A.
Purpose.
This Rule provides for a continuing education program to
insure that all landscape architects remain informed of
those technical and professional subjects appropriate to
protect the public health, safety and welfare.
B.
Policy and Administration.
The Board shall form a Continuing Education Committee. The
Committee shall consist of three (3) members, two (2) of
which shall be Board members. The Committee shall have the
following duties:
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To
exercise general supervisory authority over the administration
of this Rule,
and
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To
make
recommendations to the Board.
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Scope:
Each Arkansas licensed landscape architect shall report
the minimum continuing education units ("CEU's")
as provided in this Rule as a condition for the annual
renewal of his license beginning with renewal for the
period January 1, 2004; provided however, CEU's qualified
under this Rule, obtained in 2002 and 2003 will be considered
for renewal for the licensing year 2004.
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Exemptions:
a.
A first time new licensee shall be exempt for renewal
of his license at the first renewal date following the
effective date of the initial license.
b.
An emeritus status landscape architect.
c.
The Board may approve exceptions for reasons of individual
hardship including, without limitation, health, military
service or other good cause.
D.
Minimum Continuing Education Requirements.
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Each
Arkansas licensed landscape architect shall complete a
minimum of seven (7) continuing education units each reporting
period.
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The
reporting period shall be the calendar year immediately
preceding the year for which the license is being renewed.
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One
CEU shall represent a minimum of fifty (50) minutes of
actual course time. No credit will be allowed for introductory
remarks, meals, breaks, or business/administration matters
related to courses of study
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Teaching
or instructing a qualified seminar, lecture, presentation,
or workshop shall constitute two (2) CEU's for each contact
hour spent in the actual first-time presentation. .
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3Credit
shall be valid for teaching a seminar or course in its
initial presentation only.
NOTE: Teaching credit shall not apply to full-time faculty
at a college, university, or other educational institution.
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Successfully
completing one or more college or university classroom
semester or quarter hours in landscape architectural subjects
shall satisfy the continuing education hours for the year
in which the course was completed.
E.
Continuing Education Programs.
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A
continuing education program is a structured course study
of learning by an approved sponsor which contributes directly
to the professional competence of a landscape architect.
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A structured program shall consist of participation in
an education activity presented by individuals or groups
qualified by professional, practical, or academic experience
to conduct courses of study.
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Types
of Programs.
a.
Seminars, lectures, presentations, workshops, or courses
of a minimum of fifty (50) minutes in length.
b. Tutorials, short courses, correspondence courses,
televised or videotaped courses, monographs and other
self-study courses, all of which must provide for interaction
between the participant and instructor or administrator.
This interaction usually takes the form of periodic
examinations and must be documented. Said courses shall
constitute the number of CEU's recommended by the program
sponsor unless the Board determines another number of
CEU's is applicable.
c. Courses or programs offered by institutions of higher
learning, specialty societies, professional organizations
and government agencies. Provided, however, university
and college courses offered in a degree program qualify
as long as the course is not taken to meet the education
requirements for licensure as a landscape architect.
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Approved
Sponsors.
a.
The Board approves the Council of Landscape Architectural
Registration Boards (CLARB), the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the American Institute
of Architects (AIA) as approved sponsors.
b. Other organizations or entities may seek Board approval
as a continuing education sponsor:
(1)
In order to qualify as an approved sponsor, the organization
or entity must establish to the satisfaction of the
Board that it is regularly engaged in and is recognized
as a provider of relevant professional continuing education.
(2) Subsequent to designation as an approved sponsor,
programs offered by that sponsor shall be approved provided
such courses meet the requirements of this Rule.
(3) Programs conducted by sponsors approved in another
state or by a national continuing education accrediting
body may be approved, provided the Board is satisfied
that the sponsor meets the requirements of this Rule.
(4) Approved sponsors must timely comply with all reasonable
requests from the Board for information or course materials.
The Board reserves the right to withdraw approved sponsor
designation and to deny CEU credit to licensees for
the sponsor's failure to meet the requirements of this
Rule.
(5) The sponsor shall provide individual participant
documentation to the participant for record keeping
and reporting purposes and preserve a record of the
licensees or participants for a period of three (3)
years from the end of the year in which the program
is completed.
