didn't want say something inaccurate.

 

[gadfly56]

Any idea how much are they charging? It's very easy to figure out what each state needs, but if it's only a small fee for them to track this for me, I may look into it for our company as well.

For example, here's PA's info. Only two pages and easy to read:

https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/EngineersLandSurveyorsandGeologists/Documents/Board%20Documents/Board%20Document%20-%20Eng%20Act%2025%20CE%20section%204.5.pdf

1 college credit = 45 PDH
1 CE = 10 PDH
and easy to find things that qualify:


and the double credit for teaching/presenting:



I don't know which states need CE vs PDH off hand. I said "most states" but in reality it could be "all states" for me require PDH and not CE. I didn't want say something inaccurate.

It appears that a single unlimited subscription to Red Vector is $449/year. On a two-year cycle, that's $898 which is very competitive with in-person courses. You'd have to contact them regarding a corporate subscription.

 

[Sherlonda Hall]

Check out the Mike Holt Engineering page for more details on state requirements and hours: https://www.mikeholt.com/stateengineerlicense.php