Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
A.
Purpose and Scope. These rules provide for a continuing education program to
insure that all architects remain informed of those technical and professional
subjects necessary to safeguard life, health, and promote the public welfare.
These rules shall apply to all architects practicing architecture in this
state.
B. Exemptions. An architect
shall not be subject to these requirements if:
1. a newly registered architect during his or
her initial year of registration;
2. the architect has been granted emeritus or
other similar honorific but inactive status by the board, or an emeritus status
architect as defined by board rule §1105. E;
3. the architect otherwise meets all renewal
requirements and is called to active military service, has a serious medical
condition, or can demonstrate to the board other like hardship, then upon the
board's so finding, the architect may be excused from some or all of these
requirements.
C.
Definitions
AIA-the American Institute of
Architects.
AIA/CES-the continuing education system
developed by AIA to record professional learning as a
mandatory requirement for membership in the AIA.
ARE-the Architect Registration Examination
prepared by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.
Board-the Louisiana State Board of
Architectural Examiners, 9625 Fenway Avenue, Suite B, Baton Rouge, LA 70809,
telephone: (225) 925-4802, telecopier: 225-925-4804, website:
www.lastbdarchs.com.
Continuing Education (CE)-continuing
education is a post-licensure learning that enables a registered architect to
increase or update knowledge of and competence in technical and professional
subjects related to the practice of architecture to safeguard the public's
health, safety, and welfare.
Continuing Education Hour (CEH)-one
continuous instructional hour (50 to 60 minutes of contact) spent in structured
educational activities intended to increase or update the architect's knowledge
and competence in health, safety, and welfare subjects. If the provider of the
structured educational activities prescribes a customary time for completion of
such an activity, then such prescribed time shall, unless the board finds the
prescribed time to be unreasonable, be accepted as the architect's time for
continuing education hour purposes irrespective of actual time spent on the
activity.
Health, Safety, and Welfare Subjects -
technical and professional subjects related to the practice of architecture
that the board deems appropriate to safeguard the public and that are within
the following continuing education subject areas necessary for the proper
evaluation, design, construction, and utilization of buildings and the built
environment.
a. Practice Management.
This category focuses on areas related to the management of architectural
practice and the details of running a business.
b. Project Management. This category focuses
on areas related to the management of architectural projects through
execution.
c. Programming and
Analysis. This category focuses on areas related to the evaluation of project
requirements, constraints, and opportunities.
d. Project Planning and Design. This category
focuses on areas related to the preliminary design of sites and
buildings.
e. Project Development
and Documentation. This category focuses on areas related to the integration
and documentation of building systems, material selection, and material
assemblies into a project.
f.
Construction and Evaluation. This category focuses on areas related to
construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation of projects.
g. pre-design - land use analysis,
programming, site selection, site and soils analysis, surveying;
h. design - urban planning, master planning,
building design, site design, interiors, safety and security
measures;
i. construction documents
- drawings, specifications, delivery methods;
j. construction contract administration:
contracts, bidding, contract negotiations.
NCARB-the National Council of Architectural
Registration Boards.
Non-Resident Architect-an architect
registered by the board and residing outside Louisiana.
Resident Architect-an architect residing in
this state.
Sponsor-an individual, organization,
association, institution or other entity which offers an educational activity
for the purpose of fulfilling the continuing education requirements of these
rules.
Structured Educational Activities -
educational activities in which at least 75 percent of an activity's content
and instructional time must be devoted to health, safety, and welfare subjects
related to the practice of architecture, including courses of study or other
activities under the areas identified as health, safety and welfare subjects
and provided by qualified individuals or organizations whether delivered by
direct contact or distance learning methods.
D. Continuing Education Requirements
1. Beginning with license renewals effective
January 1, 1999, all architects must show compliance with the educational
requirements of these rules as a condition for renewing registration.
2. In addition to all other requirements for
registration renewal, an architect must complete a minimum of 12 continuing
education hours each calendar year or be exempt from these continuing education
requirements as provided above. Failure to comply with these requirements may
result in non-renewal of the architect's registration or other discipline as
set forth below.
