South Dakota Administrative Rules › Title 20 - PUBLIC SAFETY › Article 20:75 - CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS › Chapter 20:75:04 - Continuing professional education › Section 20:75:04:01 - Standards for continuing professional education program measurement

Current through Register Vol. 51, page 10, July 15, 2024
The following standards are used to measure the hours of continuing professional education credit:
(1) Fifty minutes of participation in each approved CPE course, program, or activity is equal to one CPE credit.;
(2) Blended learning activities programs in which individual segments are less than 50 minutes, the sum of the segments should be considered one total program, with credit granted based on the sum of the various completed components of the program;
(3) Group programs, independent study and blended learning programs, a minimum of one CPE credit must be earned initially, but after the first CPE credit has been earned, credits may be earned in a one-fifth or one-half increments.
(4) Self-study, a minimum of one-half CPE credit must be earned initially, but after the first one-half CPE credit has been earned, credits may be earned in a one-fifth or one-half increments.
(5) Nano learning, the CPE credit to be earned for a single nano learning program is one-fifth CPE credit.
(6) Informal CPE credit is limited to those portions of committee or staff meetings that are designed as programs of learning and comply with this section to qualify for CPE credit. The amount of credit awarded shall be the time actually spent meeting and measuring a specific learning objective;
(7) Accredited university or college courses count as 15 hours for each semester hour and 10 hours for each quarter hour;
(8) Non-credit university or college courses shall be awarded credit only for the actual classroom time spent in the non-credit course. Credit is not granted to participants for preparation time;
(9) Instructors or discussion leaders of learning activities may receive credit for both preparation and presentation time provided the activities maintain or increase their professional competence and qualify as credit for participants. Instructors may receive up to two times the number of CPE credits to which participants would be entitled, in addition to the time for presentation. For repeat presentations, CPE credit may be claimed only if it can be demonstrated that the learning activity was substantially changed and such change required significant additional study or research;
(10) The board may grant credit for the writing of published articles, books, or CPE programs to include credit for research and writing time provided the board determines the activity maintains or improves professional competence. The article, book, or CPE program must be formally reviewed by an independent party. CPE credits should be claimed only upon publication. Not more than half the three-year continuing professional education credit required may be gained through publications;
(11) Self-study CPE credits must be based on a pilot test of the representative completion time. A sample of intended professional participants should be selected to test program materials in an environment and manner similar to that in which the program is to be presented. CPE credits should be recommended based on the representative completion time for the sample. To provide satisfactory completion of the course, a self-study program must require participants to successfully complete a final examination with a minimum passing grade of 70 percent before issuing CPE credit for the course;
(12) Self-study word count formula begins with a word count of the number of words contained in the text of the required reading of the self study program and should exclude any material not critical to the achievement of the stated learning objectives for the program. Examples of the information material that are not critical and therefore excluded from the word count are: course introduction, instructions to the learner, author and course developer biographies, table of contents, glossary, and appendices containing supplementary reference materials. Review questions, exercises, and final examination questions are considered separately in the calculation and should not be in the word count. The word count for the text of the required reading of the program is divided by 180, the average reading speed of adults. The total number of review questions, exercises, and final examination questions is multiplied by 1.85, which is the estimated average completion time per question. These two numbers plus actual audio and video duration time, if any, are then added together and the result divided by 50 to calculate CPE for the self study program.
[#of words/180)+actual audio and video duration time + (# of questions * 1.85)]/50=CPE credit;
(13) Independent study CPE credits recommended by a CPE program sponsor or developer may not exceed the time the participant devoted to complete the learning activities specified in the learning contract.
General Authority:
SDCL  36-20B-12(3).
Law Implemented:
SDCL  36-20B-27.