Frequently Asked Questions/Online Help

1. Are PDH credits awarded by PDHonline.org recognized by the state boards of registration for PE & PLS?
2. How does your continuing education program work?
3. How do I take an online course?
4. How much time will I have to complete a course?
5. How do I pay for the online courses?



6. How do I know my credit card transaction is secure?
7. How much do online courses cost?
8. How can I get a receipt for my purchase?
9. How can I get another certificate of completion?
10. How can I get a complete record of the courses I have taken from your website?



11. How can I retrieve my password?
12. How can I contact the instructor?
13. How can I get a copy of PDH online course catalog?
14. How can I update my personal information?
15. How can I become a PDH online course provider?



16. Why I cannot enter PDH Online Course Library after I completed the registration?
17. Why I cannot login using my user ID and password?
18. Why I cannot open the PDF files on your website?
19. Why I cannot access the course or quiz after the online payment sometimes?
20. Why I cannot find the "Click here to continue" link in the receipt?



21. Why do you have several almost identical websites?
22. What are the advantages of taking online courses?
23. What computer system and software do I need to view online courses?
    
24. What is the passing score for PDH Online quizzes?
25. Do I have another chance to take the quiz if I fail on the first attempt?



26. Do I have to be online the entire time to take course?
27. Do I need to submit the certificate of completion to my state board?
28. Do you offer corporate training program?
29. Do you offer group discount?
30. Do you report PDH credits to the state boards?



31. Do you share my contact information with anyone?
32. Do you accept all credit cards?
33. Do you offer correspondence courses?
34. Do you report Learning Units directly to AIA for architects?
35. Which states have mandatory Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) requirements?



36. What is the CPC requirement in each state?
37. Is one PDH unit equal to one hour of continuing education (one contact hour)?
38. Where can I get answers for my other questions about continuing education?
39. How many questions are in each quiz?
40. Can I access online courses from any computer after the purchase?

1. Are PDH credits awarded by PDHonline.org recognized by the state board of registration for PE & PLS?

Yes, PDH credits awarded by PDHonline.org are acceptable by all the state boards which do not pre-approve courses or providers. In addition, PDHonline.org is an Approved Provider/Sponsor of Continuing Professional Competency (CPC or CPD) activities for Professional Engineers and Surveyors in the following four states:

Arkansas
Florida (Continuing Education Provider Numbers: CEP 00030 for PE and 0002496 for PLS)
Louisiana
North Carolina

Designation as an Approved Sponsor indicates recognition by the Board of the online courses offered by PDHonline.org as meeting the required standards. In the state of Florida, engineers and surveyors are required to take continuing education courses from Approved Providers. In Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina, engineers and surveyors are not required to take courses from Approved Sponsors, but if they do, they are assured that their PDH credits will be accepted by the Board.

To our knowledge, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida are the only four states that currently pre-approve courses or providers in both engineering and surveying fields. Although Tennessee, Missouri, Texas and New Jersey have separate pre-approval programs for land surveyors' continuing education activities, they usually accept courses pre-approved by another jurisdiction. In other states that have mandatory Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) requirements, it is generally the responsibility of the engineers and surveyors to select courses that meet the state guidelines. The typical state guidelines define a qualified course as one whose purpose and objective are clear with a content that will "maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice".

All PDH online courses are designed with a clear purpose and objective that will maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee's field of practice. Courses offered by PDHonline.org feature the state-of-the-art in the field of engineering and surveying. Each lecture is supplemented with new learning materials including links to additional resources and a quiz to help the attendee earn professional development hours (PDH units) or AIA Learning Units (LU).

Developed and maintained by professional engineers, PDHonline.org is a fully automated virtual classroom dedicated to the online continuing education for engineers, surveyors and architects. Our server is programmed to conduct quizzes, issue Certificates of completion, and keep records of your PDH activities on a 24/7 schedule.

All the online courses offered by PDHonline.org comply with the model guidelines published by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which are adopted by most state boards of registration for PE & PLS.

All PDH online instructors are qualified to teach the subject matter since they are selected based on their educational background and practical experience. Many of them have over ten years of practical experience, and are registered professionals in their own field of practice.

As an approved continuing education provider, PDHonline.org maintains records of all online PDH activities for at least seven (7) years. Our records include the name of the attendee who satisfactorily completed the course, type of activity claimed, date of activity, instructor's name, sponsoring organization, and the PDH credits earned. Copies of these records may be requested by sending emails to info@PDHonline.org for audit verification purposes.

