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UNIVERSITY POLICY
SUBJECT: ACADEMIC AFFAIRS TITLE: CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CODING: 00-01-20-30:00 ADOPTED: 07/01/87 AMENDED: 05/31/94

I.        PURPOSE

To set Policy regarding Continuing Education Programs.
II.       ACCOUNTABILITY
Under the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education shall ensure compliance with and shall implement this policy.
III.     REFERENCES
Facility Use: External Organizations  00-01-10-70:00

Facility Use: UMDNJ Organizations  00-01-10-70:05

Use of University Name and Symbol  00-01-10-95:00

Legal Commitment Authority  00-01-90-05:00

Contract Management  00-01-90-40:00

IV.     DEFINITIONS
Continuing Education at UMDNJ, regardless of funding source, is defined as an educational course, program, self-instructional module, class, mini-residency or tutorial (each, hereafter, referred to as "activity") developed for pharmaceutical or industrial representatives, custom designed individual or group mini residencies, traineeships or tutorials, board review activities directed toward non-UMDNJ students, and all conferences, institutes and seminars held on or off the campuses within or outside New Jersey which:

A

   Or B
V.      OVERVIEW
It is included in the mission of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to provide quality continuing education for health care professionals world wide, with emphasis on those providing health care to the constituents of the State of New Jersey.

The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions is the administrative unit identified to serve as the focal point for the University's continuing education thrust. The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions is responsible for the provision of quality continuing education for local, national and international health professionals, with special priority placed on those professionals whose work impacts on the health of New Jersey's citizens (physicians, dentists, nurses, emergency medical service personnel, social workers, planners, health administrators, etc.)

Continuing Education can take many forms, from conferences and institutes to multimedia (television, printed, tape recorded, etc.) programs whose academic content is appropriate to the means of transmission.

Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (CCE) staff members will (and for programs designated as carrying certain categories of credit, must) serve as facilitators of the interaction between planning committee, academic program designers and constituent learners. CCE staff members also provide expertise in complete program implementation.

VI.     POLICY
A.    Requirements:

        1.    General Policy

               a.    The individual schools and other components of the University bear a direct responsibility for
                      providing continuing education to practitioners of their own professions. The need to develop
                      interdisciplinary continuing education programs and the need to conserve efforts and resources,
                      however, requires a centralized administrative unit to support, coordinate and enhance the
                      individual efforts of the several schools and the other educational components of the University.

              b.    While it is expected that initiative, interest and leadership will be forthcoming and demonstrated
                      by the faculty and staff members of the University, the totality of these efforts must provide a
                      comprehensive program that has continuity and potential for achieving common goals and
                      overall effectiveness. In addition, determination of needs and overall program planning must be
                      such that evaluation of the University's total effort with regard to continuing education can be
                      measured.

              c.    These needs define the purpose of the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions
                     as a University-wide administrative unit designated to serve as the focal point and overseer of
                     the University's continuing education thrust and to provide, when appropriate, the administrative
                     services necessary to support the University's continuing education efforts. This centralization of
                     administrative responsibility is intended to prevent needless duplication and possible program
                     conflict within and outside of the University and to meet the standards of various accrediting
                     agencies.

            d.    The academic components of the continuing education activities are the specific responsibility of
                   the Deans, faculties and staff members of the particular professional
                   schools/agencies/organizations involved, while the administrative components of these activities
                   (program management, publicity, scheduling arrangements, accounting procedures, budget
                   administration and other matters pertaining to the operation of the specific activities, facilities and
                   resources available to it) are the specific responsibility of the Center for Continuing Education in
                   the Health Professions.

        2.    Program Objectives

               The ultimate objective of the continuing education program of the University is to contribute toward
               the improvement of health care through the continual education of physicians, professionals in the
               health associated sciences, and the public. Specific objectives are to make available to practicing
               health professional opportunities to be involved in educational experiences that satisfy their
               perceived needs and to help them to recognize other needs by gaining them access to information
               about changes taking place in their fields.

