Current through all regulations passed and filed through December 16, 2024
(A) Continuing education for licensed home
inspectors shall be offered in a classroom setting or in an online setting. For
purposes of this rule, the term "online" education means any education process
based on geographical separation of student and instructor. Components of
online education includes synchronous, asynchronous and hybrid.
In synchronous education offerings, the instructor and students
interact simultaneously online, similar to a phone call, video chat or live
webinar, or web-based meeting. Synchronous courses provide for instruction and
interaction substantially the same as an on-site classroom setting. Synchronous
online courses and classroom courses meet class hour requirements if the course
meets the requirements found in paragraph (E) of this rule.
In asynchronous education offerings, the instructor and student
are non-simultaneous; the students progress at their own pace and follow a
structured course content and schedule. Asynchronous courses meet the class
hour requirements if the course meets the requirements found in paragraphs (B)
and (E) of this rule.
Hybrid courses, also known as blended courses, are learning
environments that allow for both in-person and online (synchronous or
asynchronous) interaction. In-person course settings, synchronous sessions, and
asynchronous sessions for hybrid courses are acceptable provided the
requirements found in paragraph (E) of this rule are satisfied. Asynchronous
sessions for hybrid courses are acceptable provided the requirements found in
paragraph (B) of this rule are satisfied.
(B) An asynchronous educational offering or
course is acceptable to meet class hour requirements if all of the following
are satisfied:
(1) The course provides
interaction. Interaction is a shared environment where the student has verbal
or written communication with the instructor;
(2) The course content is approved by the
superintendent or the home inspector board or is offered by a community or
junior college or a college or university that is a degree-granting institution
accredited by the commission on colleges, a regional or national accreditation
association or accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. secretary of
education; and
(3) The course
receives course delivery mechanism approval from the international distance
education certification center (IDECC) or is part of an approved curriculum
under paragraph (C)(2) of this rule at an institution of higher education that
awards academic credit for the online course. A course that fails to maintain
approval from IDECC no longer meets the requirements of this rule as of the
date the approval is withdrawn by IDECC.
(C) An applicant for continuing education
course approval shall submit to the division of real estate and professional
licensing for approval of home inspector continuing education courses on a form
prescribed by the superintendent along with the nonrefundable fee as specified
in rule
1301:17-1-03 of the
Administrative Code. The application form and fee must be submitted to the
division at least thirty days prior to the proposed initial date of the course
offering. Upon notice from the superintendent that an application is incomplete
or incorrect as filed, the applicant shall, within thirty days of the date of
the last such notice, submit to the division the additional requested
information or the corrected application. Failure to timely submit the
additional requested information or the corrected application shall constitute
just cause for the superintendent to void the application.
(D) Continuing education approved for this
rule shall be valid for three years from the date of issuance by the
superintendent provided the superintendent approves any substantial changes
made to the course, and the education provider and its instructors comply with
the requirements of this rule and Chapter 4764. of the Revised Code. Changes to
the course instructor or to the course syllabus, description or content
consisting of more than one-third of the course hours shall be considered a
substantial change. Each education provider of approved continuing education
shall file an application with the division at least ten days in advance of any
substantial changes to a course.
(E) Criteria for approval of offerings and
instructors.
(1) For this rule, "classroom
hours" shall mean the amount of time necessary to complete the course, without
interruption. One classroom hour consists of fifty minutes of
instruction out of a sixty-minute segment.
(2) Instructors who present a continuing
education course, shall submit documentation to the division through a form
prescribed by the superintendent demonstrating the instructor meets at least
one of the following qualifications:
(a)
Possession of a bachelor's degree or higher in a related field to that which
the person is to teach, from a school listed as an institution of higher
learning by the United States department of education, or from a comparable
school of a foreign country;
(b)
Possession of a valid teaching credential or certificate from Ohio or another
state authorizing the holder to teach in the field of instruction which the
person is to teach;
(c) Five years
full-time experience in a profession, trade, or technical occupation in the
applicable field; or
(d) Any
combination of at least five years of full-time experience relevant to the
applicable field and college level education.
