Frequently Asked Questions (about our Trust-Based Business Model)

Why does your website allow a customer to take a complete course and obtain a certificate of completion, without first making a payment?

We have set up our website to offer the licensee the ability to fully evaluate or try our courses before buying them; in essence having an open access website with no "locking" mechanisms. As we do not have a 5-star rating system, we instead allow customers to decide for themselves whether the course is going to meet their CE needs, and be applicable to their unique job description and area of practice. This approach is confusing at first, but with our system, you do not end up purchasing a course, only to find out after taking the course, it does not apply to your particular needs.

What will happen, if after taking the course, I decide to complete Step 4, and print my certificate of completion, without remitting a payment? 

We have tried to make it obvious, that Steps1 thru 3 may be completed prior to remitting payment; Enrollment, Study Guide Download, Examination. This is allowing the customer to completely take the course and make no payments. However, the Certificate of Completion is what we actually sell to our customers. This is your proof that you have taken a course with us. This is our "tangible product". By completing Step 4, you are obtaining this tangible asset which we rely on to stay in business and continue to offer this service to licensed PEs. Should customers decide to take courses without payment, our only recourse is to temporarily lock access to their user accounts, until a payment is completed. Also, should the customer face a routine CE audit, and the board contacted us to verify that the customer completed their CE with us, we can not provide that validation to non-paying customers. We try to do every thing possible to help paying customers should they face a random CE audit, but without payment, there is no "contract for services rendered" between us and the licensee customer.  

How do I know when my Unlimited Plan has expired?    

My Expiration Date: In the upper right corner, where your name is displayed after login, there is a dropdown menu. In this dropdown menu is "Profile" which is how you view your user account data. We manually insert your date of expiration here towards the bottom.

How do I view the Courses/Certificates which I have enrolled in, and completed?

My Courses List: Also viewable in the Profile section, is your enrolled courses listing. This shows only the courses which you enrolled in, not those completed.
My Certificates: Under Profile, to find the courses which you completed, there is a heading to the right, Miscellaneous. Under this heading is My Certificates. Here you can find all awarded certificates of completion, date it was awarded, and the unique identifier code for that certificate. Also there is a re-downloading button if you need additional copies of all certificates taken under this account.

How do I complete a purchase of an unlimited plan or single PDH credits?

On our homepage is a section in the middle of the page labeled, "Pricing". This will take you to a Stripe payment page where you can use a credit card to complete a plan or credits purchase. Once payment is processed, we will "manually" enter into your user account, the date that this plan will expire. It will expire 24 month from the date of purchase (and on the same day of the year).

Do you accept phone calls, or is email the preferred method of contact?

We try to avoid phone call communications, as this does not allow us time to evaluate the situation before responding. Since the person you will contact is a licensed PE (not a chat service in another country, etc.), we need time to properly respond, and also need the time to get to a computer to resolve the issue. This is why emails are the most effective way for us to function as a business. This also allows us to have a life outside of customer service, as we are not a 9-5 business. We can usually be contacted 7 days a week, and all day long, and try to always respond within an hour or sooner, but we respectfully ask for patience if this can not be achieved. (This is a licensed PE-run, personalized business, and not your typical larger, impersonal corporate entity with chat services.)

How do I get the most out of my unlimited plan?

If timed right, you can actually fulfill 2 renewal cycles worth of PDH, or more! If you pay attention to the date that it expires, you can knock out part or all of your subsequent cycle's CE requirements without needing to make a new purchase. NOTE: some state boards allow for only 8 PDH to be taken in a 24 hour period, so it is advised to not attempt to take them all on the last day. Another possible consideration is that some state boards which have biennial cycles require that some of the CE PDH be taken in the first year, then the remainder in the subsequent year. If your state board does not have this limitation, then you can actually take 4 years worth of CE for the low price of $135. If your state has an annual renewal cycle, you can take this years PDH, the next years requirements, then if time remains, end up taking the following years PDH requirements. 

Also if you state allows carryover credits, you can take those as well. (Ex. the state of NC has a renewal cycle that is annual, with 15 PDH requirements. You can first take the 2 years within the 24 month plan's time period. Then towards the end of the plan, take the next years, along with a full 15 PDH carryover load. That's 4 years worth of CE for one low price of $135.)

