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Every state in the US requires insurance adjusters and agents to undergo continuing education and earn a minimum number of credits every few years in order to maintain their professional licensing. There are several different approaches offered by a multitude of vendors to address this need in the market.

Traditionally, insurance professionals earned their continuing education credits by attending classes in person and taking written exams. This often required travel to a distant location, and it always meant time away from the job. Over the past 10 years, online insurance CE courses have gained widespread acceptance due to their lower cost and far greater convenience. At a time when almost everyone knows how to use a computer and a web browser, it just doesn’t make a lot of economic sense to spend hours in a classroom when the same benefit can be achieved from one’s home or office in one’s spare time.

There are numerous vendors offering online insurance CE credits and courses. Using a search engine, you can find a half-dozen of them or more very quickly. But it’s difficult to gauge from their websites which one offers the program that would best meet your needs. Certainly, the price of the course is one key differentiator, but buying the lowest cost course is not always the best option. Moreover, some vendors add hidden charges and fees that are only revealed toward the end of the sales process, or even at the time when the courses are being taken.

There are several questions you should ask that can help you determine which online continuing education vendor is right for your needs.

What format is the course presented in? Some online courses consist of little more than transcribed text on the computer screen. It can be difficult to follow the material and stay focused on the content when it is presented in this way. If possible, view an online demo or try to take a sample course before committing to a specific vendor. If you find the material boring or hard to follow in the sample or demo, you will probably have a hard time getting much benefit from the actual courses.

If the presentation is in a slide format, such as a Powerpoint presentation, do the slides contain diagrams or images which help to reinforce the textual content? These kinds of presentations can be very useful in helping the student understand the course material.

Do the courses support audio? Different people learn different things in different ways. Some people are visual learners and need to see examples, pictures, and bulleted text. Others tend to learn primarily through audio presentations. Most people use a combination of visual and auditory cues to assimilate knowledge. Some vendors provide audio with every slide in a course. This is very advantageous, especially if the audio can be downloaded in MP3 format or to an iPod, which allows the student to listen while driving, for example. This can be a real timesaver.

Are courses divided into modules? People tend to learn in chunks. That is why books have chapters and courses have lessons. A well-designed online insurance CE course will have sample questions at the end of each module to reinforce the learning experience. While these questions are optional, they provide an indication as to the level of information that has been retained. In this way, the person taking the course will have a better estimate of whether they are ready to take the exam.

Another important area to investigate is the total cost of the course. Some vendors charge fees over and above the cost of the actual course, such as an additional fee to take the exam. If the exam is not passed successfully, does the course provider allow for free retakes? The whole reason for completing a course successfully is to obtain the insurance CE credits that are required in order to retain your professional license. Be certain that the price you are quoted includes the price of the exam and includes the cost of retakes, if necessary.

Another factor to consider is the cost of filing your insurance CE credits with the state insurance department. Is this included in the cost of your course? Many states allow for the course provider to report the credits but often a fee is charged for this service. Other vendors will include this fee in the cost of the course, for some it is a hidden charge that you don’t find out about until you have already purchased your course materials.

One last point is to determine if there is a way to check on the status of your insurance CE credits. Each state has certain requirements which often include a list of mandatory classes that need to be taken periodically. It is pretty easy to lose track of which classes have been completed with regard to your states requirements. Some online providers offer a means to check and update your individual record of completed courses and earned credits. This is very helpful as each years compliance requirements become fulfilled, especially if you end up changing your employment.

When searching for an insurance continuing education provider, you should ask questions that will help you find the one that best meets your cost, content, and convenience needs.

Bruce MacMillian is the President and CEO of CEU.com. CEU offers multimedia-rich online courses to help licensed insurance professionals maintain their online insurance continuing education credits requirements.