Continuing
Professional learning extends beyond initial education or training and can continue as knowledge, technology, responsibilities, and professional practices develop.
CPE stands for Continuing Professional Education—structured learning designed to help professionals maintain, develop, or expand knowledge, skills, competence, and capability throughout their professional development.
CPE can be delivered through different educational formats and supported by defined learning objectives, appropriate educational content, qualified educators, participation requirements, assessment where applicable, and reliable educational records.
CPE provides a structured educational environment through which professionals can continue developing knowledge and capabilities relevant to their work, responsibilities, field, or professional development goals.
Professional learning extends beyond initial education or training and can continue as knowledge, technology, responsibilities, and professional practices develop.
The educational activity addresses knowledge, skills, capabilities, or areas of practice relevant to a profession, occupation, role, or professional context.
The activity uses structured learning objectives, content, instruction, resources, participation, and applicable assessment or evaluation practices.
A well-structured CPE activity connects an identified professional learning need with educational objectives, content, delivery, participation, and documentation.
Define the professional knowledge, skill, capability, practice area, or development need that the educational activity is intended to address.
Establish what participants are expected to know, understand, apply, or develop through the educational activity.
Connect objectives with appropriate content, instructional methods, learning resources, educators, and delivery formats.
Provide the planned learning experience through the applicable classroom, online, hybrid, synchronous, asynchronous, or other educational environment.
Use appropriate attendance, participation, assessment, completion, or other applicable methods to document learner engagement.
Connect the participant, educational activity, completion information, applicable CPE credit, and supporting provider records.
Professional environments change through new knowledge, technologies, methods, standards, responsibilities, and areas of practice. CPE provides a structured mechanism for continued learning within that changing environment.
Continuing education can help professionals revisit and maintain knowledge relevant to their existing responsibilities and areas of practice.
CPE activities can address new tools, methods, technologies, processes, and capabilities relevant to professional work.
Structured learning can address developments in professional knowledge, occupational practice, technology, standards, and organizational environments.
Professionals can use continuing education to develop capabilities beyond their existing knowledge or areas of practice.
CPE can connect educational development with practical responsibilities, decision-making, problem solving, and professional application.
Provider records and completion documentation create an educational record of applicable participation and completed professional learning.
The delivery format can vary according to the learning objectives, subject matter, participants, educational design, available technology, and nature of the professional learning activity.
Structured learning delivered by an instructor, trainer, facilitator, or subject-matter expert in an appropriate educational environment.
Educational activities delivered through digital platforms using live, self-paced, or combined learning approaches.
Programs that combine in-person and digital educational activities within a coordinated learning design.
Focused educational activities addressing defined professional topics, skills, methods, or areas of practice.
Structured learning experiences consisting of one or more educational components organized around defined objectives and content.
Activities can incorporate cases, exercises, simulations, demonstrations, projects, practice, or other methods supporting application of learning.
Educational quality depends on more than the duration of an activity. The learning purpose, design, educators, delivery, participation, assessment, documentation, and evaluation should operate as a coherent educational system.
The activity should address an identifiable educational or professional learning need.
Learning objectives should communicate the intended educational outcomes and guide content, delivery, and applicable assessment.
Educational content should correspond with the stated objectives and intended professional-learning context.
Individuals responsible for instruction should have knowledge, experience, or expertise appropriate to their educational responsibilities.
Where assessment is used, the method should correspond with the objectives, content, and knowledge or capability being examined.
Participant feedback, assessment information, delivery evidence, and other relevant information can contribute to review and improvement of the activity.
A CPE credit record should be supported by the underlying educational activity, qualifying learning time, participation or completion evidence, applicable calculation methodology, and provider documentation.
Identify the course, program, workshop, seminar, or other structured professional-learning activity represented by the record.
Determine the educational components and learning time that qualify within the applicable CPE methodology.
Maintain appropriate evidence that connects the participant with the applicable educational activity.
Apply the completion requirements established for the activity, including applicable assessment or participation requirements.
Apply the relevant CPE calculation methodology consistently to the qualifying educational activity.
Maintain documentation connecting the participant, activity, completion information, applicable credit, and supporting provider record.
CPE documentation should connect the professional learner with the educational activity and the information supporting participation, completion, and applicable credit.
Maintain information sufficient to identify the participant associated with the educational record.
Record the title, subject, applicable date or period, and other information identifying the educational activity.
Identify the organization responsible for the continuing professional education activity and its educational records.
Maintain applicable attendance, participation, assessment, or completion evidence associated with the learner.
Record the applicable CPE value and information necessary to connect it with the underlying educational activity.
Connect issued documentation with the corresponding participant and provider record.
Continuing professional education becomes more useful when learning needs, educational activities, professional application, evaluation, and subsequent development are connected over time.
Consider knowledge, skills, professional responsibilities, changing practice, or areas where further development is appropriate.
Choose structured educational activities that correspond with identified professional-learning objectives.
Participate in the applicable learning activities and meet relevant participation, assessment, or completion requirements.
Connect relevant knowledge or skills with professional responsibilities, practice, projects, or other applicable contexts.
Consider how the learning contributes to professional knowledge, capability, practice, or subsequent development needs.
Use identified needs and professional developments to inform subsequent continuing education and professional-learning activities.
Key questions about Continuing Professional Education, CPE activities, educational credit, documentation, and professional learning.
CPE stands for Continuing Professional Education.
CPE provides structured opportunities for professionals to maintain, develop, or expand knowledge, skills, competence, and capability through continuing education.
CPE can include structured courses, programs, workshops, seminars, online learning, instructor-led education, and other organized professional-learning activities when they meet the applicable educational and documentation requirements.
CPE documentation connects the participant with the educational activity, provider, participation or completion information, applicable credit, and supporting educational record.
CPE refers to continuing professional education, while CEU refers to a unit used to document qualifying participation in continuing education.
The CPE Requirements resource addresses educational structure, participation, documentation, credit, records, and related provider practices.
Continue to the CPE Requirements resource for a more detailed examination of educational design, participation, completion, credit, documentation, provider records, and quality practices for continuing professional education.