CE Provider Standards and Requirements
Providers are required to adhere to certain minimum standards in order to be approved for social work CEs in Alaska. Learn more about these standards below to ensure compliance before you submit your application.
Course Standards
CE Eligibility
There are two types of content that are eligible for social work CE credits: synchronous instructional trainings and asynchronous self-guided instructional content. Both types are discussed in more detail below. General meetings, supervision, and other similar events are NOT eligible for CE credit approval.
Synchronous Instructional Trainings
Content led by one or more presenters who are experts at the topics being discussed. This can include in-person seminars, live webinar presentations, on-demand course modules, etc. Attendance for the duration of the training is required in order for attendees to earn CEs for instructional trainings.
Asynchronous Self-Guided Instructional Content
On-demand content such as readings, videos, etc. can also be eligible for social work CEs. You are required to submit a detailed explanation of how you came to the conclusion that the content is equivalent to the number of CEs you are requesting. Your explanation must include names of the publications you are using in your application, length of videos in minutes, estimated time to complete a relevant reading (10,000 words per 1 hour), etc.
Additionally, graded post-tests are required in lieu of traditional attendance in order for attendees to earn CEs for asynchronous content. Your post-test should include approximately 5 multiple choice questions per 0.5 CEs of content with no more than 50% of questions being in true/false format. Attendees must get 70% of questions on the post-test correct in order to receive CEs for the content. Click here to review an example of a graded post-test.
Relevance to Social Work
To be eligible for social work CE approval, a course MUST be relevant to the practice of social work. To ensure this, it is recommended that an Alaska-licensed social worker be apart of the development of your event. That said, this is not required unless you are seeking a “Professional Ethics” CE designation. If you are seeking a Professional Ethics designation, an Alaska-licensed social worker is required to be apart of the development of your event.
Social Work Principles and Methods
To be eligible for social work CE approval in Alaska, a course MUST adhere to at least one of the following social work principles and methods as defined by the State of Alaska:
- Counseling of a nonmedical nature to assist in the treatment of mental and emotional conditions
- Providing information and referral services
- Providing or arranging for the provision of social services
- Explaining and interpreting the psychosocial aspects in the situations of individuals, families, or groups
- Helping communities to organize, provide, or improve social and health services
- Doing research related to social work
Instruction Hours
Courses must be at least 25 minutes (0.5 CE hours) in length order to be eligible for CE approval. Each additional 25 minutes of uninterrupted instruction are eligible for an additional 0.5 CE credit hours if you believe that it is acceptable per the learning requirements. As a note: Alaska does NOT accept quarter CE credits.
Presenter Credentials
To be eligible for social work CE approval in Alaska, the primary course presenter's credentials MUST be relevant to the course presentation. To meet this requirement, the primary course presenter's credentials MUST include at least one of the following as it relates to the course's topic area(s):
- Education, publication, or practice experience in the subject area
- Social work planning or consultation in the subject area
Bibliographic References
As apart of the CE approval application, you will be required to list at least 3 unique bibliographic references in order for your application to be considered. Below are additional requirements of the bibliographic references applicants must submit:
- Bibliographic references must be listed in APA style
- Acceptable sources for bibliographic references include scholarly works such as peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, and encyclopedias
- Unacceptable sources for bibliographic references include non-academic works such as websites, entertainment magazines, and blogs
- At least 2 references must have been published within the last 5 years
- Websites may be listed as an optional 4th bibliographic reference only if it is a direct link to the topic being presented
Click here to review bibliographic citation examples.
Documentation Requirements
CE Certificates
By hosting a CE event, you MUST agree to do the following:
- Maintain a roster of course participants that actually attended the event
- Verify all attendee CE hours before issuing CE certificates
- Issue certificates of attendance showing CEs earned within 30 days after the conclusion of the event
Information to Include on CE Certificates
Click here to review an example CE certificate. The CE certificates you issue to participants MUST have all of the following information:
- Participant's full name
- Your organization's name and/or logo
- Event title*
- Event date(s)**
- Event location (if applicable)
- Primary instructor name
- NASW-AK CE approval language detailing the following CE award information:
- Number of CEs awarded
- CE designation(s)
- Whether the awarded CEs are synchronous (live), asynchronous (on-demand), or a mix of both
- NASW-AK CE course approval number
*For events with multiple sessions (e.g. conferences), also list the specific session names and accompanying CE details the participant attended
**For on-demand courses without specific dates, list the date(s) the participant completed the training
Record Retention
Guidelines require continuing education providers in Alaska to maintain the following information for at least three years:
- Name of the organization operating the CE event
- Name(s) and resume(s)/CV(s) of the listed event's social work consultant (if applicable)
- Course title, date(s), location(s) and CE hours awarded
- Record of the continuing education hours awarded to each attendee
- Course agenda and learning objectives
- Course instructor qualifications
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requests and services provided
- Grievances and resolutions
- Course evaluations