Section R4-46-506. Minimum Standards for Course Approval

The Superintendent shall approve a course only if the course owner submits the following materials and documents with the application for approval required under R4-46-504 and demonstrates the course, including a course presented by distance education, meets the following minimum standards:

1.        Course description. Clearly describe the subject matter content of the course.

2.        Summary outline. Identify major topics and the number of classroom hours devoted to each.

3.        Prerequisites. Specify necessary prerequisites for any course other than a course on:

a.         Introductory real estate appraisal principles and practices; and

b.        Appraisal standards and ethics.

4.        Learning objectives. Specific learning objectives shall:

a.         State clearly the specific knowledge and skills stu- dents are expected to acquire by completing the course;

b.        Be consistent with the course description required under subsection (1);

c.         Be consistent with the instructional materials described in subsection (5);

d.        Be achievable in the number of hours allotted for the course;

e.         If for qualifying education, specify the required core curriculum, module subtopic, and number of course hours; and

f.         If for continuing education, specify the appraisal topic and number of course hours.

5.        Instructional materials. Instructional materials used by students shall:

a.         Cover the subject matter in sufficient depth to achieve the learning objectives specified in subsec- tion (4);

b.        Reflect current knowledge and practice in the field of appraisal;

c.         Contain no significant errors;

d.        Use correct grammar and spelling;

e.         Be written in a clear, concise, and understandable manner;

f.         Be in a format that facilitates learning; and

g.        Be bound or packaged and produced in a quality manner.

6.        Examinations for qualifying education courses. Qualify- ing education courses shall include a series of examina- tions, a comprehensive final examination, or both. A course examination shall:

a.         Contain enough questions to assess adequately whether a student acquired knowledge of the subject matter covered by the course;

b.        Contain questions directed towards assessing whether students achieved the learning objectives specified in subsection (4);

c.         Be allotted sufficient time for students to complete;

d.        Contain questions on information adequately addressed in the instructional material required under subsection (5);

e.         Contain questions that are written in a clear, accu- rate, and unambiguous manner;

f.         Contain questions for which the intended answer is clearly the best answer choice;

g.        Be proctored and close-book; and

h.        Have a criterion for passing that is announced before the examination is given.

7.        Instructor qualifications policy. The course owner has a written policy that requires use of instructors who meet at least one of the following:

a.         Has a baccalaureate degree in any field and at least three years of experience directly related to the sub- ject matter to be taught;

b.        Has a master’s degree in any field and one year of experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught;

c.         Has a master’s or higher degree in a field directly related to the subject matter to be taught;

d.        Has at least five years of real estate appraisal teach- ing experience directly related to the subject matter to be taught; or

e.         Has at least seven years of real estate appraisal expe- rience directly related to the subject matter to be taught.

8.        Required policies. The course owner shall have the fol- lowing written policies:

a.         Attendance policy that ensures student attendance is verified.

i.         Stipulate that to receive credit, a student must be present for the entire course,

ii.        Include the instructor’s name on the attendance record, and

iii.      Maintain attendance records for five years;

b.        Scheduling policy.

i.         Provide that a student may participate in a max- imum of eight hours of instruction in a day, and

ii.        Provide that appropriate breaks are included during each class session;

c.         Completion certificate policy.

i.         Require that a signed and dated completion cer- tificate be issued promptly to all students who complete a course; and

ii.        Require that a completion certificate contain all information required on the form of certifica- tion provided by the Department.

Historical Note

New Section made by final rulemaking at 21 A.A.R.

1675, effective October 6, 2015 (Supp. 15-3).