Rule 1301:5-7-08 | Distance education.
(A) For purposes of this rule, the term "distance education" refers to educational programs in which instruction is accomplished through the use of interactive, electronic media and where the teacher and student are not physically in the same location at the time the course is being taught.
(B) An entity shall apply to the division of real estate and professional licensing for distance education course approval in a form prescribed by the superintendent of real estate and include a nonrefundable processing fee of two hundred dollars. The application form and processing fee must be submitted to the division at least forty-five days prior to the proposed initial date of the offering. Distance education courses completed by a licensee prior to being approved will not qualify for continuing education credit.
(C) For the purposes of this rule, the term "hours of classroom education" shall mean the amount of time necessary to complete the course, without interruption.
(D) In addition to the information required on the application form prescribed by the superintendent, an application for approval for a distance education course shall include the following and any other documentation or information requested by the superintendent:
(1) A complete copy of the course on the medium that is to be utilized and, if requested by the superintendent, the sponsor must make available at the sponsor's expense all software necessary for the superintendent to review the submitted course;
(2) Any other relevant information useful in determining that the entity proposes an offering which will contribute to desired current knowledge for the purpose of protecting the consumer and improving service by real estate licensees;
(3) A summary of course design, including methods used to ensure active student participation, a detailed course outline of topics covered, a time sequence for the hours requested, estimation of length of time it should take a student to complete the course;
(E) The superintendent may approve a course in distance education for continuing education credit, based upon a satisfactory review of the following criteria:
(1) The application and materials submitted pursuant to paragraph (D) of this rule;
(2) The course is designed to ensure that students actively participate in the instructional process while completing the course by utilizing techniques that require substantial student interaction with the instructor, other students or a computer program. The course design must not permit students to merely sit passively and observe instruction or read instructional materials;
(3) The provider provides the students with an orientation or information package which contains all necessary information about the course, including but not limited to, information about the course subject matter and learning objective, procedures and requirements for satisfactory course completion, special requirements with regard to computer hardware and software or other equipment and the availability of instructor or technical support;
(4) The provider provides appropriate instructor and technical support to enable students to satisfactorily complete the course;
(5) The provider utilizes procedures that provide reasonable assurance of student identity and that the student receiving the continuing education credit for completing the course actually performed all of the work required to complete the course.
(F) The superintendent may approve distance education course offerings in only the subject areas specified in paragraph (H) of rule 1301:5-7-03 of the Administrative Code.
(G) Upon notice from the division that an application for initial distance education course approval or additional course offering is incomplete or incorrect as filed, the applicant shall within thirty days of the date of the division's notice of deficiency submit to the division a corrected application or the additional information requested. Failure to timely submit such corrected application or additional information shall constitute just cause for the application to be withdrawn and the superintendent to impose a forfeiture of the application fee.
(H) Every ten days, each provider shall submit to the division, in a format and submission method prescribed by the division, a list of licensees who successfully completed the course.
The list shall include the correct course certification number; number of approved hours; date the course was held; name of licensee; and correctly formatted license number.
(I) The provider shall issue a certificate to a licensee who successfully completed the course. The provider shall comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (B) and (C) of rule 1301:5-7-04 of the Administrative Code.
(J) The superintendent may deny an application for course approval for a distance education course that does not include institutional controls on the pace of instruction that are satisfactory to the superintendent.
(K) Initial distance education course approval shall be valid for the calendar year in which the course was approved. Renewal for a distance education course approval shall be filed with the division no later than December thirty-first of the calendar year of initial approval and every year thereafter on forms prescribed by the division along with a nonrefundable fee processing fee of sixty dollars. Any renewal for a course approval filed after January thirty-first shall be considered a new course and require approval through the submission of a course application along with the nonrefundable fee in accordance with paragraph (B) of this rule.
Supplemental Information