Ala. Admin. Code r. 500-X-2-.14

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 500-X-2-.14 - Continuing Education

(1) Purpose: In order to safeguard life, health and property, and to promote the public welfare, the practice of landscape architecture in Alabama requires continuing education in accordance with Code of Ala. 1975, Section 34-17-20(b) and this rule.

(2) Scope: Each in-state and out-of-state registrant shall be required to meet the continuing educational requirements of these regulations for professional development as a condition for registration renewal. Continuing education obtained by a registrant should maintain, improve, or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or to develop new and relevant skills and knowledge.

(3) Definitions: Terms used in this section are defined as follows:

(a) Professional Development Hour (PDH): A contact (clock) hour consisting of not less than 50 minutes of instruction or presentation and which further meets the requirements of the rules.

(b) Sponsor: An individual, organization, association, institution or other entity which provides an educational activity for the purpose of fulfilling the continuing education requirements of this rule.

(c) Board: The Alabama Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects, the legal state entity having jurisdiction to register or license individuals to practice the profession of Landscape Architecture and to discipline those practitioners who violate the applicable laws or rules promulgated by the Board.

(d) Registrant: A person licensed as a professional Landscape Architect.

(e) Committee: The Continuing Education Committee.

(f) Annual: Time period occurring once every year.

(4) Requirements: To demonstrate that a licensed Landscape Architect maintains an acceptable level of competency, a registrant must obtain the number of Professional Development Hours (PDH) per year as shown below. This requirement must be satisfied during the period from January 1 through December 31 except for the carryover permitted. In addition, PDH earned between October 15 and December 31 may be submitted for the current year or for the following year, but not for both.

(a) A registrant licensed, as a Landscape Architect must obtain sixteen PDH per year except for the carryover permitted. The number of professional development hours which may be carried forward into the next year shall not exceed sixteen.

(b) A minimum of eight professional development hours (PDH) per year shall be directly relevant to the protection of public health, safety and welfare. Examples of health, safety and welfare subjects include but are not limited to design, environmental systems, site design, land use analysis, grading and drainage, storm water management, playground safety, erosion control, site and soils analyses, accessibility, building codes, life safety, review of state registration laws including the rules of professional conduct, evaluation and selection of products and materials, cost analysis, construction methods, contract documentation construction contract administration, construction administration and project management.

(c) If necessary, determination of the qualification of a PHD to meet the health, safety and welfare requirement shall be made by the Continuing Education Committee as established in Section (5). A decision of the committee may be appealed to the Board.

(5) Continuing Education Committee: The Board shall form a Continuing Education Review Committee of five members and provides guidelines for its operation. The Committee shall be composed of a majority of Landscape Architects, currently licensed and in good standing with the Board.

(a) Members shall be appointed by the Board and serve a term of office for two years.

(b) Members shall be appointed in staggered terms with three members being appointed in one year and two members being appointed the following year.

(c) The Committee shall elect a chairman and a secretary at the first meeting of every calendar year to serve a one-year period.

(d) The secretary shall keep minutes of the meetings to document all transactions of the Committee.

(e) The Committee shall meet on an as-needed basis when called to order by the chairman.

(f) Duties of the Committee shall be to review and pre-approve all sponsors and programs as being relevant to the practice of Landscape Architecture. Further, the Committee shall establish the methods for documentation needed to fulfill continuing education credits for licensing.

(6) Activities: Continuing education activities which satisfy the professional development requirement shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) successfully completing or monitoring college or university sponsored courses,

(b) successfully completing courses which are awarded continuing education units (CEU),

(c) attending seminars, tutorials, short courses, correspondence courses, televised courses or videotaped courses,

(d) attending in-house programs sponsored by corporations or other organizations,

(e) teaching or instructing as described in (a) through (d) above,

(f) authoring published papers, articles or books,

(g) making presentations at technical meetings,

(h) attending program presentations at related technical or professional meetings.

All of such activities as described in (a) through (h) above must be relevant to the practice of Landscape Architecture and may include technical, ethical or managerial content.

(7) Criteria: Continuing educational activities must meet the following criteria:

(a) There is a clear purpose and objective for each activity which will maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or to develop new and relevant skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure.

