QABA Continuing Education Provider Guidelines

Continuing Education Overview

The Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board (QABA) recognizes that continuing education (CE) is crucial to advancing and improving the ABA profession. Our mission is to support QABA members in mastering new knowledge and skills to meet the latest trends in the field. QABA hopes to inspire and to guide approved providers toward consistently delivering quality education.

QABA CE Approved Providers

QABA’s CE approved providers are individuals or organizations that have been approved to offer continuing education in accordance with the guidelines outlined in this manual. Only approved providers may use the QABA CE provider logo. The content of CE coursework must be designed by a professional with QABA certification, or certification from an accredited certifying entity, for a minimum of 1 (one) year. Organizations must designate a Provider Point of Contact (PPOC) as the liaison between QABA and their organization.

Application requirements:

  • The completed application form
  • Copy of the coursework designer’s certificate/license
  • One sample of course curriculum as it relates to ABA and/or autism (PowerPoint slides, video link, outline, etc.)

Approved CEUs

Type

CEU

Restrictions per CE Period

College/University coursework (related field)1 per 50 minutesNone
Approved QABA provider1 per 50 minutesNone
Seminar/webinar/workshop by Non-Pre-Approved QABA provider1 per 50 minutes2 CE
Participation in QABA Committee or development1 per 50 minutes2 CE
Poster/presentation/article Authorship1 per 50 minutes1 CE

All CEUs must provide a certificate of attendance with the signature and printed name of the provider.

Provider Guidelines

Presenters may not discuss their company’s products or services prior to, nor during, the educational credit portion of the session. However, they are permitted to discuss their company’s products and services, display business/proprietary materials prior to or once the educational credit portion of the session is completed. Presenters must ensure that information collected on the attendance form is accurate.

Provider Partnering

QABA CE providers may partner with other continuing education providers/presenters as long as the identity of the provider of record is clear in all advertising materials. The provider of record is the provider that registers a course under its own provider number, thereby making it accountable for the course and for ensuring compliance with CE guidelines.

Course Length and Awarding Credits

All QABA CE courses, including distance education courses, must be at least 50 minutes in length.

QABA CE course participant credits are designated in continuing education units (CEUs). 50 minutes of time spent directly on education is equal to 1 CE unit. If a course is more than 50 minutes in length, additional credit should be given to the nearest quarter hour (Example: a 75 minute course = 1.50 CEU hours). It is up to the provider to determine how many credits its course is worth. Furthermore, breaks or non-working lunches do not count as direct education, and providers must exclude this time from the total number of CEU’s awarded. Because the minimum course length is 50 minutes, the minimum number of credits that can be awarded is 1 CEU hour. The course length does not always need to match the total number of CEUs being awarded.

Participants must attend an entire session to receive credit. Partial credit cannot be awarded.

Certificates of Completion

A certificate of completion serves as proof of attendance for participants in a QABA CE course. Providers are required to supply certificates of completion to participants upon request within 10 business days of course completion.

A certificate of completion must contain the following:

  • Participants name
  • Display the official QABA approved CE provider logo
  • CE course title
  • Date(s) of attendance
  • Printed name of the provider and assigned QABA CE provider number (received once approved)
  • Signature of presenter (can be a scanned signature)
  • Number of CE hours awarded

Record Keeping and Document Retention

QABA CE approved providers must keep active files and records of all approved courses and participant attendance information for a minimum of three years from the date of CE course registration. Providers should allow participants the ability to request additional copies of attendance during those 3 years.

Course administration items that must be kept on file by the provider include:

  • Course curriculum and materials
  • Participant lists (course attendance form or logs of online resources)
  • Course designer information, including contact information, copy of certificate/license
  • Exams or competency checks
  • Course evaluations

QABA completes annual audits of all files. Providers and participants are chosen randomly. Upon request,

providers must comply with requested information within 10 days.

QABA CE Provider Logo Usage

Current Approved Providers are authorized to use the CE provider logo to advertise their organizations as “QABA CE Approved Providers” or their registered courses as “QABA CE Registered”. Only currently approved QABA CE providers are authorized to use this logo. Former providers or inactive providers are not eligible.