As an approved continuing education provider, PDHonline.org submits monthly or quarterly reports, including the names and license numbers of all Florida and North Carolina registrants completing the PDH online courses during that month or quarter and the PDH credits earned, to the respective board of registration for professional engineers and surveyors. Florida and North Carolina are the only two states that currently require reporting from the approved continuing education providers.

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3. How do I take an online course?

There are at least three methods you may use to take an online course since you do not have to study the course materials online.

Method A: Treat an online course as if it is a homstudy course. Here are the recommended procedures:

1. Purchase the course using one of the payment options.
2. Download the course files if they are in PDF or Word format.
   
3. Print out course materials and quiz questions from your browser.
4. Study the course materials at your own pace.
5. Complete the quiz on the paper (off-line) if you like.
6. Log onto our website and enter your quiz answers - our computer will grade your quiz immediately.
7. You may take the quiz again without additional charge if you fail the quiz.
8. You may print out the certificate of completion once you pass the quiz.

4. How much time will I have to complete a course?

You have one year to complete the course from the date of purchase.

5. How do I pay for the online courses?

To obtain PDH credits for any PDH online course, you must purchase the course and take a quiz. There are two payment options:

(1) You can make online payment using credit card/e-check. In this case, you can take the quiz and obtain Certificate of Completion immediately. Your payment receipt will be sent to your email address.

(2) You may send us a check to the following address:

PDHonline.org
5272 Meadow Estates Dr.
Fairfax, VA 22030
USA

The check should be made payable to PDHonline.org, and must be drawn on a US bank in US dollars. Once we receive your payment, we will notify you by email immediately so that you can take the quiz and obtain your Certificate of Completion. Your payment receipt will be sent to your email address.

For complete course pricing, please click on the "Courses" on the top menu bar.

6. How do I know my credit card transaction is secure?

Our online ordering system uses the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology powered by PayPal.com to encrypt the information you send us when you place your order. The transaction information is encrypted on your computer, sent through the Internet as scrambled code, and unencrypted on PayPal's secure server. Therefore, your credit card information is secure and cannot be read in transit.

7. How much do online courses cost?

The standard price of our online course ranges from $15 to $30 per credit hour. Special discounts are available during the promotional events. Group discounts are also available to any company with more than ten (10) engineers and/or surveyors who need to meet the continuing education requirements and will register as PDH online users. To receive special group discount, please contact us at info@PDHonline.org or at 703-988-0088 for details.

8. How can I get a receipt for my purchase?

We will send you a receipt through the email once we receive your online payment or check payment.

9. How can I get another certificate of completion?

You may print out your certificates of completion for the courses you have taken from "My Account" on the top menu bar.

10. How can I get a complete record of the courses I have taken from your website?

You can obtain a complete record of the courses you have taken from "My Account" on the top menu bar.

11. How can I retrieve my password?

You may retrieve your password by using the "Forgot Your Password?" feature on our website.

12. How can I contact the instructor?

You may contact the instructor using emails by clicking on the instructor's name within the course or through instructor@PDHonline.org. However, you need to be specific about which course you would like to discuss about in your emails.

13. How can I get a copy of PDH online course catalog?

We offer electronic catalog for online users. You can print a copy of PDH online course catalog from "Courses" on the top menu bar.

14. How can I update my personal information?

You can update your personal information in "My Account" or when you take a quiz.

15. How can I become a PDH online course provider?

If you are interested in becoming a PDH online course provider, you need to submit a brief biography and a list of proposed course topics to info@PDHonline.org. After we review your educational background and practical experience, we will notify you whether your qualifications are acceptable. For more information, please click "Provider" on the top menu bar.

16. Why I cannot enter PDH online Course Library after I completed the registration?

Your web browser's cookie function may be disabled or your web browser is an old version. To access PDHonline's personalized web pages, you need to turn on the cookie function in your web browser per instructions below.

If you're using Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or higher:
1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options.
3. Click the Privacy tab,
4. Move the slider to the bottom to Accept All Cookies.
Note: You may also click the Edit button to override cookie handling for individual websites or click the Advanced button to override automatic cookie handling.

If you're using Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or 5.5:
1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options.
3. Click the Security tab,
4. Click Internet, then Custom Level.
5. Scroll down to Cookies and Enable per-session cookies (not stored).

