A continuing education (CE) course, seeking Tier 1 CE approval, must also meet the Academy course approval requirements and guidelines.
Who Needs Tier 1 CE Hours?
As stated by the American Board of Audiology:
Tier 1 continuing education (CE) hours apply only to participants who are certified by the American Board of Audiology. ABA requires its ABA Certified credential holders to earn five Tier 1 CE hours annually and its PASC and CISC credential holders to earn fifteen Tier 1 CE hours every three years.
Tier 1 CE Hours Must Meet the Following Requirements
Tier 1 CE hours are interactive, continuing education activities that are:
- A minimum duration of one (1) hour (smaller sessions may NOT be combined to meet the 1-hour requirement.) [i.e., 2- 30 minute, 4- 15 minute]
- Focused on one subject-area or various aspects of one subject.
- The instructional level of content presented must be intermediate or advanced.
- Intermediate: Developed for attendees seeking review of fundamentals with emphasis placed on new knowledge in application, skills, and/or procedures. Reviews of current literature and practices for those with working knowledge and experience in the content area.
- Advanced: Developed for attendees seeking in-depth discourse of a practice area or topic. Emphasis placed on application and review of current techniques, research findings, and future directions. Attendees with substantial experience in the content area will update and expand their current domain knowledge.
- Include interactivity. Examples of interactivity may include, but are not limited to, audience polling (hand raising/Poll Everywhere), demonstration or explanation of technique throughout the program, online programmable instructional activities, or a Tier 1 assessment. A “question and answer” period following the presentation does not qualify as interactivity. See examples below.
Note – Industry courses may be considered for Tier 1 CEUs when the course has substantive intermediate or advanced information with minimal product specificity and predominantly addresses diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and normal/abnormal diagnostic findings. Manufacturer “How To” Instructional Courses do not qualify for Tier 1 designation.
Tier 1 Fee
Tier 1 Fee: $150. Any course applying for Tier 1 approval must pay this fee, in addition to other required fees.
Submitting Tier 1 CEUs to the Academy
- Participants must indicate to the CE Provider that they are ABA certified and are seeking Tier 1 credits by providing their Academy ID.
- The CE Provider must submit a participant list within 30 days following the offering via the Program Report Form indicating Tier 1 CEUs earned.
Definition of an Interactive Activity
Interactive CE activities are focused and active, rather than passive, in which the delivery of the material incorporates learning assessment(s) in real-time. The presenter can immediately evaluate a learner’s knowledge of the material being presented throughout the presentation by polling participants, or in a hands-on, clinical learning format where participants are assessed through demonstration of an activity. The presenter’s role in an interactive activity is to: teach, review, assess and repeat that throughout the presentation.
Program Formats Eligible for Tier 1 Designation
- Live presentations with interactive activity, either in person or online
- Online recordings of live, in person presentations with interactive activity (the learner still participates and benefits from the exchange of the interactive information)
- Online, on-demand presentations with an interactive activity
Examples of Tier 1 Interactive Activities
- Polling:
- Teach, Review, Assess by including a minimum of two to three polling questions per presentation.
- Questions must be given throughout the lecture, not at the end of the lecture.
- When polling participants, read each poll question and the answer choices aloud.
- Follow up each polling question with the correct answer, discuss and/or answer any further questions.
- Clinical/Hands-On:
- Teach, Review, Assess by offering participants an opportunity to demonstrate and review throughout the presentation and should include demonstration/practice activities for the participants: 1) perform, 2) demonstrate, or 3) explain.
- Examples:
- A participant demonstrates or practices the activity just learned from another participant (if appropriate) and explains how to perform the task.
- A participant demonstrates or explains a particular technique to the presenter by working with another participant (if appropriate), utilizing the technology and techniques that were taught.
- Assessment:
- Teach, Review, Assess by including appropriate content related questions for a traditional graded assessment or a self-assessment/knowledge check.
Required Format of Polling Questions and Assessments
- Questions must be given in a multiple-choice format, with no more than four (4) answer options.
- “All of the Above” or “None of the Above” are not permissible answers.
- True or False is not a permissible question type.
Note – If any of the above requirements are not completed, the Academy has the right to rescind Tier 1 approval.
