| Suppose in a few months you will be renewing your | | | | work, in the library |
| Professional Engineering license. Going through the | | | | - Courses are available 24/7 |
| checklist, you notice that you need continuing | | | | - You can read the material online or download them |
| education courses. Oh no, there is not enough time | | | | for reading later |
| left to register for a college class or find a | | | | Flexibility |
| convention or seminar in your local area. What are | | | | - Online courses are student-centered by |
| you going to do? What about online? Are there any | | | | accommodating your preferences and needs |
| websites offering engineering courses? Yes, there | | | | - Choose instructor-led or self-study courses |
| are. You have found several websites, but will your | | | | - Skip over material you already know and focus on |
| State Licensure Board accept these courses? And | | | | topics you'd like to learn |
| what is the difference between a Continuing | | | | - Use the tools best suited to your learning styles |
| Education Unit (CEU) and Professional Development | | | | Selection |
| Hour (PDH)? | | | | - Courses available in all engineering disciplines, ethics, |
| For the most part engineers are very conservative | | | | and managerial |
| when it comes to trying something new. Although | | | | - Courses are available for the individual as while as |
| online engineering courses have been around for | | | | the group |
| more than a decade, many engineers may not think | | | | Cost |
| of obtaining their professional development hours | | | | - Some courses are free |
| through a course on the internet. There are many | | | | - Many courses are available in a wide range of prices |
| advantages to this form of continuing education. | | | | - No travel expenses |
| If you are like me, you have paid many thousands of | | | | - No lodging expenses |
| dollars for continuing education over the years. | | | | - No lost work hours |
| Conventions and seminars can cost $300 to $500 a | | | | Accreditation |
| day for registration, and then there is the cost of | | | | - Engineering continuing education courses credit the |
| meals, lodging and travel expenses. Even if you are | | | | engineer with Professional Development Hours (PDH) |
| lucky and the convention is in your home town, you | | | | or Continuing Education Units (CEU) |
| still will have lost time at the office. There has to be | | | | - Many courses are accredited, but in most states |
| a better way to obtaining continuing education units. | | | | this is not a requirement |
| Of course, you could take a continuing education | | | | - It is the responsibility of the engineer to ensure the |
| course at a college or university. These classes are | | | | course meets the state requirements |
| usually designed to appeal to a mass audience and | | | | As you can see, online courses have many benefits |
| are rarely specific enough for engineering. The better | | | | that are well suited for the engineer. With online |
| technique is to take an actually college engineering | | | | courses the engineer can quickly obtain the number |
| course, but that can consume a lot of time. | | | | of PDH or CEU required for licensing renewal and to |
| Since much of engineering can be observed or read, | | | | gain the necessary knowledge in technical applications. |
| online study courses can have some major | | | | In this article we have discussed why online |
| advantages over the traditional sources of continuing | | | | continuing education courses are a good benefit for |
| education. | | | | the engineer. Although there are number of other |
| Convenience | | | | sources, the benefits of online learning are far more |
| - Online courses are available on you own schedule | | | | convenient and less expensive. Online websites offer |
| - Self-paced - You can learn as fast or as slow as | | | | many engineering courses; technical, ethical, and |
| you want | | | | managerial. For the most part these courses are |
| - Does not require your physical presence at location | | | | acceptable to State Licensure Boards for renewing |
| of the seminar | | | | Professional Engineering licenses. |
| - You can study wherever you want to - At home, | | | | |