The Continuing Education Unit (CEU)

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is an internationally recognized unit of measure used to quantify continuing education activities. The CEU and its record system (NCIDQ) help individuals to gain recognition for their efforts to keep up-to-date and improve their capabilities by taking part in non-degree continuing education and training activities. The CEU is a measure of the amount of organized study a person has completed. One CEU is defined as "10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction."

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) www.ncidq.org serves as the registrar for all IDCEC approved courses and will issue a transcript of a record at the request of the participant. The system created between NCIDQ and IDCEC ensures a centralized registration of all approved courses, and an efficient method to log and track continuing education course credit accumulated through professional development activities.

The IDCEC course approval system, coupled with the NCIDQ course tracking process, assures interior design associations and professionals that instructors are qualified to lead courses, course content is relevant, teaching methodologies are appropriate, and CEU credit is accurately assigned to qualifying participants.

For the individual participant in organized continuing education or training activities (such as courses, workshops, seminars or supervised independent study), the CEU:

• Gives the satisfaction of building a documented record of personal education achievements.
• Provides a means of showing supervisors, personnel officers and others an official summary of activities completed as part of one's preparation for wider responsibilities and higher level positions;
• Offers a means of giving formal conformation of completion of continuing education activities to certification or registration bodies, licensing boards and professional societies; and,
• Encourages the individual to marshal a wide range of resources to move toward long range personal goals through continuing education.

Within organizations or institutions, the CEU provides a standard measure that now has reciprocity among all members of IDCEC.

Nationally, the CEU offers a standard measure for gathering from all institutions or organizations statistical information that may be useful for public policy determination and legislation relating to continuing education and training.

IDC encourages each designer to develop their own self-directed course of study or concentration area, which will result in fulfilling CEU and personal learning goals.

Each designer should review their strengths, weaknesses and areas of interest to create a knowledge base to build on. For example, a senior level designer aspiring to management might seek out CEU courses on financial reports or marketing skills. An intermediate designer may take advantage of more technical programs related to building codes, lighting or computer skills.

A designer's CEU course choices should be guided by the knowledge needed to develop a designer's career track or area of specialty.

Each provincial organization endeavors to provide its members with at least one continuing education course each year. The IDC CEU Manual lists pre-approved course offerings. To find out about other IDCEC CEU pre-approved course offerings, contact your provincial Continuing Education Representative.

IDC's goal is to promote the career long learning process of the practitioners in our provincial associations, and effectively respond to their needs and interests. Let your provincial representative know of your specific course interests. Your help with organizing programs is also always appreciated.

What is Required?

IDC encourages practitioners to achieve at least 0.5 CEUs per year, which represents five (5) hours of contact instruction. Check with your provincial association for the CEU requirements to maintain your membership standing.

Does it have to be an IDC Sponsored Course?

No. IDC has reciprocity with all of the members of the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) for continuing education. In addition, many other sources exist for obtaining CEU credits, including college and university evening courses, for profit seminars, professional workshops, home study internet courses, video-workbooks, etc.

Criteria for Evaluating Your Non-IDCEC Sponsored Courses:

IDCEC members have developed criteria to be used in the development and evaluation of courses for credit. The same criteria are used for evaluation non-IDCEC approved courses taken by individuals. Generally, the criteria are:

1. Courses must be directed to the practice of interior design, such as an in-depth study of one subject or closely allied subjects;
2. Course content must focus on specific applications and/or knowledge directly related to the IDCEC Subject Code Index (see your provincial Continuing Education Representative);
3. Subject matter must be generic in nature; product oriented material and promotion of products, services, books, video or audio tapes are not permitted;
4. Travel/study tours and field trips may be awarded CEUs; credit units will be based on actual lecture time, one contact hour of instruction is required for each two experiential hours.

Course length must be appropriate to the subject matter. Although a minimum of one hour may be submitted, a full day (5-8 hours) is recommended.

How does the Record Keeping Process Work?

CEU Credit can be obtained in two ways.

1. If you attend an IDCEC member sponsored CEU course, you will be asked at its conclusion t0 do the following:

   a) fill out both an NCIDQ Participant form and an Evaluation Form; and
   b) Submit a registration fee.

   This will enable the course provider to submit the necessary materials for the registration of the CEUs. Next you will receive a confirmation transcript from NCIDQ acknowledging your course credit. Maintain this form in your files for reference as it is your only record of having completed the course and in some jurisdictions proof of participation in CEUs may be required. Please note the transcript is cumulative and should continue to show previous course records as you add new ones to it.

2. You may take an outside course (one not pre-approved by an IDCEC member); however, you must request course approval from the joint IDCEC committee through IDC as follows:

   a) assemble course information, including course outline, contact hours (not including breaks), institution or provider, instructor profile (if available) any other pertinent information about the course and your transcript of proof of participation;
   b) prepare a cover letter explaining why this is appropriate for you as an interior design professional;
   c) contact your provincial Continuing Education Representative to complete the approval forms and pay the registration fee; and,
   d) You will receive your Continuing Education transcript directly from NCIDQ.

Please note it is NOT sufficient to send in course descriptions from various programs, even if they may list CEU credit. There are several different CEU systems for other professions. You must apply for individual approval for any course not pre-approved by the IDCEC member groups.

What is the NCIDQ Registry?

The NCIDQ registry is the database used to maintain your total CEU file based on a number (usually a portion of your Social Insurance Number) and your name. Designers are required pay an annual fee to NCIDQ in order to have their records maintained by the registry. If you chouse not to use your SIN, the registry office will issue an ID number. Be sure to use the same ID number each time you take a course or the registry will keep issuing new numbers, making it difficult to track all of the CEUs taken and credited.

Who is Responsible for Keeping Track of My CEUs?

Ultimately, you are responsible for assembling and keeping record of all your CEUs. Retain all your course credits and transcripts.

Activities that DO NOT Meet CEU Criteria

• Exam preparation such as STEP, NCIDQ preparation courses or other pre-professional courses are not eligible.


• Attendance at expositions, conferences, conventions, meetings, trade shows, committee meetings, product seminars, cultural performances, entertainment or recreational activities are not eligible.


• Tours without specific lecture time by qualified lecturers are not eligible.


• Courses designed for undergraduate and graduate studies are not eligible.


• Courses for which CEUs or credits are granted from other organizations cannot also receive CEUs from IDC, unless one applies for Individual Credit (see Record Keeping).


• Independent writings such as articles or research reports, presentations of papers outside a planned, directly supervised continuing education experience that fulfils CEU criteria are not eligible.


• Programs delivered through the media (e.g., television , radio, newspaper) do not qualify for CEUs, unless these presentations are an integral part of a planned continuing education experience that qualifies under CEU criteria.


• Individual, self directed study or other form of independent learning experience not planned, directed, and supervised by a sponsor or provider that meets all CEU criteria.


• On the job training and other work experiences do not qualify for CEUs unless the experience is structured as part of a planned and supervised continuing education experience that fulfills both administrative and program CEU criteria.


• CEUs are not to be awarded based on an evaluation of prior life or work experience.

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