(b) The content of each presentation is well organized and presented in a sequential manner.

(c) There is evidence of preplanning which should include the opportunity for input by the target group to be served.

(d) The presentation will be made by persons who are well qualified by education or experience.

(e) There is a provision for individual participant registration which will include information required for record keeping and reporting.

(8) Units: The conversion to PDH units from other units is as follows:

1 University semester hour of credit...	45 PDH
1 University quarter hour of credit.....	30 PDH
1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) ......	10 PDH
1 Hour of acceptable professional development education ................	1 PDH

(9) Credits: Professional Development Hours of credit for qualifying courses successfully completed which offer semester hour, quarter hour, or CEU credit are as specified above. All other activities permit the earning of one PDH of credit for each contact hour with the following exceptions:

(a) Monitoring of university or college courses permit PDH credit of 1/3 that shown in (8) above.

(b) Teaching or instructing qualifying courses or seminars can earn PDH credit at twice that of students.

(c) Authorship of papers, articles or books cannot be claimed until actually published. Credit earned will equal preparation time spent not to exceed 25 PDH per publication.

(d) The Board does not encourage meeting continuing education requirements through correspondence courses. Correspondence course PDH may be acceptable, however the registrant should submit supporting documentation to demonstrate high quality education from the course.

(10) Exemptions: A registrant may be exempt from professional development education requirements for one of the following reasons:

(a) New registrants by way of examination or reciprocity shall be exempt for their first renewal period.

(b) A non-career military registrant serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days in a calendar year shall be exempt from obtaining the professional development hours required during that year.

(c) A registrant employed as a Professional Landscape Architect and assigned to duty outside the United States for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days in a calendar year shall be exempt from obtaining the professional development hours required during that year.

(d) Registrants experiencing physical disability, illness or other extenuating circumstances as reviewed and approved by the Board may be exempt. Supporting documentation must be furnished to the Board.

(e) Registrants who list their occupation as "Retired" on the Board approved renewal form and who further certify they are no longer practicing Landscape Architecture shall be exempt from the professional development hours required. In the event such a person elects to return to active practice of Landscape Architecture, professional development hours must be earned for each year exempt not to exceed the annual requirement for two years before the person returns to active practice.

(f) Registrants who have reached the age of 65 prior to the current year of registration.

(11) Reciprocity: Continuing education requirements may be met without completing the Alabama form if a registrant resides in another state which is listed by the Alabama Board as having continuing education requirements essentially equal or more stringent and the registrant certifies that all continuing education and registration requirements for that state have been met.

(12) Forms: All renewal applications will require the completion of a continuing education form specified by the Board outlining PDH credit claimed. The registrant must supply sufficient detail on the form to permit audit verification, must certify and sign the continuing education form, and submit with renewal application and fee.

(13) Records: The responsibility of maintaining records which can be used to support credits claimed is the responsibility of the registrant. Records required include but are not limited to (1) a log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor's or speaker's name and PDH credit earned; (2) attendance verification records in the form of completion certifications, signed attendance receipts, paid receipts, a copy of a listing of attenders signed by a person in responsible charge, or other documents supporting evidence of attendance. These records must be maintained for a period of three years and copies must be furnished to the Board for audit verification purposes if requested.

(14) Disallowance: If the Board disallows claimed PDH credits, the registrant shall have 60 days after notification by certified mail to substantiate the original claim or to earn other credit to meet the minimum requirement. If the disallowed PDH credits are neither substantiated or replaced, the right to practice as a registered landscape architect in the State of Alabama will expire as specified in Section 500-X-2-.15.

(15) Failure to Comply: If a registrant fails to furnish the required continuing education form, properly completed or signed, the right to practice as a Registered Landscape Architect in the State of Alabama will expire on December 31 as specified in Section 500-X-2-.15.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 500-X-2-.14

Original rule published: March 31, 1993; effective; May 1, 1993. New Rule: Filed May 15, 1993; effective June 29, 1993. Amended: Filed February 9, 2009; effective March 16, 2009.

Author: Lawrence L. Bates

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, §34-17.