A self-study CE/CPD course is a course that is completed individually by the student on their own time and schedule. There is no real-time instructor like in a webinar or a classroom setup. The content can be delivered in a variety of formats such as online with on-demand videos, pre-recorded webinars, or textbooks.
Self-study courses need to meet certain requirements in order to be approved for CE/CPD credit by each accreditation body. In addition to requiring quality and relevant content, a common requirement is that attendance and completion must be confirmed. The student must also successfully complete a final assessment.
What is a final assessment?
A well-administered final assessment is:
- Based on material covered in the course
- Provides feedback upon completion
- Subject to a passing grade
- Required to earn the CE/CPD credits
What are the benefits of a Self-Study CE/CPD course?
Self-study CE courses can provide many benefits that in-person or webinars can’t offer. Here are some of the advantages insurance brokers value most:
Flexible Learning
With self-study learning, you decide when to take the course. Students have the freedom to choose when and where they want to study; at home, in the office, on vacation, or even in a taxi on their way to see a client. In comparison, in-person training and live seminars require you to be in a certain place at a certain time, which might not be at a convenient time or when the material is of interest to you. Insurance brokers value flexible learning because they can prioritize their clients, and sales opportunities, without compromising on learning what they need to learn to advance their careers.
On-Demand Learning
With self-study learning, you have the power to start and stop when you need to. For insurance brokers, this is a huge benefit because important calls come in at all hours of the day. We often see people step outside the classroom to take a call or put the live seminar on mute to attend a pressing matter. This causes them to miss a learning opportunity. E-learning gives you the ability to pause without losing progress because let’s face it, you are busy and things come up! E-learning means you’ll never miss a learning opportunity again. With on-demand access to courses, you can log in 24/7 without losing your saved progress.
Personalized Playback Features
We all learn at different speeds. With self-study learning, you have full control over your learning experience whereas in a setting with a real-time instructor you have no control over which course is run. Speed up the speech, slow it down, rewind, pause or even watch the same lesson three times over until it makes sense. Brokers love this feature because it allows them to elevate their level of understanding by pausing to reflect on their day-to-day situation. And they can apply their learning immediately, for example, by reading a policy wording.
Ongoing Access
Many self-study providers, such as the Insurance Training Center, have course catalogs with hundreds of lessons on a multitude of topics. What this means for the broker is that they can search for a specific topic when it’s relevant to their needs. Live seminars and courses are great, however when it’s not applicable or of interest to the attendee the material will likely not stick. Ongoing access means you can search for the desired material when it applies to you, and as often as required.
Active Learning
A well-built self-study course includes activities, quizzes, and a final examination. Grading and feedback are integral parts of the learning process. Activities keep the learner engaged. Quizzes are there to ensure brokers are learning and grasping the main concepts. Without testing or an opportunity to apply your knowledge, how do you know the material is sticking?
CE/CPD Certificate Tracker
Many online course providers have a built-in certificate log. Insurance Training Center students will find a certificate tracker on their student dashboard when they log in to the study center. This tool makes it easy for brokers to keep record of all their certificates in one place. There’s no need to create an excel spread sheet or desktop folder, all certificates are recorded in one place and are accessible with the click of a button.
Learn more about CE and CPD credits that you can earn through the Insurance Training Center.
Takeaways:
- Self-study CE courses are structured to meet approval from regulatory bodies
- Self-study CE courses do not require a real-time presenter
- Self-study CE courses can provide many benefits that in-person or webinars can’t offer, including time flexibility, and personalized settings
- Self-study CE courses provide great benefits to insurance brokers