Why is my account locked, and I can not use the "password reset" function to regain access?

When customers take their CE and go to Step 4 without making a payment, we will often lock the account temporarily until a payment is remitted. We only do this on those accounts for which no payment was ever completed. The payment MUST be remitted before the certificate is awarded (downloaded) to avoid a locked account. For customers that have a lapsed plan (certificates awarded after the plan expired), we try to always send the customer a friendly reminder first, before locking their account. 

If your account is locked, simply send us an email, and we can unlock it for you once payment is completed.

Since your courses are accessible without payment, does this mean you are offering them as a free trial?

No, we do not offer our content for free, nor offer free (1) PDH courses as promotional items, so that customers may try our content out via a free promotional trial period or course. Instead, we offer the customer unobstructed access to all of our extensive content, including the study guides, and testing. This way, you can see for yourself, if you like what we offer.

How do I receive my certificate of completion?

Once you have completed the quiz with a passing grade of 70%, simply click on the "Print Certificate" button on the course page. Certificates are created in PDF format, so that you may print a copy for your records. (If you require a hard copy to be mailed to you, we will gladly do so free of charge. Please allow up to 2 weeks to process).

What does our online course consist of?

It consists of a PDF formatted Study Guide, a corresponding computer graded quiz, and a PDF formatted automatically generated Certificate of Completion..

Can I save my progress while taking a test and come back later or must a test be completed all at once?

Yes, In order to save your quiz progress, just click on the "Submit without finishing" button at the bottom of the quiz.

If I fail the exam, may I retest without penalty?

Yes, you may take the quizzes over and over until satisfying your 70% passing score.

Am I able to print out the course’s Study Guide, and the final exam?

Yes and No. The Study Guide may be printed for your review and long term reference, however the exams are not downloadable or printable.

Can I receive a full refund for my purchase?

Yes, we fully guarantee complete satisfaction, and credit acceptance. Should you feel that our courses do not meet yours, or your state boards standards, we will completely refund your full purchase.

However, should you receive a full refund, we can no longer verify that the courses were purchased should the credits be submitted to your board(s). NOTE: Many states require a proof or receipt of purchase of CE courses during audit proceedings.

Do you provide hard copies of certificates of completion?

Yes, should you lack the ability to print your certificates of completion, we will print and mail you hard copies. We ask that you complete all of the courses, prior to requesting copies, and allow us up to 2 weeks, for processing and shipping.

How much time do I have to complete a quiz?

"Single Course Credit" Purchases:
For "single PDH credit" purchases (single credits), you have no expiration date on using those credits.

Unlimited PDH Memberships:
You have either one year or 2 years from your purchase to complete all of your course quizzes, depending on the membership you have purchased.

How do I know if my credit card transaction is secure?

Both our website, and our credit card processor, Stripe.com use the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the information you provide when placing your order. (Note: your financial data is made aviable strictly to Stripe, and not Online-PDH). We have zero access to any of our customer's financial info.

The transaction information is encrypted on your computer, sent through the Internet as scrambled code, and decrypted on the credit card processor's secure server. Therefore, your credit card information is totally secure and cannot be read in transit. And as mentioned above, no financial data is ever made available to Online-PDH; only to Stripe.

Do I need to submit a copy of my certificates of completion to the state board?

Usually you do not need to mail your certificates of completion to your board unless you are asked to do so on the renewal form or when you are audited. However, you should keep a copy of the certificate of completion for your personal record. Should your board require notice from our company of completed courses, we will gladly do so, upon request. Just email us at admin@online-pdh.com with your request and appropriate contact info.

How many questions are there in each quiz?

The number of quiz questions corresponds to the NCEES guidelines which states that for the first PDH of each course, 10 questions are required. For each additional PDH, 5 questions should be added. For example, a 4 PDH course would have 20 to 25 questions. (Sometimes we exceed the minimum Question limit, as this is allowed, as there are no maximum limits on questions.)

How do I retrieve my password?

You may retrieve your password by using the “Forgot your Password” link on our home page or on the user login screen. If you run into trouble, simply email us using the "Contact Us" link on the homepage.

Can I access my account from any computer?

Yes. To access your account, all you need to login is the same user ID and password you used previously.

Is one PDH unit the same as one hour of continuing education or contact hour?

