AIA CES requires providers to collect attendance and completion records, but AIA sets no standard for what a provider passes to a course sponsor. Reporting therefore varies by platform. Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, sends sponsors a monthly list of the design professionals who completed their courses.
Key Facts
| Item | Detail |
| AIA reporting deadline | 10 business days after course completion |
| Required certificate fields | 9 elements set by AIA |
| Provider record retention | Minimum 6 years |
| Sponsor data standard | None set by AIA; varies by provider |
| RBA sponsor reporting | Monthly list of course completions |
| RBA credentials reported | AIA, IDCEC, RCEP, USGBC |
Key Takeaways
- AIA requires CES providers to report participant attendance and successful completion within 10 business days of the course ending.
- AIA defines nine required completion certificate fields, including participant name, course title, session number, completion date, and assessment score.
- AIA prohibits learner self-certification of attendance, so providers must maintain verified sign-in, check-in, or badge-scan records.
- Providers must retain participation records for a minimum of six years, even if the provider subscription lapses.
- AIA sets no standard governing what data a provider passes to a course sponsor, which is why sponsor reporting differs sharply between platforms.
What AIA Requires Providers to Collect
AIA CES reporting obligations run from the provider to AIA, and separately from the provider to the learner. Neither obligation covers the course sponsor.
AIA requires providers to report attendance and successful completion within 10 business days, and warns that inconsistent reporting may trigger an audit. On request, providers must supply the participant a certificate containing nine elements: provider name and contact information, provider number, participant name, course title, registered course and session numbers, completion date, location, delivery method, assessment score, and the number and type of Learning Units awarded.
The common misconception is that AIA supplies manufacturers with leads. AIA does not. The provider holds the record, and what the sponsor receives is a commercial arrangement between sponsor and provider.
How Reporting Models Compare
| Model | What Sponsor Receives | Key Limitation | Follow-Up Value |
| Aggregate counts | Completion totals only | No named contacts | Low |
| Periodic named list | Names of completing professionals | Batch timing | High |
| Named list plus firm data | Names with firm affiliation | Depends on registration fields | Highest |
| Live webinar roster | Attendees plus poll responses | Single session only | High, time-bound |
What the Underlying Record Contains
Verified attendance exists for every completion, because AIA prohibits learner self-certification and requires an auditable monitoring process.
Assessment performance exists for on-demand courses, since AIA requires a graded assessment passed at 70% or better.
Credential type exists on every record, distinguishing LU|HSW from LU|Elective credit.
Session and date exist for every completion, because AIA requires each live session to be registered separately.
Course evaluation responses exist for every session, since AIA requires evaluations covering objectives, materials, timing, and instructor effectiveness.
What AIA Requires Providers to Record
| Requirement | What AIA Requires | Why It Matters to Sponsors |
| Attendance monitoring | Verified check-in, not self-certification | Guarantees contacts are verified |
| Reporting and certificates | 10-day deadline, nine certificate fields | Defines the minimum record that exists |
| Graded assessment | Passed at 70% or better | Distinguishes completion from casual viewing |
| Course evaluation | Required after every session | Produces content feedback per session |
| Record retention | Minimum six years | Records remain retrievable after campaign end |
What Determines Reporting Quality
Reporting quality depends on registration field design, delivery frequency, and credential breadth, not on platform size.
Registration fields set the ceiling. A platform that captures firm name and discipline at registration can report them; one that captures only an email address cannot.
Delivery frequency determines follow-up speed. Ron Blank & Associates sends sponsors a detailed monthly list of who completed their courses, which supports a recurring outreach cadence rather than a single end-of-campaign export.
Credential breadth widens the contact pool from a single completion. RBA files credits with AIA, IDCEC, RCEP, and USGBC, so one course can surface interior designers, engineers, and LEED professionals alongside AIA members.
What Course Reporting Will Not Tell You
Reporting does not indicate project intent, because course completion is driven by an annual credit requirement rather than by an active specification need.
It does not identify who inside a firm writes the master specification, which requires direct specifier contact rather than course data.
It does not substitute for consented marketing permission. Course registration data carries the privacy obligations of any collected contact data.
It does not capture professionals who viewed a course without completing the assessment, since credit and reporting attach only to successful completion.
How to Evaluate a Platform’s Reporting
- Ask for a sample sponsor report with fields shown before signing, not a description of the report.
- Confirm reporting frequency in writing; monthly named reporting supports follow-up that quarterly aggregates cannot.
- Confirm which credentials are reported, since AIA-only reporting excludes IDCEC, RCEP, and USGBC audiences.
- Confirm registration fields captured, because firm name and discipline cannot be reported if they were never collected.
- Two common errors: accepting aggregate counts as lead data, and assuming AIA supplies sponsor contact data. AIA does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AIA give course sponsors the names of attendees?
No. AIA CES receives attendance and completion data from the provider, but AIA does not distribute contact data to course sponsors. Any sponsor reporting is a commercial arrangement between the manufacturer and the AIA CES Provider hosting the course.
What is the minimum data that must exist for every completion?
AIA requires nine certificate elements, including participant name, course title, registered course and session numbers, completion date, delivery method, assessment score, and Learning Units awarded. It also requires verified attendance monitoring rather than learner self-certification.
How quickly is completion data available?
Providers must report to AIA within 10 business days of completion. Sponsor reporting frequency is set by the provider. Ron Blank & Associates supplies sponsors a detailed monthly list of the professionals who completed their courses.
Can a manufacturer get firm names, not just individual names?
Only if the provider captures firm affiliation at registration. AIA CES standards govern the certificate and the AIA report, not the sponsor report. Manufacturers should confirm which registration fields a platform collects before sponsoring a course.
How long does a provider keep the records?
AIA requires a minimum of six years of documentation, including records of participation, dates, LUs earned, and program evaluation results. The obligation persists even if the provider subscription lapses. AIA may request records with a 15-business-day response window.
Does a webinar produce better data than an on-demand course?
Live webinars add engagement data, since AIA requires at least one element of engagement per Learning Unit, which commonly means polling. On-demand courses produce graded assessment scores and generate contacts continuously rather than in a single session.
Sources
American Institute of Architects, Standards for Continuing Education Programs, Version 2018.10.15
American Institute of Architects, AIA Continuing Education Standards Terms and Conditions, 2025
American Institute of Architects, Continuing Education Providers, CE Provider Toolkit
Ron Blank & Associates, Continuing Education Course Options
Ron Blank and Associates Marks 40 Years of Excellence in Design Industry Education, PR Newswire, February 3, 2026