OAR 161-020-0045: Criteria for Approval of Course as Qualifying Education

In order to be approved as qualifying education, the coursemust satisfy all criteria described in this rule: (1) Current Offering — The course shall be a current offering of the course owner/affiliated entity that is presented via the following formats: synchronous/classroom, asynchronous, or a hybrid. A hybrid course must meet the criteria for both synchronous/classroom and asynchronous as set forth in this Division 020. Courses presented asynchronously online, or by Compact Disc (CD), correspondence, videotape or remote television are eligible for approval only as provided in OAR 161-020-0140. (2) Course Length and Content — With exception to AQB-approved courses on Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations, the course shall be a real estate appraisal course that provides a minimum of 15 classroom hours of instruction (including examination time when applicable) and must comply with the “Qualifying Education Course Content Guidelines” in these rules. (3) Course Description — The course materials or syllabus must include a course description which clearly describes the content of the course. (4) Summary Outline — The course materials or syllabus shall include a summary outline of major topics and the number of classroom hours devoted to each major topic. (5) Learning Objectives — The course materials or syllabus shall include specific learning objectives which: (a) Are appropriate for a qualifying education course; (b) Clearly state the specific knowledge and/or skills students are expected to acquire by completing the course; (c) Are consistent with the course description; (d) Are consistent with the textbook and/or other instructional materials; and (e) Are reasonably achievable within the number of classroom hours allotted for the course. (6) Work Assignments — The course materials or syllabus shall provide for in-class work assignments and/or out-of-class work/reading assignments, if necessary, to accomplish the stated learning objectives. (7) Instructional Materials — Instructional materials to be used by students in the course shall: (a) Cover the subject matter in sufficient depth to achieve the stated course learning objectives; (b) Provide appropriately balanced coverage of the subject matter in view of the stated course learning objectives; (c) Reflect current knowledge and practice; (d) Contain no significant errors; (e) Reflect correct grammatical usage and spelling; (f) Effectively communicate and explain the information presented; (g) Be suitable in layout and format; and (h) Be suitably bound/packaged and be produced in a quality manner. (8) Examination(s) — Course examinations shall consist of either a series of examinations or a comprehensive final examination or both. Examinations may be administered at the course location; at an off-site location by an individual or entity approved by the course provider; by remote proctoring by an individual or entity approved by the course provider; or by biometric proctoring. The course examination(s) shall comply with the following criteria: (a) The examination(s) contains a sufficient number of questions to adequately test the subject matter covered in the course; (b) The amount of time devoted to the examination(s) is appropriate for the course; (c) The examination questions, individually and collectively, test at a difficulty level appropriate to measure student achievement of the stated course learning objectives; (d) The subject matter tested by examination questions is adequately addressed in the course instructional materials; (e) The examination questions are written in a clear and unambiguous manner; and (f) The examination questions are accurate and the intended correct answer is clearly the best answer choice. (9) Prerequisites — The course owner/affiliated entity must have established appropriate prerequisites for any course other than an introductory course on Basic Real Estate Appraisal Principles and Practices or a course on Appraisal Standards and Ethics. (10) Instructor Qualifications — The course owner/affiliated entity shall keep records documenting that their instructors meet the Board qualifications as follows: (a) A baccalaureate degree in any field and three years of experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (b) A masters degree in any field and two years of experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (c) A baccalaureate degree in a field that is directly related to the subject matter to be taught and one year of experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (d) An associate degree in a field that is directly related to the subject matter to be taught and three years of experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (e) A masters or higher degree in a field that is directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (f) Five years of real estate appraisal teaching experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or (g) Seven years of real estate appraisal experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught. (h) For those instructing the 15-Hour National USPAP Course or its equivalent, at least one instructor must be a certified residential or certified general appraiser in good standing and possess a current certified USPAP instructor credential approved by the AQB. (11) Attendance Policy — The course owner/affiliated entity shall have a written attendance policy that requires student attendance to be verified. The Policy must: (a) Stipulate the percentage of attendance required by the student; (b) Include, on the attendance records form, the instructor(s) name and the criteria under which they qualified; (c) Provide that non-members of an association or organization may apply for the course without membership in the association or organization; (d) Provide for retention of attendance records for a minimum of five years. (12) Course Scheduling Policy — The course owner/affiliated entity shall have an established policy on course scheduling that provides a maximum of eight (8) classroom hours of instruction in any given day and appropriate breaks during each class session. (13) Course Completion Certificate Policy — The course owner/affiliated entity shall have an established policy assuring prompt issuance of signed course completion certificates to attendees which shall include information regarding the number of classroom hours, and whether there was successful passage of the course examination. (14) Audit Policy — The course owner/affiliated entity shall permit the Board Administrator or the Administrator's representative to audit the course and course material at no cost to the Administrator or the Administrator's representative, in order to evaluate the quality of instruction. The course owner/affiliated entity shall permit the Administrator or the Administrator's representative to review records appropriate to selected course offerings.