Free Continuing Eduction Credits

June 14, 2009

At a recent AIA Newark Suburban board meeting we were discussing ways to increase the benefits to the membership.  One board member said that one of the most common email and phone call questions he gets is about where to find low cost continuing education (CE) credits. Especially at this time of odd numbered years when NJ architect licenses are set for renewal by August 1st.

As most members know, membership includes monthly general meetings.  At these meetings we usually have a CE event.  This is also the case at the other local components throughout AIA NJ.  These are a great source of knowledge and CE credit.

Another great source of CE material is online. Much of it at no cost. I frequently read the articles found at McGraw Hill Construction (http://continuingeducation.construction.com/), publishers of Architectural Record, ENR, Green Source, and Sweets. After reading the articles, either online or in print form, I usually take the online test.  The system notifies me that I have passed and forwards the passing grade to the AIA’s group that keeps track of the records.  I also print out (usually to PDF file) a copy of the certificate for my records.  All at no cost.  You can’t beat that.  For a $10 fee the test can be taken on paper (either from the tear-out in the printed publications or printed from the online version) and mailed in to be graded and recorded.

Most of the articles are usually of very high quality technical knowledge and take a little more than an hour including the ten question test.  Many articles are labeled for HSW and the new SD (sustainable design) credits. I generally find the ones not written by representatives of product manufacturers and service companies to be of the greatest value, but I’ll leave that judgment up to you.

Each licensing jurisdiction may have different requirements on the number of CE credits that can be accepted in this format. I believe NJ accepts up to 7 credits per cycle. Check each jurisdiction to make sure you are in compliance.

Here are the links to a few of many hundreds of excellent no cost online CE articles.  Enjoy.

Robert Mencarini, AIA

AIA Newark Suburban Architects, Trustee 2007-2009

BIM Promotes Sustainability http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=516

Best Practices in Integrated Project Delivery http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=115&C=408

Energy Modeling for Sustainability http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=399

By WeSpeak Easy | Posted in BIM (Information Modeling), Technology in Practice, Uncategorized | Tagged: BIM, Building Information Modeling, CAD, CE, Continuing Education, green building, Green Design, Integrated Project Delivery, IPD (Integrated Delivery), mencarini, sustainable, Sustainable Design, Technology | Comments (2)