              Specific objectives of the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions include:

              a.    To suggest programs utilizing adult educational concepts that will lead health associated
                     professionals to a study of what they do, to identify their own educational deficits, and to
                     establish realistic priorities for their own educational programs.

              b.     To coordinate all of the University's continuing education efforts.

              c.    To maintain comprehensive financial records of all the University's continuing education activities.

              d.    To maintain adequate records of the participation of individual health associated professionals in
                     the various University's continuing education activities.

              e.    To be administratively responsible for awarding various continuing education credit and
                     continuing education certificates.

              f.    To arrange for appropriate educational facilities, educational materials and all necessary
                     instructional aids and equipment consistent with the educational content, format and objectives
                     for each continuing education activity.

              g.    To coordinate and implement the logistical requirements of the University's continuing education
                     activities.

              h.    To promote the development of proposals for potential funding by governmental agencies,
                     foundations, or intramural sources which would provide maximum benefits for the state's
                    citizens.

       3.    Options for Program Adminstration and Logistical Implementation

              Continuing Education activities throughout UMDNJ must be coordinated through the
              UMDNJ-Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions. There are, however, several
              options available for the administration and implementation of specific continuing education activities.

              a.     The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions staff can handle all aspects of the
                       implementation and administration of specific continuing education offerings. Please contact the
                       Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions for current operational policies.

               b.    University faculty and staff from the sponsoring unit may handle most (but not all) of the
                       logistical implementation and administration of the activities they sponsor. Please contact the
                       Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions for current operational policies.

                c.    For-profit organizations outside the University can be retained to handle most of the logistical
                       implementation and administration of specific continuing activities.

                      The Associate Vice President for Continuing Education will develop and maintain a list of
                      acceptable organizations, whose primary function is meeting planning, from which to choose.
                      Additionally, the sponsoring unit may make recommendations for additions to the list of
                      accepted organizations.

  In all cases, the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education must be
  involved in all discussions with the outside organization and the negotiated
  contract must be signed and/or co-signed by the Associate Vice President for
  Continuing Education and must be in compliance with UMDNJ purchasing and
  contractual policies and procedures.
      d.    A specific component of the University that espouses continuing education as a primary
             objective (i.e., EOHSI, Community Mental Health Center, etc.) and who will develop,
              implement and evaluate a significant number of continuing education offerings, may be
             designated by the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education as a "sub-unit" of
             the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, and will be empowered
             through a Statement of Understanding, developed with the guidance of the University
             Wide Advisory Committee on Continuing Education, to implement their continuing
              education activities with little involvement from the Center for Continuing Education in
              the Health Professions staff.

    e.    There are numerous permutations of combinations of types of continuing education
           activities. The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions maintains current
           operational policies regarding jointly sponsored activities with total industry support,
           activities run in cooperation with non-profit organizations, mini residencies, focused
           medical education, programs with no credit offering, etc. Prior to the formal planning
           stage of any activity, the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education should be
           contacted and will provide you with all appropriate operational policies.

       4.     Role of the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions

               a.    Specific Service offered:

                      i.    Assistance in the identification of learning needs via surveys, patient-care data, review of
                            pertinent literature, review of evaluation data from previous continuing education activities,
                            etc.

                      ii.    Arrangement and aid in selection of appropriate planning committees to review identified
                             learning needs and to determine potential of specific learning activities.

                      iii.    Along with planning committees, establishment of specific learning goals and educational
                             objectives; selection of alternative instructional modalities to accomplish stated objectives;
                              identification of appropriate target audiences and ways to reach them; identification of
                              potential co-sponsors.

                      iv.    Assistance with the identification and recruitment of appropriate learning facilities, learning
                              materials and resource persons; assistance in the selection of appropriate dates, locations,
                              times and the establishment of an overall schedule of activities.

                       v.    Development of a promotional system which would include as appropriate, design and
                              maintenance of promotional materials; selection of local and regional mailing lists; contact
                              with journals and other publications.

                       vi.    Securance of appropriate approval from local and national accrediting agencies for
                               the proposed activity; maintenance of credit records.

                       vii.    Assistance with solicitation and securance of funding from various sources to support the
                                proposed activities.

                        viii.  Assistance in the development of an evaluation mechanism for the activities.

                        ix.    Development of tentative course budgets, recommendation of alternative registration \
                                fees.

                        x.    Arrangement of all food service activities, audio-visual equipment, and hotel/motel
                               accommodations for faculty and participants.

                        xi.    Provision of assistance to teaching faculty in the preparation of handout materials, slides
                               or other audio-visuals.

                        xii.    Preparation of materials for registrants, like name tags, packets, handout materials, and
                                 certificates of attendance; individual confirmation of registrations.

                        xiii.    Administration of pre-registration and on site registration including the depositing and
                                 accounting of funds.

                        xiv.    Response to requests for add-on activities associated with various programs; special
                                 dinner arrangements or social functions; arrangements for meeting at resort areas.

