Pennsylvania Code › Title 204 - JUDICIAL SYSTEM GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part II - GENERAL ADMINISTRATION › Chapter 27 - PENNSYLVANIA RULES FOR CONTINUING JUDICIAL EDUCATION › Rule 304 - Course Accreditation Standards

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) Courses offered by an accredited provider
				shall be eligible for the amount and type of credits as designated by the
				provider, subject to review by the Board. All other courses will be awarded
				credit as determined by the Board.
(b) All courses for CJE credit should be
				designed to enhance a judge's judicial practice through judicial
				education.
(c) In addition to
				subsection (b) above, the following standards apply:
(1) The course must be an organized program
				of learning to deal with matters directly related to subjects which satisfy the
				objectives of these rules.
(2) Each
				course must be open to all judges thought to be interested in the subject
				matter. Attendance restrictions will only be permitted by the Board upon
				application, where:
(i) The purpose for the
				attendance restriction is non-discriminatory;
(ii) attendance is restricted on objective
				criteria for a bona fide educational objective to enhance the course,
				and
(iii) membership in the
				provider organization is open to all interested judges, on a reasonable
				non-discriminatory basis and cost.
(3) The course leaders or lecturers must be
				qualified with the necessary practical and/or academic experience necessary to
				conduct the course effectively.
(4)
				Whenever possible, each attendee shall be provided with thorough, high quality
				and carefully prepared written course materials prior to or at the time of the
				course.
(5) The course must be
				presented in a suitable setting, conducive to a good educational environment,
				which provides attendees with adequate writing space or surface.
(6) Upon request by the Board, the provider
				shall submit to the Board information concerning the course, including the
				brochure describing the course and the qualifications of anticipated speakers,
				the method or manner of presentation of materials, and, if requested, a set of
				the materials to be distributed.
(7) Providers must develop and implement
				methods to evaluate its course offerings to determine their effectiveness and
				the extent to which they meet the needs of judges and, upon a request from the
				Board, provide course evaluations by the attendees on such forms as the Board
				shall approve.
(8) Providers shall
				take into consideration the special needs of incapacitated persons and persons
				with disabilities in gaining access to and participation in CJE courses. The
				Board shall require providers to ensure courses are as reasonably accessible to
				persons with disabilities as those without disabilities.
(9) Self-study will not be approved for CJE
				credit.
(10) Subject to the
				limitation in Rule 302(c), judges participating in a course via distance
				education will receive credit if an instructor/moderator is present at the
				remote site and the audience participating remotely has the ability to interact
				with presenters at the host facility.