Providers shall use the QABA CE logo on their website and in advertising their course offerings. Permission to use the QABA CE logo may be terminated at any time by QABA for any breach of QABA CE policies, procedures or terms. The QABA CE provider logo is the only logo that providers are authorized to use, and may not be manipulated in any way except for resizing purposes.

Course Format Guidelines

Today’s technology allows for a variety of remote continuing education opportunities. The following are eligible for approval:

  • Live seminars or workshops
  • Distance learning*
    • online/live (instructor led) – such as webinars or live video streaming
    • on-demand (no instructor) – such as prerecorded seminars, computer/web-based training, or podcasts

As with any learning activity, priority should be given to the subject content. The method of delivery should be based upon the course’s learning objectives and the desired outcome. Providers must provide a course evaluation following each CE course.

*On-demand course quiz/exam requirement

All on-demand distance learning courses must offer an exam or competency check at the end of the course. The quiz or exam should be outcome-based and quantifiable, as members will need to pass to be eligible to receive QABA CE learning units. Providers should determine passing standards for each exam.

CE Provider Policies

  1. Organizations shall delegate a PPOC who is responsible for editing provider profiles; updating accounts; and registering and advertising courses. PPOC’s will have access to the provider manual, certificate template, tools and resources.
  2. All approved providers are responsible for all materials, design, certificates, updated and current provider profiles; updating accounts; policy changes and registering and advertising courses. Providers shall keep active files and records of all approved courses and participant attendance for a minimum of three (3) years from the date of course registration.
  3. Providers shall ensure that courses meet the minimum requirement of at least 50 minutes.
  4. Providers shall award a certificate of completion to those who attend and complete the requirements for the entire course.
  5. Educational content is to be free of endorsements, bias, marketing or sales orientation. Courses must include all the required identifying information.
  6. Providers shall use the QABA CE logo on their website and in advertising their course offerings. The QABA CE logo may not be altered in any form. The use of the QABA CE logo is permitted effective from the date an entity is approved as a QABA CE provider. The use of the QABA CE logo is not transferable and only applicable to the specific QABA approved courses. The QABA CE logo remains the property of QABA at all times. Providers who withdraw or fail to renew their provider status, or who violate QABA CE policies, shall cease immediately from using the QABA CE logo. Permission to use the QABA CE logo may be terminated at any time by QABA for any breach of QABA CE policies, procedures or terms.
  7. Providers shall make available either online, or in print, a course evaluation for attendees to complete at the end of each educational activity.
  8. Providers shall make available course certificates of completion upon request within ten (10) business days of course completion.
  9. Audits will be performed annually. Providers/PPOCs must submit all requested documents within 10 days of request.

CE Provider Ethics

  1. Providers shall not discriminate in the delivery of continuing educational activities on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
  2. Providers shall not misrepresent their credentials, nor the credentials of their assistants and administrative personnel. Providers shall not misrepresent information regarding products and may not offer specific product demonstrations during the educational portion of the activity.
  3. Providers shall not make statements advertising, announcing, or marketing professional services or product promotion during the educational activity.
  4. Providers shall reference the source when using other providers’ ideas, courses, or products in written, oral, or any media presentation or summary.
  5. Providers shall adhere to prevailing professional standards when referencing other professional entities and products. Providers shall not demean any other provider and/or manufacturer in any manner through advertising, verbalization or marketing.
  6. Providers shall not engage in dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation or any form of conduct that adversely reflects on the QABA CE provider system or on the profession of other manufacturers or QABA CE providers.
  7. Providers shall ensure that information collected from participants shall be secured from unauthorized use.
  8. Providers are assigned a QABA CE provider number. It can only be used by the approved provider in the manner and coursework approved in the application.
  9. Providers are responsible for any and all activity reported under their provider number.
To apply: Submit your coursework application packet by printing the application and upload it as a zip file with all of the required documents at https://qababoard.com/coursework-application-form/

Click QABA CE Provider Application to download the application

Click QABA CE Provider Guidelines to download a pdf version of the guidelines

Click here to submit an individual application

Click here to submit an organization application