Xplor announced in a Press Release dated February 6, 2008, its program for providing CEU credits for Tracks that had been Accredited as Certified Education. Attendees at the March 2008 Xplor Conference had the opportunity to attend Certified Educational Tracks that awarded Continuing Educational Units.

What are CEUs?

The CEU is a nationally recognized unit of measurement for noncredit continuing education programs. It is provided in an organized continuing education experience under the sponsorship of an appropriate authority, with instruction, direction, and evaluation by qualified personnel. The program adheres to strict guidelines designed to assure qualified educational offerings, proper documentation and reporting of accredited educational providers.

A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is defined by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) as "...ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction."

University Programs that require structured classroom hours quantify the number of actual contact hours divided by ten. Some Professional Certification Programs that have high multi-year point accumulation structures utilizing industry participation and vendor supplied education may reduce the contact hours to allow self-directed study or workshop environments.

Due to the variable nature of Session length, The Xplor Document University awards one XDU-CEU for a full day of instruction between 8 and 10 hours, and a half credit is awarded for a 4 to 5 hour day.

How do CEU Programs Differ?

ANYONE can award CEUs (not IACET-CEUs). Most professional certification programs have established their own standards, and use different ratios of hours to points. The 10 hours to 1 CEU is not standard from industry to industry.

CEUs are established and awarded by industry, with significant emphasis on specialists. Examples: Healthcare - multiple CEUs are awarded in different categories (obstetrics, elder-care, social medicine, HIPPA, COBRA, OSHA). In the Human Resources industry - multiple certifications PHR - SPHR - GPHR (Professional, Senior, and Global HR) apply CEUs accepted for these designations for attendees at Expos offering training (one such day Expo awards 4.25 CEUs for 5 sessions).

CEUs are NOT a standardized educational process; CEUs are documented and "standard" for each individual organization and/or professional field. Many utilize self-directed learning over the web, with little to no classroom activity. Few are affiliated with any true institution of higher learning.

Many if not most Certifications include a maintenance cycle, and in the professional arena, rather than require certificate carriers to document continued activity, CEUs are utilized. This makes the re-certification process easier and consistent.

CEUs do not crossover industry boundaries; CEUs are industry specific. Unless specifically classified as applicable to a list of Certification programs, a CEU from one organization is not accepted by another.

What are the Benefits of a CEU?

Continuing Education Units are a means of documenting the professional development activities an organization offers. For E-Document professionals, the CEU may be used to justify attending educational seminars and to document the learning programs in which they participate. For individuals seeking Professional Certification Points, and those seeking recertification points, XDU-CEUs provide a higher point accumulation method while obtaining certified knowledge for career enhancement. (see the EDP site for details).

Who are the Providers of Xplor's CEU Training Sessions and Tracks?

Through an accreditation process, content providers are required to submit an extensive application covering areas of proficiency in a subset of the Blooms Taxonomy. This classification scheme breaks down thinking processes into six steps: knowledge; comprehension; application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Not all courses or seminars will award CEUs. XDU will not accept applications if the CEU workshop, conference, or seminar does not meet its guidelines for providing a well-planned, well-structured and proven content for the professional development of its participants. Only content previously presented that can be audited will be considered. Content must specifically demonstrate industry processes and business practices; anecdotal and marketing of business offerings material must be removed.

Applications to offer CEUs are based on specific programs. An organization can not be classified as having all its programs accredited through acceptance of one program.

The exact number of CEUs is determined upon recommendation of the CEU Program Manager. If you are interested in having your program considered for CEUs, please submit the following information:

• Program schedule, including dates and times your material was presented(provide brochure, flyer, or attachment)
• Instructor/Presenter's resume or bio
• Brief descriptions for each session

Content providers must have an e-document relevant background. Currently, all XDU-CEU Providers are EDP Certified.

Who is Eligible to Obtain an XDU-CEU?

Only Xplor sponsored events award XDU-CEUs. You do not have to be a member of Xplor. However, to participate in such an event, attendees must have purchased an Xplor Branded Passport or Badge. Individuals attending events where Xplor is but one of the educational providers must purchase Xplor Programs. Any attendee identified with any other program will not be admitted nor have CEUs awarded.

Content Providers wanting to obtain CEU Accreditation should contact: Paul LeTourneur, EDP - CEU Program Manager - paul-xplor@tampabay.rr.com