Background

The Professional Development Committee has been given direction by the Board of Directors to work with SLA staff in creating Guidelines to be used for the evaluation and approval of continuing education courses to be given at the Annual Conference. Any CE course or workshop given or co-sponsored by the Association or any of its duly constituted units may now be scheduled at any time during the Annual Conference, except during the General Sessions and the Annual Business Meeting. In order to avoid course duplication and to maintain rigorous standards for all Annual Conference CE Courses, the Professional Development Committee will approve the content of such courses prior to when the course is given.

Introduction

As of January 1, 1991 all Annual Conference continuing education offerings must be reviewed and approved by the Professional Development Committee. The committee's goal is to ensure the presentation of quality courses of interest to members, at a reasonable cost, without duplication.

Definition of Continuing Education Offering

A continuing education offering is any program, course or workshop given or co-sponsored by the Association or any of its duly constituted units that is intended to educate an identified target audience according to specific learning objectives. Annual Conference CE courses may be distinguished from regular Annual Conference programming by the following characteristics:

1. Course Content: CE courses cover topics in greater depth or cover more aspects of a topic than conference programs can accomplish. Course content is based on a well-defined set of learning objectives. Association units should concentrate on topics that are consistent with their primary scope of operation, as well as being specific to the learning needs of unit members;

2. Length: CE courses are typically longer than the average conference program. Any offering of less than four (4) hours would be in competition with regular Conference programming and would thus not be desirable;

3. Instruction: Knowledgeable instructors are directly involved in the development of a CE course, determining learning objectives, planning and conducting the course;

4. Evaluation: Major aspects of each CE course are evaluated by participants, in written format, including evaluation of program content, instructors and administration;

5. Fees: Registration fees, separate and distinct from Conference registration, are charged for CE courses. Fees must be at least equal to those charged by Association headquarters for a program of similar duration, in the previous year.

Evaluation Criteria

Potential Annual Conference CE courses will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Course precedents: The committee will take into consideration the history (if any) of the proposed CE course, including the number of times held and the results of the program evaluations. The overall history and quality of the program as determined by participants will be a primary factor in evaluating potential CE courses. The committee will review: a) previous offerings and b) Evaluation results/track record

   Written evaluations will be extremely helpful for future reviews and approval. The components of the evaluation should be clear and comprehensive, in order to maintain consistent and comparable information The evaluation process should cover major aspects of the CE experience, including organization input, the design, content and operation of the course, and the extent to which intended learning outcomes were achieved;

2. Course Content: The course topic should be consistent with the overall purpose of the Association unit involved. It is the committee's intent to offer the broadest range of CE courses possible, while avoiding duplication in course content. The Committee will consider:
   • Target Audience - the program should be planned in response to the identified needs of a target audience.

   • Learning Objectives - the sponsoring unit must have clear and concise written statements of intended learning objectives.

   • Course Outline - the course content and instructional methodologies must be consistent with the stated learning objectives and must permit the participant to exchange and receive feedback.

   • Uniqueness Factor - the degree of overlap or duplication of subject material with other courses will be taken into consideration.

3. Instruction: Knowledgeable instructional personnel should be directly involved in determining the program's goals and learning objectives, as well as conducting the course. A brief statement of qualification, including prior teaching experience and/or subject expertise, together with a list of previous courses/workshops taught must be provided;

4. Administration: The course sponsor must provide or arrange for appropriate educational facilities, instructional aids and equipment consistent with the purpose, design, and intended learning objectives of the program. For the purpose of scheduling courses and maintaining conformity in registration fees, the committee will review:
   • Length- a CE workshop must be a minimum of 1/2 day in duration, i.e., 4 contact hours
     
   • Time/date preference
     
   • Proposed fee(s)
     
   • Estimated attendance/attendance limits.

The Review Process

The Committee will review CE course requests each August for the Annual Conference to be held the following year. Requests must be submitted to the Director, Professional Development, Special Libraries Association, 1700 18th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009-2508. Deadline for submission of a CE course request is August 1.

The Chair, Professional Development will notify the course contact person and Association headquarters of action taken on CE course requests as soon as possible, but no later than September 15. The Chair, Professional Development may request clarification and/or elaboration of course description from the sponsoring unit.

All course requests will be returned to their sponsoring units by September 15, in order that the sponsors can meet the November 1 deadline for the Annual Conference Preliminary Program.

Title of Course: __________________________________________________________

Sponsoring Unit: __________________________________________________________

Contact: Name: _______________________ Business Telephone_________________

Fax_________________________________

Target Audience (Please be as specific as possible):

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Course Content (please limit description to 50 words):

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

History (please attach summary evaluation results for previous offerings of this course):

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Instructors qualifications:

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Duration (If a full day course, please indicate if lunch will be provided):

____________________________________________________________________________

Fee(s): _______________________

Do you plan to offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs): Yes_________ No___________

Estimated Attendance/Attendance Limit:___________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
Professional Development Committee