Yes, one PDH (Processional Development Hour) is equal to one hour of continuing education or one contact hour. See the table below for typical conversion from other continuing education activities to PDH:

CONVERSION TABLE

• One college semester hour.................................. 45 PDH
• One college quarter hour..................................... 30 PDH
• One continuing education unit (CEU)..................... 10 PDH
• One contact hour of teaching for the first time ........ 2 PDH
• Each published paper, article or book.................... 10 PDH
• Each patent..................................................... 10 PDH

Why is an online course recommended over seminars, conferences, or other forms of courses?

• Convenience - You can study the course materials and complete the quiz at your own pace in the comfort of your own home or office.
• Efficient and Economical - You save a lot of time and money because there are no travel, instructor, facility, and lodging costs. No wasted time off from work to attend distant courses.
• You may study in intervals - You benefit both in convenience and material comprehension because the course does not need to be completed at one seating.
  

What is the passing score for courses quizzes (exams)?

The passing score is 70% for all online-PDH quizzes. This passing score is required, in order to activate the "Print Certificate" function.

How does your continuing education program work?

All of our courses are designed with the clear purpose and objective to maintain and improve the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee's field of practice. Developed and maintained by professional engineers, www.Online-PDH.com is an automated virtual classroom dedicated to the online continuing education for engineers.

All of the online courses offered comply with the model guidelines published by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which are adopted by most state boards of registration for PE continuing professional competency (CPC). Because they are selected based on their educational background and practical experience, our instructors are qualified to teach the subject matter with years of practical experience, and are registered professionals in their field of practice.

How long do we save licensee's certificates and receipts of purchase?

As an approved continuing education provider, we maintain records of all online PDH activities for at least seven (7) years. Our records include the name of the attendee who satisfactorily completed the course, the type of activity, date of the activity, the instructor's name, sponsoring organization, and the PDH credits earned. Copies of these records for audit verification purposes may be requested by sending emails to admin@online-pdh.com. Please note that most state boards require course proofs of purchase during audit proceedings.

How much time do I have to complete the quiz?

There is no time limit while you take the quiz using credit purchase, however the unlimited plans require that you complete the quiz phase within the 12 month or 24 month periods.

If you can't finish a quiz in one session, you may save the partially completed quiz for use next time, as our server will save your partially completed quiz. 

What is the definition of a PDH?

A Professional Development Hour (PDH) is defined as one contact hour of instruction, presentation or study. The term PDH is commonly used in the engineering community. PDH credit cannot exceed the actual contact clock hours. PDH credit is rounded off to the nearest half hour. No activity under a half hour is accepted for credit. For example, a qualifying activity of 30 to 49 minutes would be reported as 0.5 PDH and an activity of 50 to 70 minutes would be reported as 1.0 PDH.

What is the software needed to view the online course Study Guides?

Adobe Acrobat Reader: Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later is required because most of our course materials are provided in PDF format.

What are the PDH or (CPC) requirements per state?

Typically, each licensee is required to obtain a total of 15 (30 if biennial) PDH units during a renewal period year. In Louisiana and Texas, 1 PDH unit must be earned in Engineering Ethics during the renewal period. Mississippi requires 2 PDH units of Ethics training during three renewal periods. In the state of Florida, each licensee must obtain 8 PDH units during each license renewal biennium; four (4) hours must relate to the licensee’s area(s) of practice and 4 hours must relate to the Board’s Laws and Rules (Florida Statute Chapter 471 and Florida Administrative Code Chapter 61G15). For more information regarding specific PDH or CPC requirements in your state, please visit our webpage State PDH Requirements or visit your board website.

Do you report PDH credits to all state boards of registration?

No. However, we will be glad to provide any information you or your board deem necessary to your state board, upon request.

Do you share my contact info with other 3rd parties?

We absolutely do not release your name, address, or email address to anyone, period. Furthermore, all credit card information is exchanged through the security of the Paypal website, thus we have absolutely no access to your private financial data.

Which states have mandatory Continuing Professional Competency requirements?

Currently, forty-one states require evidence of Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) or Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) as a condition for renewal of the individual's professional license. Most other states are expected to follow suit in the near future. Our website contains a summary of CPC status for each state.

To learn more about the CPC requirements of each state, you may visit our website page (State PDH Requirements), or go to the website of a particular state board of registration for professional engineers.