3. Continuing
Education Hours. Continuing education hours must be completed in health,
safety, and welfare subjects acquired in structured educational activities.
Continuing education hours may be acquired at any location. Excess continuing
education hours may not be credited to a future calendar year.
E. Acceptable Educational
Activities
1. Credit will be allowed only for
continuing education activities in areas which:
a. directly safeguard the public's health,
safety, and welfare; and
b. provide
individual participant documentation from a person other than the participant
for record keeping and reporting.
2. Acceptable continuing educational
activities in health, safety, and welfare subjects include the following:
a. attending professional or technical
health, safety, and welfare subject seminars, lectures, presentations, courses,
or workshops offered by a professional or technical organization (AIA, National
Fire Protection Association, Concrete Standards Institute, NCARB, etc.),
insurer, or manufacturer;
b.
successfully completing health, safety, and welfare subject tutorials, short
courses, correspondence courses, televised courses, or video-taped courses
offered by a provider mentioned in the preceding Subparagraph;
c. successfully completing health, safety,
and welfare subject monographs or other self-study courses such as those
sponsored by NCARB or a similar organization which tests the architect's
performance;
d. making professional
or technical health, safety, and welfare subject presentation at meetings,
conventions or conferences;
e.
teaching or instructing health, safety, and welfare subject courses;
f. authoring a published paper, article or
book;
g. successfully completing
college or university sponsored courses; and
h. service upon NCARB committees dealing with
health, safety, and welfare subjects.
3. Continuing educational activities need not
take place in Louisiana, but may be acquired at any location.
4. All continuing education activities shall:
a. have a clear purpose and
objective;
b. be well organized and
provide evidence of pre-planning;
c. be presented by persons who are well
qualified by education or experience in the field being taught;
d. provide individual participant
documentation from a person other than the participant for record keeping and
reporting; and
e. shall not focus
upon the sale of any specific product or service offered by a particular
manufacturer or provider.
F. Number of Continuing Education Hours
Earned
1. Continuing education credits shall
be measured in continuing education hours and shall be computed as follows.
a. Attending seminars, lectures,
presentations, workshops, or courses shall constitute one continuing education
hour for each contact hour of attendance.
b. Successfully completing tutorials, short
courses, correspondence courses, televised or video-taped courses, monographs
and other self-study courses shall constitute the continuing education hours
recommended by the program sponsor.
c. Teaching or instructing a qualified
seminar, lecture, presentation, or workshop shall constitute two continuing
education hours for each contact hour spent in the actual presentation.
Teaching credit shall be valid for teaching a seminar or course in its initial
presentation only. Teaching credit shall not apply to full-time faculty at a
college, university or other educational institution.
d. Authoring a published paper, article or
book shall be equivalent of eight continuing education hours .
e. Successfully completing one or more
college or university semester or quarter hours shall satisfy the continuing
education hours for the year in which the course was completed.
2. Any health, safety, and welfare
subject contained in the record of an approved professional registry will be
accepted by the board as fulfilling the continuing education requirements of
these rules. The board approves the AIA as a professional registry, and contact
hours listed in health, safety, and welfare subjects in the AIA/CES transcript
of continuing education activities will be accepted by the board for both
resident and non-resident architects.
G. Reporting, Record Keeping and Auditing
1. An architect shall complete and submit
forms as required by the board certifying that the architect has completed the
required continuing education hours. The board requires that each architect
shall complete the language on the renewal application pertaining to that
architect's continuing education activities during the calendar year
immediately preceding the license renewal period. Any untrue or false statement
or the use thereof with respect to course attendance or any other aspect of
continuing educational activity is fraud or misrepresentation and will subject
the architect and/or program sponsor to license revocation or other
disciplinary action.
2. To verify
attendance each attendee shall obtain an attendance certificate from the
program sponsor. Additional evidence may include but is not limited to
attendance receipts, canceled checks, and sponsor's list of attendees (signed
by a responsible person in charge of the activity). A log showing the activity
claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, etc., should be supported
by other evidence. Evidence of compliance shall be retained by the architect
for two years after the end of the period for which renewal was
requested.
