Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a)
Each approved insurance education provider (except as modified hereafter)
shall:
1. Maintain an office where student
records, samples of all instructional material used, and the certificate of
approval for the program are kept. The office shall be accessible to the
Department. The insurance education provider shall provide information
regarding the means by which prospective, present and former students may
contact the insurance education provider through its authorized personnel and
insurance education director;
2.
Retain an insurance education director in charge of the program, who shall be
accessible to the Department and the public as required in (a) above during
normal business hours. A producer whose license is suspended, revoked or
voluntarily surrendered for cause in this or any other state may not act as an
insurance education director. The insurance education director shall:
i. Oversee the program and activities of all
instructors and authorized personnel;
ii. Be responsible to carry out or oversee
the program's administrative duties imposed by this subchapter;
iii. Receive and distribute to all
instructors, authorized personnel and students communications from the
Department and the Department's contract vendor; and
iv. Notify the Department in writing of any
change to the insurance education provider's application or renewal
information, including, but not limited to, changes in the insurance education
provider's name, address or telephone number, as well as the identity of the
authorized insurance education director or authorized personnel.
3. Use knowledgeable and competent
instructors to teach all courses. An instructor shall not have had his or her
insurance producer license revoked, suspended or voluntarily surrendered for
cause in any state and shall in the opinion of the Commissioner, be otherwise
of good character and reputation. Prelicensing education instructors shall
possess at least five years' experience in insurance practice, insurance
education or the equivalent, at least three years of which must be derived from
the same authority or authorities of insurance for which the instructor is
teaching. Continuing education providers shall possess at least three years
experience in the subject area taught. Prelicensing education instructors
shall, in addition:
i. Hold a recognized
professional designation; or
ii.
Have passed the New Jersey instructor examination; or
iii. Be a faculty member of an accredited
college or university teaching insurance courses;
4. Be permitted to use substitute teachers,
special lecturers or guest speakers to instruct on particular topics, so long
as the insurance education provider fulfills the recordkeeping and reporting
requirements imposed by this subchapter. For prelicensing education courses,
the use of substitute teachers, special lecturers or guest speakers shall not
collectively exceed 25 percent of the total course hours.
5. When using classroom facilities, provide
sufficient lighting, desks, tables and other equipment which are conducive to
learning. Classroom facilities shall be open to the Commissioner or his or her
designee for monitoring at any time;
6. If approved to teach prelicensing courses,
instruct students in accordance with a curricula submitted and approved by the
Department;
7. Conduct and
administer courses in a manner reasonably calculated to assure that
certificates or reports of courses attended and completed accurately reflect
the students' attendance, for classroom courses of study, and performance. For
classroom or seminar prelicensing education or continuing education offerings,
an instructor shall be physically present in the classroom during the entire
course including any tests or examinations;
8. Maintain for five years the records of
each student including the name(s) of the course or courses taken; proof that
the course final examination was passed, if applicable; and copies of the final
examinations and education certificates issued. Programs voluntarily
terminating operations shall turn over education certificates to the Department
within 14 days of ceasing operation. If a program approval is revoked, the
Department shall retain the right to secure such records;
9. If approved to teach prelicensing courses,
provide remedies for students who have failed the State licensing examination,
which may include review courses or additional full courses at reduced rates.
Each provider offering prelicensing education courses shall provide each
prospective student a written outline of available remedies during the
registration process or earlier upon request;
10. If approved to teach prelicensing courses
and if it charges tuition therefor, without specific request and in a manner
approved by the Department, provide to all persons at the time of requests for
enrollment application or information, all passing rates by line of authority
for the State licensing examination for all prelicensing education courses
offered by the provider during the preceding six-month period; or, if the
program has not been in operation for this period of time, the passing rate for
all examinations given during the period which the program has been in
operation; and
11. If approved to
teach prelicensing courses, provide the course curriculum in Spanish that the
Department has made available to the prelicensure education provider upon the
request of any prelicensing education student pursuant to
17:22A-31.f.
(b) Fifteen days prior to the start of each
quarter, each insurance education provider shall provide to the Department in
writing by hard copy or electronic means, information about the time, date and
location of all prelicensing or continuing education courses scheduled for the
following quarter. If the insurance education provider is offering self-study
and examination courses, it shall provide the Department with the name of the
approved courses offered and the date and location of each proctored
examination. If the provider is not offering any courses during the upcoming
quarter, it shall so notify the Department. If the schedule of courses changes,
the provider shall immediately notify the Department of any additions or
cancellations.
(c) An approved
insurance education program shall issue to each student who has successfully
completed a prelicensing education course a certificate which shall contain the
following:
1. The program name and program
code number;
2. The student's
name;
3. The name of the course and
the hours of study;
4. A statement
from the instructor, authorized personnel, or the insurance education director
of the program verifying completion of the course and that, based upon the
results of an objective evaluation, the instructor is satisfied that the
student knows the material; and
5.
The course completion date.
(d) An approved insurance education program
shall issue to each student who has successfully completed a continuing
education course a certificate verifying completion of the course. The
certificate may be provided by electronic means and shall contain the
following:
1. The name and provider
authorization number of the approved education provider;
2. The course name and authorization
code;
3. The student's name and New
Jersey license reference number;
4.
The course completion date; and
5.
The signature of the course instructor or authorized insurance education
director of the approved education provider, or other verification that the
certificate was issued by an approved education provider.