                        xv.    Provision of all services associated with program follow-up: collection of unpaid fees;
                                 preparation of all required honoraria and expense documents; thank you letters to
                                 course faculty; preparation and distribution of program summaries, if required; handling
                                 and summarization of course evaluations; preparation of overall financial summary of the
                                 activity.

                b.     In addition to providing the specific services outlined, the Center for Continuing Education
                        in the Health Professions can act in an advisory capacity to guide and assist various health
                        associated groups in the most efficient and productive means of establishing and maintaining a
                        continuing education activitiy through their own sponsorship, or can work with them in a joint
                        sponsorship of co-sponsorship arrangement.

        5.    Faculty/Staff/Students participation in Continuing Education Programs.

               Full-time, salaried, faculty staff members and registered students of the University are allowed to
               participate in continuing education programs sponsored by the University, on a space available
               basis, without paying the registration/tuition fee. There is, however, a charge for out-of-pocket
               expenses incurred by participation in these programs (called variable expenses). These specific
               expenses vary from one program to another and can be determined for a specific program by calling
               the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions.

        6.    Approval of Individual or Independent Continuing Education Programs

                a.    Unless approved in advance by the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education,
                       individual or independent efforts to provide continuing education are not acceptable for
                       sponsorship by the University nor are they allowed to use the University name.

                b.    The use of the University's name in conjunction with any continuing education activity implies
                       that the University is a sponsor or co-sponsor of that activity; therefore:

                        i.    The activity must be formally approved for sponsorship/ co-sponsorship by the continuing
                              education committee of the appropriate school or organizational unit of the University, in
                              advance of the proposed continuing education activity. To begin this approval process,
                              please contact the Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, Newark
                              (973-972-4267), New Brunswick (732-235-7430) or Stratford (609-566-6733).

                       ii.    The proposed continuing education activity will be reviewed to determine the
                              appropriateness of the activity and its content for the University to be a
                              sponsor/co-sponsor.

                       iii.    All brochures, news releases, and other publicity concerning UMDNJ
                              sponsored/co-sponsored continuing education activities must be approved, prior to
                              printing and distribution, by the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education or
                             designee.

         7.    Income (Registration Fees, Industrial Support, Federal, State & Foundation Grants & Contracts,
                etc.)

                All income received to support specific University sponsored/co-sponsored continuing education
                activities must be deposited in the appropriate account within the Center for Continuing Education
                in the Health Professions. Residuals obtained on programs must remain within the appropriate
                account untill used. Residual funds can be used by the department/agency that generated them for
                travel, books, association dues and other continuing education activities.

         8.    Faculty Honoraria

                Reasonable honoraria can be paid to individual UMDNJ faculty and staff for their participation in
                continuing education programming offered through the Center for Continuing Education in the
                Health Professions, with prior written approval of the Associate Vice President, Continuing
                Education. Current honoraria and travel guidelines are available through the Center for Continuing
                Education in the Health Professions.

         9.    Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Fiscal Policies

                The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, while a service agency within the
                University, does not have funds to support individual continuing education programs, nor does it
                have sufficient funds to fully support the specific services it provides as outlined in section 4.a. It
                must, therefore, generate funds for these purposes. Specific fiscal arrangements must be made in
                each academic, health care or administrative unit for the support of the programs it develops.

        10.    Issuance of Continuing Education Credit

                The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions is the University-wide administrative
                unit responsible for maintenance of permanent continuing education attendance and credit records
                and for the issuance of the various types of continuing education credit documents which are
                institutionally granted (AMA/ ACCME Category 1 or 2 credit; AOA credit; AGD credit; ADA
                credit; ANA/NJSNA credit; Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and for issuance of continuing
                education certificates of attendance or program completion. The Center for Continuing Education in
                the Health Professions is responsible for satisfying the requirements of accreditation agencies who
                award continuing education credit on a program by program basis. Continuing education credit for
                University sponsored activities of any kind cannot be issued without the specific involvement of the
                Center for Continuing Education in the Health Professions.

        11.    Comprehensive operational policies, procedures and the necessary forms for submission to the
                 various advisory committees are available through the Center for Continuing Education in the
                 Health Professions. Contact the Associate Vice President, Continuing Education, at
                 (973-972-6296).

(Ratified by the University Wide Advisory Committee on Continuing Education (UWACCE) on 2/19/93)
 

By Direction of the President:

___________________________________
Vice President for Academic Affairs 

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