3. The renewal
applications or forms may be audited by the board for verification of
compliance with these requirements. Upon request by the board, evidence of
compliance shall be submitted to substantiate compliance of the requirements of
these rules. The board may request further information concerning the evidence
submitted or the claimed educational activity. The board has final authority
with respect to accepting or rejecting continuing education activities for
credit.
4. The board may disallow
claimed credit. If the board disallows any continuing education hours, the
architect shall have 60 days from notice of such disallowance either to provide
further evidence of having completed the continuing education hours disallowed
or to remedy the disallowance by completing the required number of continuing
education hours (but such continuing education hours shall not again be used
for the next calendar year). If the board finds, after proper notice and
hearing, that the architect willfully disregarded these requirements or
falsified documentation of required continuing education hours, the architect
may be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the board
regulations.
5. Documentation of
reported continuing education hours shall be maintained by the architect for
six years from the date of award.
H. Pre-Approval of Programs
1. Upon written request, the board will
review a continuing education program prior to its presentation provided all of
the necessary information to do so is submitted in accordance with these rules.
If the program satisfies the requirements of these rules, the board will
pre-approve same.
2. A person
seeking to obtain pre-approval of a continuing education program shall submit
the following information:
a. program
sponsor(s): name(s), address(es), and phone number(s);
b. program description: name, detailed
description, length of instructional periods, and total hours for which credit
is sought;
c. approved seminar
topic: division(s) and topic(s) from the current list of approved seminar
topics;
d. program
instructor(s)/leader(s): name(s) of instructor(s)/ leader(s) and
credential(s);
e. time and place:
date and location of program; and
f. certification of attendance: sponsor's
method for providing evidence of attendance to attendees.
3. Such information shall be submitted at
least 30 calendar days in advance of the program so that the board may analyze
and respond.
4. The sponsor of a
pre-approved program may announce or indicate as follows:
"This course has been approved by the Louisiana State Board
of Architectural Examiners for a maximum of ________ Continuing Education
Hours."
I.
Continuing Education Disciplinary Guidelines
1. The board sets forth below the normal
discipline which will be imposed upon an architect who fails to fulfill the
continuing education requirements required by the licensing law and these
rules. The purpose of these guidelines is to give notice to architects of the
discipline which will normally be imposed. In a particular case, the discipline
imposed may be increased or decreased depending upon aggravating or mitigating
factors.
2. Absent aggravating or
mitigating circumstances, the following discipline shall be imposed for the
following violations:
|
Violation
|
Discipline
|
|
1. Architect has hours but lacks in accepted setting
or subject matter
|
Architect will be allowed 60 days to obtain needed
hours. Architect will be audited next year.
|
|
2. Architect signs renewal, has obtained some, but
not all, hours needed as of December 31
For a second offense within 5 years
|
Fine of $750, and architect must obtain required
hours before renewing. Architect will be audited annually next three years.
Fine of $1,500, architect's license suspended for six
months, and architect must obtain required hours before renewing. Architect
will be audited annually next three years.
|
|
3. Architect signs renewal; architect has not
obtained any continuing education hours and fails to do so within sixty (60)
days.
|
Fine up to $5,000, and architect's license suspended
until architect obtains necessary hours. Architect will be audited annually the
next five years.
|
J. Reinstatement
1. A former registrant may only apply for
reinstatement if he has earned all delinquent continuing education hours in the
year preceding the application, or the current year. However, if the total
number of delinquent continuing education hours exceeds 24, then 24 shall be
the maximum number of hours required.
2. An architect who has been granted emeritus
or other similar honorific but inactive status by the board may only return to
the active practice of architecture if he has earned the continuing education
requirements for each exempted year in the year preceding the application, or
the current year. However, if the total number of delinquent continuing
education hours exceeds 24, then 24 shall be the maximum number of hours
required.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
37:144.
