CPE Monitor Newsletters

In May 2022, the CPE Standards Working Group began its review and evaluation of The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards).

In addition to reviewing the Standards in their entirety, the Working Group is considering innovations, trends and techniques in CPE, as well as ideas and suggestions related to clarifications and modifications of the 2019 Standards.

We hope that you will “Come Together” with NASBA’s National Registry team for the 2022 National Registry Summit in Nashville, TN, on September 20-21, 2022. 

The purpose of the National Registry Summit is to provide Sponsors with information on trends in adult learning, emerging technologies and innovations in learning, and information and resources to assist in the implementation of the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) in an environment that encourages sharing and networking.

NASBA’s National Registry team continues to notice an alarming trend of compliance desk audit failures with Registry sponsors. NASBA is urging sponsors to take care in their responsibilities per the Sponsor Agreement, which is acknowledged with each renewal application, to adhere and comply with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (2019) (Standards) and NASBA requirements. Failure to do so may result in removal from the National Registry. 

Registry Sponsors wishing to provide learning in an instructional delivery method for which they are not approved must complete the Additional Delivery Method (ADM) application. The ADM application review process involves reviewing the documents submitted with the application, such as the administrative policies, content development policies, evaluation form, certificate of completion, promotional or program announcement materials, as well as required delivery method documentation for compliance with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards). 

The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) and the Fields of Study document were last updated with an effective date of December 31, 2019. 

Among the most significant changes reflected in the 2019 Standards were to allow for adaptive learning self study programs and to permit the use of review questions or other content reinforcement tools in a nano learning program.

NASBA’s National Registry team was pleased to have Lainey Feingold, Esq., of the Law Office of Lainey Feingold, present during this year’s National Registry eSummit. Feingold is an expert in digital accessibility. But, what does that mean? Digital accessibility means that people with disabilities can interact with online content and participate independently in digital programs. Without this in place, CPAs with disabilities are excluded from CPE sponsor programs. Essentially, accessibility means inclusion.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and is now more than 30 years old. Generations of people have since grown up, attended college, and entered the workforce with the expectation that accommodations exist to allow them to fully participate in mainstream life. As an example, NASBA’s CPA Examination Services has seen steady increases in the number of individuals requesting special accommodations who are taking (and passing) the Uniform CPA Examination. These people are future clients of CPE sponsors and of the National Registry (Registry).  

Kassy LaBorie, Kassy LaBorie Consulting LLC, began her presentation with a humorous video that shared her take-away message: Zoom as you’d be Zoomed to. As we all adjust to new technology for this new era in business, let’s work on making our meetings and training better than they have been before. LaBorie, a self-proclaimed virtual classroom master trainer, dedicates her time to helping people develop and deliver engaging virtual instructor led training.  

John Pytel, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conferences i/o, discussed the future of CPE technology. Pytel made sure to incorporate Conferences i/o into his short but well-thought-out presentation. Starting as an engagement tool in 2013 for live events, Conferences i/o evolved into a helpful tool for many kinds of continuing education settings. Over the years, some National Registry Sponsors have utilized this tool for its group live requirements for attendance tracking and engagement requirements.   

The unprecedented times we have experienced over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led many sponsors to ask some specific questions about the renewal process, adding an Additional Delivery Method (ADM), and flexibility granted by the National Registry. The following represent the more commonly asked questions and the responses of the National Registry team. 

The 2021 National Registry Summit will be hosted virtually on September 14, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (CDT). Since the event is completely virtual, there will be no charge to attend this year's eSummit.

The Sponsor Agreement, which is signed by the Registry sponsor with its initial application and every membership renewal application, states that the CPE sponsor agrees to report to the National Registry, within 30 days, any major organizational change including a change in the designated main or supervisory/secondary contact or a change in ownership, merger or acquisition involving the CPE sponsor. Since NASBA’s primary way to communicate with Registry-approved sponsors is by email, it is vital to keep contact information current. 

The flexibility to allow Registry sponsors approved for the Group Live delivery method only to convert in-person training events to online events was available until December 31, 2020, to allow sponsors ample time to pivot for future training events. For sponsors approved for the Group Live delivery method only, this time was given to allow sponsors to apply for the Group Internet Based delivery method in order to prepare for online training events in the future.The flexibility to allow Registry sponsors approved for the Group Live delivery method only to convert in-person training events to online events was available until December 31, 2020, to allow sponsors ample time to pivot for future training events. For sponsors approved for the Group Live delivery method only, this time was given to allow sponsors to apply for the Group Internet Based delivery method in order to prepare for online training events in the future.

NASBA’s National Registry team continues to notice an alarming trend of compliance desk audit failures with Registry sponsors. NASBA is urging sponsors to take care in their responsibilities per the Sponsor Agreement, which is acknowledged with each renewal application, to adhere and comply with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (2019) (Standards) and NASBA requirements. Failure to do so may result in removal from the National Registry.

Registry Sponsors wishing to provide learning in an instructional delivery method for which they are not approved, must complete the Additional Delivery Method (ADM) application. The ADM application review process involves reviewing the documents submitted with the application, such as the administrative policies, content development policies, evaluation form, certificate of completion, promotional or program announcement materials, as well as required delivery method documentation for compliance with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards).

The flexibility to allow Registry sponsors approved for the Group Live delivery method only to convert in-person training events to online events is now expired. This flexibility was initially granted to address an emergency situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the 2020 Summit, Elizabeth Wolfe, Regulatory Counsel, NASBA, discussed the Accessibility provisions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Wolfe stated that under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998, the ADA establishes requirements that electronic information and technology, developed, maintained, procured or otherwise used by the federal government must be accessible for people with disabilities, which includes employees and members of the public.

Right away, Usable Learning’s Julie Dirksen addressed the fact that there are current challenges with keeping attention and engagement levels up from an audience now that many people have transitioned out of the classroom/office to an online environment. So, what should we be aware of and what kinds of strategies should we consider?

The compliance desk audit cycle normally begins in April but was delayed, until September 1, 2020, due to the pandemic. In recent years, NASBA’s National Registry team has noticed an alarming trend of the increasing number of desk audit failures. In fact, there has been more than 60 percent audit failures in the sample selected for the 2019 desk audit cycle.

Joe Urbanski, COO and Org. Culture Strategist of Total Solutions Group, declared during his 2020 National Registry eSummit presentation that we’re doing webinars all wrong. Why is this? According to Urbanski, since 2007, the world has changed thanks in part to the use of Smartphones. Now, an enormous amount of information can be reached instantly at our fingertips. Therefore, learning providers must improve how learners are engaged.