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Approved Courses.
A continuing education program or course will qualify
only if it provides the following minimum standards:
a.
The sponsor is approved pursuant to the provisions of
this Rule;
b. The sponsor shall prepare in advance and preserve
an outline of the program;
c. The program is at least one contact hour (fifty minutes)
in length as provided in Rule X, Paragraph D, Section
3;
d. The program is conducted by a provider whose background,
training, education or experience qualifies him to conduct
the course effectively;
e. The sponsor maintains a record of those persons completing
the course and provides participant documentation for
recording purposes;
f. The sponsor must furnish those completing the course
with written course materials of a quality and quantity
which indicate that adequate time has been devoted to
the speaker's preparation and that the written materials
will be of value to the attendees in the course of their
professional practice;
g. The sponsor shall make available to the Board, upon
request, information concerning the course including
without limitation, a list of those in attendance, the
course outline, a description of the method or manner
of presentation and a set of all written materials pertinent
to the course; and
h. The course must be subject to evaluation before,
during and after presentation.
F.
Reporting Continuing Education.
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Each
licensee shall report, in a form approved by the Board,
along with his annual renewal application, the continuing
education units which he completed during the reporting
period immediately preceding the year for which the license
is being renewed. A licensee can carry over a maximum
of one-half of the required annual CEU's into the next
period only.
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Any
untrue or false statement or the use thereof in a continuing
education report shall constitute gross unprofessional
conduct and will subject the landscape architect to license
revocation or other disciplinary action.
G.
Continuing Education Audits.
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Each
CEU report shall be reviewed by the Committee and may
be audited for verification of compliance with this Rule.
For audit purposes, the licensees shall retain documentation
of fulfillment of CEU requirements for a period of two
(2) years after January 1 of the year for which the license
is renewed.
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The
Committee may, upon audit for verification of compliance,
disallow claimed credit for continuing education hours.
The licensee shall have ninety (90) calendar days after
notification of disallowance of credits to substantiate
the reported CEU's or earn other CEU credit, which fulfills
minimum requirements.
H.
Noncompliance and Sanctions.
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Should
an applicant report less than the required number of CEU's,
he shall complete the balance of the CEU's for that reporting
period and provide the Board with appropriate documentation
no later than March 1 of the year for which the license
is renewed. Delinquent CEU's reported to the Board under
this provision shall first apply to the deficiency and
any remaining CEU's shall be applied to the current reporting
period.
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Should
a licensee fail to timely report CEU's in conjunction
with his renewal application or fail to timely file a
report on completion of the balance of the CEU's as provided
in paragraph one (1) of this section, the Board shall
serve notice of noncompliance upon the licensee. The notice
shall state the nature of the noncompliance. The licensee
shall, within thirty (30) days of the date of the notice,
deliver acceptable documentation to the Board that the
licensee has successfully completed the minimum CEU's
to correct the noncompliance.
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In
addition to the notice of non-compliance described above,
the Board may institute a proceeding to impose disciplinary
action against a licensee who fails to comply with any
provision under this Rule. The disciplinary action for
a licensee who completes the minimum number of CEU's during
the period provided in paragraph one (1) of this section
shall be a monetary penalty unless the Board determines
that other disciplinary action is appropriate. The disciplinary
action for a licensee who failed to obtain the minimum
CEU's before the date for correction of the delinquency
provided under paragraph one (1) of this section or who
completed the minimum CEU's after notice of noncompliance
under paragraph two (2) of this section may be suspension
of the license unless the Board determines other disciplinary
action to be appropriate.
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A
licensee who has been suspended pursuant to this section
may file a petition for reinstatement which shall state
the reasons for noncompliance, that the licensee is presently
in compliance, any other information material and that
the licensee has not practiced landscape architecture
since the suspension under this section. The petitioner
may request a hearing and the Board may require additional
CEU's as a condition of reinstatement. Any reinstatement
shall be subject to the provisions of A.C.A. §17-36-305.
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Unless
exempt under Paragraph C, Section 2 of this Rule, failure
to obtain the minimum CEU's as provided in this Rule shall
constitute grounds for refusal to renew, suspend or revoke
a license or to take other disciplinary action pursuant
to A.C.A. §17-36-306.
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