Texas Administrative Code › Title 28 - INSURANCE › Part 1 - TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE › Chapter 19 - LICENSING AND REGULATION OF INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS › Subchapter K - CONTINUING EDUCATION, ADJUSTER PRELICENSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND CERTIFICATION COURSES › Section 19.1010 - Hours of Credit

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(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.