Can Architects Earn AIA Credit by Listening to Podcasts?

Yes, but only when the podcast is packaged as a course. An AIA CES Approved Provider has to offer it with learning objectives and a graded quiz, and then report your completion to AIA. Listening casually does not earn HSW…

What Is the Best Way to Get a Building Product Specified by Architects?

The most reliable way to get a building product specified is to become the basis of design. That means the product the architect names in the specification and that every substitute must match. You get there by earning the trust…

What Is an AIA Lunch & Learn and How Does It Work?

An AIA Lunch & Learn is a short continuing education course, usually about an hour, presented live at an architecture firm over a lunch the presenter provides. Architects who attend earn AIA learning units, roughly one per hour of instruction,…

How Many AIA Continuing Education Credits Do Architects Need Each Year?

AIA Architect and International Associate members need 18 learning units (LUs) each year, and at least 12 of them must be in health, safety and welfare (HSW), according to AIA. Your state license has its own, separate requirement, which may…

Does a Building Product Manufacturer Need to Become an AIA CES Provider?

Does a manufacturer need to become an AIA continuing education provider? Yes. A building product manufacturer that wants to offer AIA-approved courses needs its own AIA continuing education provider subscription and provider number; it cannot run its courses under another…

Is Sponsoring an AIA Continuing Education Course Worth It? How Manufacturers Measure the ROI

Sponsoring an AIA continuing education course usually pays off when you judge it the way you judge a specification program, not an ad buy. The return comes from three things you can count: how many design professionals complete the course,…

Can a Building Product Course Qualify for AIA HSW Credit?

Yes. A course built around a building product can earn AIA health, safety and welfare (HSW) credit when at least 75% of its content, instructional time and learning objectives address HSW topics, and when it teaches rather than sells. If…

Do AIA Course Providers Report Your Credits Automatically?

Yes. When you complete a course from a registered AIA Continuing Education Provider, the provider reports your attendance to AIA, and you should not self-report it. AIA gives providers 10 business days to report, so allow time before you check…

How Do Architects Learn About New Building Products?

Architects learn about new building products mainly through continuing education (lunch-and-learns, webinars and online courses), manufacturer websites and representatives, and recommendations from peers and contractors. Research from NCARB and AIA ranks continuing education as one of the most important channels,…

How Long Is an AIA-Approved Course Valid, and When Does It Need to Be Updated or Resubmitted?

Short answer: An AIA-approved continuing education course can award credit for up to three years from its approval date, and approved courses cannot be renewed. When the three years run out, or when you change a large share of the…

What Is the Fastest Way to Earn AIA Credits Before the Deadline?

The fastest way to earn AIA credits before the December 31 deadline is to check your transcript, book live webinars for any structured hours your state requires, and fill the remaining LU|HSW gap with on-demand online courses; AIA members need…

How Should a Manufacturer Choose an AIA Continuing Education Partner?

A manufacturer chooses a continuing education partner by comparing delivery format range, credential coverage, reporting depth, and course maintenance practice — not catalog size alone. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985 and a two-time recipient…

How Do Manufacturers Get Architects to Attend Their AIA Webinars?

Attendance follows from three things: a course title that names a problem architects have, a credit designation they need, and promotion that reaches design professionals rather than a general audience. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since…

What Is the ROI of Sponsoring an AIA Continuing Education Course?

Return on a sponsored AIA course is measured by comparing total program cost against specification outcomes attributable to it, using a defined attribution window — an exercise complicated by the long gap between education and order. Ron Blank & Associates,…

Can Our Building Product Course Qualify for HSW Credit?

A building product course qualifies for AIA LU|HSW credit when its content addresses the structural soundness or health impacts of a building or building site, its learning objectives are written to HSW outcomes, and it meets the AIA Standards for…