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0 or later version:
On your Task Bar, click:
1. Edit, then
2. Preferences, then
3. click on Advanced.
4. Select "Enable all cookies" in the box labeled "Cookies".

If enabling the cookie function in your browser does not eliminate the problem and your web browser is not the latest version, we recommend you to download the latest Microsoft Internet Explorer or download the latest Netscape Communicator.

17. Why I cannot login using my user ID and password?

Usually this is caused by the incorrect password. Please note that the password is case sensitive. If you are not sure what password you entered before, you may request your password by using the "Forgot Your Password?" feature on our website.

The other possible cause is that your web browser's cookie function may be disabled. To access PDHonline's personalized web pages, you need to turn on the cookie function in your web browser. See FAQ No. 16 above for instruction on how to turn on the cookie function.

18. Why I cannot open the PDF files on your website?

You may not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer or your Adobe Acrobat Reader is an old version. Please click the button below to download the latest version of FREE Acrobat Reader.

19. Why I cannot access the course or quiz after the online payment sometimes?

Because you did not complete the ENTIRE payment process. To activate the course or quiz, you need to click the "Click here to continue" link at the end of the online payment. If you cannot access the quiz or course materials after online payment, please notify us through "Contact Us" or call us at 703-988-0088. Once we receive your notification, we will activate the quiz or course for you, and will send you an email notification about the quiz or course activation.

20. Why I cannot find the "Click here to continue" link in the receipt?

The "click here to continue" link was displayed on the final payment screen, not in the receipt. The information displayed on the payment screen is duplicated in the receipt. See FAQ No. 19 for additional information if you cannot access the quiz or course after online payment.

21. Why do you have several almost identical websites?

To provide the highest quality service with the least interruption, we operate several mirror sites for the convenience of our valued customers. PDHcenter.com, PDHcenter.org and PDHonline.org are just some of the websites owned and maintained by our organization. If you have difficulty in accessing one of our websites, please try to access another one. All of our online courses are available through any of the above websites. You may even use the same user ID and password to access any of our websites.

22. What are the advantages of taking online courses?

Taking PDH online courses are

• Convenient - You can study the course materials and complete the quiz at your own pace in the comfort of your own home or office.
• Efficient - You save a lot of time because you do not need to travel to the designated locations.
• Economical - You save a lot of money because there are no raveling and lodging costs.
• Beneficial - You benefit from the feedback of your peers which is incorporated into our courses periodically.

In short, taking online courses is more convenient, more efficient, and more economical than attending seminars or conferences.

23. What computer system and software do I need to view online courses?

24. What is the passing score for PDH online quiz?

The passing score is 70 for any PDH online quiz. You need to answer 70% of the questions correctly.

25. Do I have another chance to take the quiz if I fail on the first attempt?

Yes, you may take the quiz again until you pass (no additional charge within one year of purchase).

26. Do I have to be online the entire time to take course?

No, you may print out the course materials and study them off-line.

27. Do I need to submit a copy of the certificate of completion to my state board?

No, unless you are audited. However, you need to keep a copy of the certificate of completion for your own record. You can also get a complete record of the courses you have taken from "My Account" on the top menu bar.

28. Do you offer corporate training program?

Yes. We can design, implement, maintain or provide your corporate online training program. Please contact us at info@PDHonline.org or at 703-988-0088 for details.

29. Do you offer group discount?

Yes. Group discounts are available to any company with more than ten (10) engineers and/or surveyors who need to meet the continuing education requirements and will register as PDH online users. To receive special group discount, please contact us at info@PDHonline.org or at 703-988-0088 for details.

30. Do you report PDH credits to the state boards?

Yes. As an approved continuing education provider, PDHonline.org submits monthly or quarterly reports, including the names and license numbers of all Florida and North Carolina registrants completing the PDH online courses during that month or quarter and the PDH credits earned, to the respective board of registration for professional engineers and surveyors. Florida and North Carolina are the only two states that currently require reporting from the approved continuing education providers.

31. Do you share my contact information with anyone?

No. PDHonline.org respects your personal privacy. We will not release your name, address, telephone number or email address to anyone except the course providers without your consent. The information we collect about you is required to process your orders and may be used to provide a more personalized experience.

32. Do you accept all credit cards?

Our credit card processing company PayPal.com currently accepts VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards. However, they cannot accept American Express corporate cards. If you intend to use American Express corporate card, please contact us at info@PDHonline.org or at 703-988-0088 for payment options.

