By Cynthia Bruce
Since 2020 NCRA has observed more associations transitioning to online live webinars for their meetings. Platforms like Zoom and GoTo Meeting are frequently utilized, enabling associations to record their meetings for later access. To offer these webinars on demand for NCRA CEU credit, the vendor must verify attendance as per the Continuing Education Program Rules (Article II, Section 2.09). Many small associations struggle to meet this requirement and miss the opportunity to provide NCRA CEU credit for these on-demand webinars. NCRA has shown interest in partnering with a small association to beta test offering other associations’ webinars in its Learning Center.
Eric Allen, president of the Association of Surrogate’s and Supreme Court Reporters Within the City of New York (ASSCR), had the chance to beta test its offerings in the NCRA Learning Center. The ASSCR conducted its live meeting on December 27-28, 2023, and recorded the live webinars. The recordings were then made available on demand through the Learning Center from January 1-18, 2024. Cynthia Bruce, NCRA Senior Director of Certification and Education, asked Allen to share his experience with this process.
CB | How did this beta test come about?
EA | Union membership inquired if we could have our Christmas/Holiday break training sessions available for viewing because for some work scheduling would not allow them to attend live.
CB | Who reached out to whom?
EA | I reached out to NCRA after inquiring about the requirements for on-demand webinars. Sandra Bryant [NCRA’s Credentialing Coordinator] recommended I talk with you.
CB | How many webinars were recorded and added to NCRA’s Learning Center?
EA | We offered six sessions live and recorded all six. After the six were completed, I forwarded the recordings to NCRA, and they created a landing page for each webinar in the Learning Center. They even created individual banners for each webinar that included ASSCR’s name.
CB | What are some of the benefits of this partnership?
EA | One of the benefits of this partnership is the cost savings since utilizing NCRA’s platform eliminates the need to purchase multiple licenses and software. Members of ASSCR who take advantage of this offer will additionally have all their learning in one central location where files are easily accessible.
CB | Do you anticipate using NCRA’s Learning Center again, and if so, when will the next session be offered?
EA | We do. Now that I have the process down and you and your team were so helpful, I will offer this again. It will be between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
CB | What was the feedback from those who did participate in this beta test?
EA | We have received positive feedback. We heard that the webinars were easy to access and very good quality. The best part was that NCRA members did not have to submit anything to have the credit posted on their transcript.
CB | Would you recommend this partnership to other similar organizations to offer them this option?
EA | As a partnership and cost-saving measure, I would certainly recommend it. Teaming up with the knowledgeable staff at NCRA is a time-saver, and not having to purchase our own LMS saves us money when it comes to offering on-demand webinars.
For more information, contact Cynthia Bruce, M.S. Ed, NCRA Senior Director of Certification and Education, at cbruce@ncra.org.
