Prolaera was designed to allow you to easily create self-study courses that comply with NASBA CPE requirements by using simple tools such as PowerPoint. This guide will walk you through the key components of the self-study course builder so you can expand your on-demand course library.
For all NASBA registered sponsors that have been approved to offer QAS Self-Study CPE, please visit the course development guidelines here for more details.
Enter Course Information
1. From the left navigation pane, click the Author drop-down menu then Course Editor. In the upper right corner, click the green Add Course button, give your course a name, and click Add.
2. Complete all required information, which is based on the NASBA Standards for required components of CPE programs. This information may be edited at any time before the course is submitted for review.
- Course name > Naming your course will help you identify and select it off the course list.
- Course ID > The ID is a system-generated number that is unique to a course and is helpful in identifying the course in Prolaera's database if needed.
- Course Author > The system will automatically display the name of the admin or author logged in when filling out the form, but if you are an admin creating a course on behalf of an identified instructor, enter the name of the instructor.
- Evaluation Template > Select the appropriate evaluation template for the course, which could be unique to certain course types. If you haven't had a chance to create one yourself, you're welcome to use the NASBA - Self-Study hardcoded evaluation based on NASBA best practices. To learn how to create an evaluation template in Prolaera please click here.
- Sponsor > Your Sponsor Profile will be used to generate Certificates of Completion for this course. Choose a Sponsor from the drop-down menu to apply to this course. If you haven't created a Sponsor template yet, navigate to Admin > Sponsor Manager and follow these quick steps.
- Delivery Method > Please select "Self-Study" for a self-paced course with no attendance monitoring. Please note: The QAS Self-Study delivery method can only be used if your firm is registered with NASBA. More info can be found here.
- Course Level > Chose one of the following levels from the drop-down menu: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced or Update.
- Target Audience > List the group(s) your course has been created for, such as "Audit Department", "Management", "All CPAs", etc.
- Prerequisites > Courses that are classified as Intermediate, Advanced, or Update inherently build upon a prerequisite experience or education. These conditions could be expressed in the number of years working in a particular area, the completion of earlier courses, or an employment position/title. See example below:
Course Level: Intermediate, Prerequisites: Attendees should have 3-5 years prior industry experience and thorough knowledge of financial accounting principles and practices.
- Objectives > Learning objectives should clearly articulate the measurable knowledge, skills, and abilities that can be achieved by participants who complete the learning activities/program. The learning objectives should use action words to describe the “take-aways” for the participant, or what they will be able to do differently upon completion. See example below:
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Differentiate between the three basic levels in an organization
- List the six types of strategic plans
- Associate each strategic plan with the appropriate organization level
- Define the four steps in the organization strategic planning process
- Advance Preparation > You may explain any pre-work that must be done prior to taking the program.
- Course Summary > Write a short statement which informs your audience about the subject matter, approach, and applicability of the course.
- Custom Fields > Include any relevant fields to help categorize, filter, or tag your course. Learn more about Custom Fields here.
- Instructor(s) > Enter the name and email of the person who will be instructing this self-paced course.
- Credit Information > Enter the number of CPE hours your attendees will earn after completing your course along with the subject and any special topic these hours may apply to. You may enter as many types of credits as needed by clicking the "Add" button as shown below:
3. Upload any available handouts or other document(s) relevant to the course.
Add Course Modules
The key concept with course modules is to break the content into digestible sections containing one video file and one knowledge check quiz. As a result, you'll need one module for each of the required number of check quizzes for the length of the course.
For example, if you have a 1 credit-hour course, you're required to have three quizzes. Since each module has one quiz associated with it, you'll need three modules. For a 10-minute nano-learning course, only one quiz is required so only one module is needed.
Please visit the NASBA's Statement on Standards for CPE Programs section S9-02
for more information.
Follow these quick steps to create module(s) and submit the course for review:
1. Give the module a title and high level description such as content of the video, how the content will be delivered and the duration time.
2. In the Module Video/PDF section, click Browse to find your saved PowerPoint video or PDF and then Upload.
TIP: To save your PowerPoint as a video, follow these steps:
- Click File to show options.
- Scroll down and select Export and navigate to Create a Video.
- Select your video settings preference (video quality and size, timings, and narration)
- Click on Create Video.
- Choose a filename, saving location, and video type (.mp4).
3. Enter the Module's quiz question.
4. Enter the correct answer below. Please note: the quizzes are not required to be answered correctly, but they are required to provide "evaluative feedback" which reinforces the answers. For instance, if the learner answers a question wrong, they'll be prompted with an explanation of why their response was incorrect (or reinforce why they answered correctly).
5. The last required element is a graded Final Quiz which must be passed with a grade of 70% or higher to earn CPE credit. The primary difference with the final quiz is that there is no evaluative feedback and they must instead attempt the quiz until a passing grade is received.
- Much like the check quizzes, the final quiz has a specified number depending upon the length of the course. For a nano-learning course, you'll need two final quiz questions, five for a 1 credit-hour course, and an additional three for a 1.5 credit-hour course (for 8 total).
- At least 5 questions and scored responses per CPE credit must be included on the qualified assessment or 3 assessment questions and scored responses if the program is marketed for one-half CPE credits. Click here for more info.
Submit Course For Review
When your course information has been completed, select a reviewer, click the “Submit for Review” tab, to send your course for review. Once the course has been submitted, it can be reviewed by the designated admin and/or a technical reviewer before it is made active. Before the course will be visible, it must be activated by an administrator on the “Admin > Course Manager” page.
Please note: Once a course has been submitted for review by an author it is not editable until after the reviewing admin reviews the course. The designated admin will be notified that the course is ready to be reviewed. The admin will review the course and do one of two things:
- Approve the Course and make it available on the marketplace. Then you are done!
- Send it back with notes of changes they would like you to make. Once you do, repeat the above steps.
When activated, the course will be visible under "Courses" > "Self-Study" for your firm members to register, and can also be assigned. Learn how to assign a course here.
Learn how to add an expiration date to Courses to keep your learning library up-to-date.
Video steps:
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