33. Do you offer correspondence courses?

Yes. You may call 703-988-0088 for the course catalog and order form. There is a shipping and handling fee for each correspondence course.

34. Does PDHonline.org report Learning Units directly to AIA for architects?

Currently PDHonline.org does not report your Learning Units directly to AIA although we ask for your AIA number for our record. We plan to apply for AIA/CES approved provider status in the near future.

It is our opinion that PDH online courses qualify as AIA/CES activities. Learning Units obtained through attending PDH online courses also qualify as AIA/CES HSW credits in most cases. Once you complete a PDH online course, we will issue you a Certificate of Completion as the evidence of your attendance. You may report the earned Learning Units using AIA/CES Self Report Form. The followings are the excerpts from AIA/CES guidelines for your information:

Structured Self-Reported Program:

This is a structured activity offered by an organized, third-party, non-CES provider. Documentation of attendance/participation will usually be required as a supplement when reporting this activity as a state licensure requirement. For members who self-report a structured activity, the AIA is unable to assist in supplying any support documentation that may be required by a state licensing board MCE audit.

Members may select the appropriate format of the learning activity and return a completed AIA Self-Report Form so that the data can be entered accurately into their individual transcripts. Members calculate LU hours for self-reported activities by reporting the number of hours spent in architecture-related learning. Think in terms of billable hours applied to learning.

To be eligible for credit, self-reported activities must be planned, educational, new knowledge for the individual member, and applied toward the practice of architecture. All self-report forms should be sent to the AIA/CES Records at the University of Oklahoma.

Please contact us at info@PDHonline.org or at 703-988-0088 if you need any further assistance to report your LUs.

35. Which states have mandatory Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) requirements?

Currently, there are twenty-one states requiring evidence of Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) as a condition for renewal of the individual's professional license. These states are:

Most other states are expected to follow suit in the near future. The web sites of National Society of Professional Engineers and National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying contain the summary of CPC status in each state. To learn the CPC requirement of each state, you may visit these two websites or go to the website of the particular state board of registration for professional engineers and land surveyors.

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Typically, each licensee is required to obtain 15 (30 if biennial) PDH units during the renewal period year. In Louisiana, each licensee must earn 1 PDH unit in Engineering Ethics during the renewal period year. Mississippi State requires (2) PDH units of Ethics training during three renewal periods. In the state of Florida, each licensee must obtain 8 PDH units during each license renewal biennium. Out of 8 PDH units, four (4) hours shall relate to the licensee’s area(s) of practice and four (4) hours shall relate to Board Laws and Rules (Chapter 471, Florida Statute and Chapter 61G15, Florida Administrative Code). For more information regarding CPC requirement, please refer to PE Application/Renewal Fees and Continuing Education Requirements Summary Table, which covers both United States and Canada.

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Yes, one PDH (Processional Development Hour) is equal to one hour of continuing education or one contact hour. See the table below for typical conversion from other continuing education activities to PDH:

CONVERSION TABLE

One college semester hour................................. 45 PDH
One college quarter hour................................... 30 PDH
One continuing education unit (CEU)................... 10 PDH (Exception: 1 Texas CEU = 1 PDH only)
One contact hour of teaching for first time ............ 2 PDH
Each published paper, article or book................... 10 PDH
Each patent.................................................... 10 PDH

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38. Where can I get answers for my other questions about continuing education?

The following state boards of registration for PE and PLS have FAQ or detailed information regarding continuing education on their websites:

Florida Board of Professional Engineers
Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
Kansas State Board of Technical Professions
Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board
Minnesota Board of AELSLAGID
Mississippi State Board of Registration for PE and PLS
Montana Board of PE and LS
New Hampshire Board Of Licensure For Professional Engineers
Oregon State Board of Examiners
South Dakota Board of Technical Professions

The following Canadian provincial boards of registration for PEng also have detailed information regarding continuing education on their websites:

The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta
Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Newfoundland
The Association Of Professional Engineers of Prince Edward Island
Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick

39. How many questions are in each quiz?

The number of quiz questions varies from course to course. There are at least 10 quiz questions in each course offering less than 5 PDH credits and at least 20 quiz questions in each course offering more than 4 PDH credits.

40. Can I access online courses from any computer after the purchase?

Yes. However, you need to login using the same user ID and password as those you used during the purchase.