RCEP Frequently Asked Questions

What is RCEP? 

The Registered Continuing Education Providers (RCEP) Program is a nationwide registry of continuing education providers that have demonstrated adherence to high‐quality, effective practices in the development and delivery of professional education activities for engineers, surveyors, and related A/E/C industry professionals. More information on RCEP can be found at rcep.net

The International Erosion Control Association has met the standards and requirements of the Registered Continuing Education Program. Credit earned on completion of an IECA program that qualifies for RCEP  will be reported to RCEP. Certificates of completion will be issued to all participants.

What is the benefit of being a part of this program? 

While the term Professional Development Hour (PDH) is not trademarked, not all organizations have an equal commitment to quality in awarding PDHs. RCEP recognizes that IECA has demonstrated adherence to high‐quality, effective practices in the development and delivery of professional education activities. Many state engineering boards recognize RCEP courses as acceptable to meet a continuing professional competency (CPC) requirement to renew their license. For a complete list of information on different state engineering requirements, please click here.

What IECA programs are included in this program? 

IECA offers a variety of opportunities to attain PDH credit recognized by the RCEP program. Most technical IECA webinars, the IECA Annual Pre-Conference Program, select IECA eLearning courses. Look for the RCEP logo to indicate that a course is recognized by this program. If you have any questions about a course being included, please contact IECA Education at education@ieca.org.

What constitutes one Professional Development Hour?

One Professional Development Hour equals one full clock hour of technical education. Credit may be awarded every .25 hour after the first hour. No course shorter than one PDH will be recognized by the RCEP program. 

What is the difference between a Professional Development Hour (PDH) and Continuing Education Unit (CEU)? 

A Professional Development Hour (PDH) is an hour of technical education. A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is a measure of continuing education hours with a conversion of 1 clock hour to 0.1 CEU. You can easily convert PDH to CEU and vise versa. It is up to you to understand how you need to report professional development to your certification or licensing board. 

What are the standards that a RCEP course must meet?

  1.  Educational activities must have a clear purpose and relevant learning objectives. 
  2.  Educational activities must be current, technically accurate, and developed by individuals qualified with respect to educational activity development and specific content. 
  3.  IECA will ensure that presenters are qualified with respect to specific content knowledge and instructional methods. 
  4.  Educational Activities will be delivered as live activities (seminars, technical training sessions, or formal education courses) and/or distance learning activities (synchronous or asynchronous). 
  5.  Activity will be classified as A) core technical content; 2) business practices; 3) Ethics
  6.  All educational activities and associated materials shall be unbiased and neither promote nor market particular products or services in the educational content of the activity. 
  7.  All educational activities will include an evaluation of the quality of the activity with respect to content and delivery and will assess whether learning objectives were met.
  8. Educational activities must be at least 1 Professional Development Hour in length. 
  9. IECA will provide each participant with documentation of their participation by reporting attendance information to the RCEP system. 
  10. IECA will maintain all records pertaining to educational activities and participant records for a period of six year. 

What are the requirements in order to receive CEU credit(s)?

Attendance! For an asynchronous distance learning class such as eLearning you will be required to take a post-event quiz and pass with a 70% of better. 

How do I access my certificate? 

All IECA certificates are available at www.ieca.org/certificates. To access your RCEP certificate please visit rcep.net

If I have a complaint about IECA's status with RCEP, who should I contact? 

Complaints regarding registered providers may be addressed to RCEP at 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005. Web site: RCEP.net.

Since 1995, my involvement in IECA activities has been pivotal in shaping my second career after retiring from the USDA-NRCS. The technology sessions, networking opportunities, and friendships I've built have been crucial to my success as an erosion and sediment control planner, inspector, and trainer.

Earl Norton, CPESC, CPAg, CCA Auburn, Alabama, USA