(3) Acceptable education providers of home
inspector continuing education include: a college or university that is a
degree-granting institution accredited by the commission on colleges, a
regional or national accreditation association or accrediting agency recognized
by the U.S. secretary of education; a community or junior college; a
proprietary school approved by the state board of career colleges and schools;
or a home inspector professional organization. A home inspector professional
organization consists of an organization that offers instruction in home
inspector subjects found in paragraph (E)(6) of this rule; offers an
organization designation to home inspectors upon the completion of home
inspector education and experience; and has established a standard of practice
and code of ethics for its organization members that is consistent with the
board's standard of practice and code of ethics.
(4) Each continuing education course shall be
open to all licensed home inspectors on an equal basis.
(5) An education provider may administer
examinations in an online continuing education course for the purpose of
verifying participation and evaluating the effectiveness of the online
education course but passing a course examination shall not be a requirement
for successful completion of a continuing home inspector education
course.
(6) The superintendent may
approve course offerings for continuing education which maintain and increase a
licensed home inspector's skill, knowledge and competency in home inspecting
and which fall within the following topics:
(d) Standard of practice;
(e) Systems and components as defined in the
Ohio home inspector board's standards of practice;
(f) Environmental issues;
(g) A meeting of the Ohio home inspector
board;
(h) Use of technology as
applied to the practice of home inspection; and
(i) Personal safety for the home inspector
and the consumer.
(7)
Additional course offerings may be approved by the Ohio home inspector
board.
(8) The following offerings
will not be considered by the Ohio home inspector board to meet continuing
education requirements:
(a) Examination
preparation courses;
(b) Sales
promotion or meetings held in conjunction with the general business of the
attendee or the attendee's business associates;
(c) Meetings which are a normal part of
in-house staff training; or
(d)
That portion of any offering devoted to meals or other refreshment.
(F) The education
provider must issue certificates to licensees using the correct course
certification number provided by the division. Any certificate incorrectly
issued must be reissued to the licensee within thirty days of receipt of notice
of the defective certificate by the education provider using the valid
certification number as assigned by the division.
(G) No approved education provider shall
certify the attendance of a person who was not physically present during
ninety-five per cent of the
instruction
time. All offerings must be successfully completed.
(H) Record keeping.
(1) Education providers shall maintain for
four years from the date of the course a record of attendance of each person
attending the course disclosing the following information:
(a) Ohio home inspector's board approval
certification number;
(b) Name and
business address of attendee;
(c)
Course title, description of offering and name of course instructor;
(d) Classroom hours of attendance;
(e) Date of course offering; and
(f) Name, address, and signature of verifier
in employ of the education provider.
(2) The education provider shall certify the
items specified in paragraph (H)(1) of this rule on a certificate or transcript
and furnish a copy to the attendee within twenty-four hours after successful
completion of the continuing course offering.
(3) Each education provider shall submit to
the division, in a format prescribed by the superintendent, within fifteen days
after completion of each offering, a list of the licensed home inspectors who
successfully completed the course. The list shall include the licensees'
license numbers and names, the course certification number, the number of
approved hours and the date the course was held.
(I) Denial or withdrawal of offering.
(1) The superintendent may deny or withdraw
approval of the application for any proposed continuing education offering if
the offering does not meet the requirements of Chapter 4764. of the Revised
Code or of the standards or criteria prescribed in this rule.
(2) The superintendent may deny or withdraw
the approval of a continuing education course instructor who was convicted of a
disqualifying criminal offense found on the division's web site within the time
period established in division (D)(2) of section
9.79 of the Revised Code, found
to have provided false information to the division, has been disciplined by the
board for a violation of Chapter 4764. of the Revised Code or has been
disciplined by any state licensing board.
(3) If the superintendent determines an
initial offering, an offering previously approved, or an instructor previously
approved does not meet or no longer meets prescribed standards set forth in
this rule, then a written notice of the denial or withdrawal of approval will
be given stating the reasons therefore. The notice of withdrawal of approval
will be effective ten days from the date of the notice of withdrawal.
(4) A party served with the notice in
paragraph (I)(3) of this rule may file, within thirty days of the date of the
notice, a written request for hearing before the board. If a request for
hearing is timely filed, a hearing before the board will be held at the board's
next regularly scheduled meeting.
(J) The division shall keep a current list of
approved home inspector continuing education courses which shall be available
to the public.
(K) An education
provider shall allow the division to audit a course approved pursuant to this
rule and shall permit division investigators and auditors to audit, upon
division request, an education provider's records related to that course during
normal business hours. An education provider has a duty to ensure an approved
course remains current with home inspector laws, rules and industry
practice.
