(a) Credit hours for courses are determined by the
methods set forth in paragraphs (1) - (7) of this subsection.
(1) TDI will award credit for certified classroom courses
at the rate of one hour for every 50 minutes of actual instruction
contact time. All classroom courses must be at least one hour of credit
in length. Instruction contact time is considered the amount of time
devoted to the actual course instruction and does not include breaks,
lunch, dinner, introductions of speakers, explanatory or preparatory
instructions, or evaluation of the course. TDI will not certify more
than 24 credit hours for any one classroom course.
(2) TDI will award credit for certified classroom equivalent
and self-study courses as set forth in subparagraphs (A) - (D) of
this paragraph.
(A) The provider must determine the number of course
hours by using one of the methods described in the following clauses.
(i) Average completion time. The provider may determine
the number of course hours by calculating the average completion time
of the individual course completion times of at least five licensees.
If the provider uses this method to determine the number of credit
hours, the provider must retain the names, current insurance license
numbers, and completion times of all licensees that were used by the
provider. A provider using this method may, at its discretion, issue
certificates of completion in the number of hours certified by TDI
to the licensees involved in the process and who completed the entire
course.
(ii) Average number of credit hours assigned by other
states. The provider may determine the number of course hours by calculating
the average number of hours of the credit hours assigned by all other
states in which the course is certified or approved. A provider may
not use this method to determine the number of credit hours unless
the course is approved in at least three other states. Providers may
not include any hours allowed by other states for sales and marketing
topics in calculating the average.
(iii) Word count/difficulty level. Providers using
this method must designate the course as one of three difficulty levels:
basic, intermediate, or advanced. A basic level course is designed
for entry-level practitioners or practitioners new to the subject
matter, an intermediate level course is designed for practitioners
who have existing competence in the subject area and who seek to further
develop and apply their skills, and an advanced course is designed
for practitioners who have a strong foundation and high level of competence
in the subject matter. Using these course difficulty definitions,
the provider may then determine the number of course hours in the
following manner. First, divide the total number of words by 180 to
equal the documented average reading time. Second, divide the documented
average reading time by 50 to equal the credit hours for a basic level
course. Third, for intermediate and advanced courses, multiply the
number of credit hours by 1.25 and 1.50, respectively, to reach the
total number of credit hours for those respective courses. Fractional
hours must be rounded up to the nearest whole number if .50 or above,
and fractional hours must be rounded down to the nearest whole number
if .49 or less.
(iv) Interactive course content. To use this method,
the course must be interactive. An interactive course includes regularly
occurring opportunities for student participation, engagement, and
interaction with or in course activities and information. Examples
include, but are not limited to, question and answer sessions, polling,
games, sequencing, and matching exercises. The provider may determine
the number of course hours of an interactive course by calculating
the run time of the mandatory interactive elements, which include
only those elements required to complete the course.
(B) All classroom equivalent and self-study courses
must be at least one hour of credit, 50 minutes, in length.
(C) Providers may not use the final examination and
pre-tests for determining course hours or calculating an average.
(D) TDI will not certify more than 24 credit hours
for any one classroom equivalent course or 12 credit hours for any
one self-study course.
(3) TDI will grant continuing education classroom credit
to licensees successfully completing qualifying college, law school,
and university insurance classroom courses, as determined by the college,
law school, or university. The number of classroom hours of continuing
education credit for college, law school, and university insurance
courses is the number of classroom instruction contact hours not including
examinations, which may be no more than 24 credit hours per course.
(4) TDI will grant 12 self-study credit hours to licensees
successfully passing qualifying national designation certification
program examinations. Should the licensee also participate in and
successfully complete a certified or qualifying classroom or classroom
equivalent course in preparation for the national designation certification
program examination, the licensee must choose either the classroom
presentation or the national designation certification program examination
to count as credit towards the licensee's continuing education requirement.
(5) Licensees who teach any portion of a certified
continuing education classroom course may receive hour for hour classroom
credit up to the maximum number of credit hours for the course. Licensees
who teach courses may also be awarded an equal number of self-study
hours as credit for course preparation.
(6) TDI will grant continuing education classroom credit
to licensees successfully completing qualifying courses certified
or approved for classroom, classroom equivalent, or participatory
credit by the continuing education authority of a state bar association
or state board of public accountancy on an hour for hour basis equal
to the credit hours assigned to the course by the certifying state
bar association or state board of public accountancy. The state bar
association or state board of public accountancy must determine what
constitutes successful completion of the course. TDI will not grant
licensees self-study credit for any course accepted by a state bar
association or state board of public accountancy unless the self-study
course is offered through a registered provider in accordance with
this subchapter.
(7) TDI will grant licensees continuing education credit
for successfully completing courses certified or approved by the Federal
Farm Credit Insurance Corporation on an hour for hour basis as assigned
by the Farm Credit Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit Insurance
Corporation must determine what constitutes successful completion
of the course.
(b) A provider must not issue certificates of completion
to a licensee for partial credit of any course, except to an instructor
teaching a portion of the course and who does not attend the full
course.
(c) A licensee may not receive credit for teaching
or completing the same continuing education course more than once
within the same reporting period for compliance with the continuing
education requirement.
(d) Providers may advertise and link courses as parts
of a whole curriculum, but providers may not require a licensee to
purchase more than one continuing education course to receive the
credit hours approved for a single course.
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