Author an OPA Homestudy

Why should you develop a home study for OPA?
* Educate psychologists about a certain topic area
* Help OPA develop long-distance learning alternatives
* Earn money!

Home study offerings increase the flexibility of continuing education
(CE) and help meet the needs of psychologists who do not have access to traditional CE learning experiences. They also offer cost-efficient and easily accessible continuing professional education without sacrificing quality.

Home study CE programming is a standardized set of learning experiences with fixed content that individuals can participate in off-site, on their own time. Home study programs usually take the form of books and online reading material, accompanied by a test. The Ohio Psychological Association maintains high standards in the design of home study materials to optimize quality educational materials for psychologists engaging in continuing professional education through this method of delivery.

Components of OPA Homestudies
Each OPA developed home study most contain the following components: 1. A structured learning curriculum or syllabus; 2. Two to four learning objectives stating what participants will learn; 3. A statement telling participants they must answer 80% of questions to pass, and tests will be graded within 30 days of receipt; 3. A line stating that the participant took the test and did not receive any outside help, which also must be signed by the participant; 4. Questions (10-15 questions per credit hour) that are a mixture of multiple choice and true and false; 5. An answer key to help OPA grade tests and check for accuracy of questions.

Guidelines for hours of credit
OPA understands that each test will differ on the amount of time it takes to read and answer questions. As a general rule of thumb, 10-15 pages of typed text, in 10 or 12 point font, and 10 questions will equal one hour of continuing education credit. This guideline can be changed depending on the committee's recommendations.

Procedure of determining credit
When a CE program is submitted for consideration, it will be reviewed by psychologists appointed by the Education Committee of OPA. These psychologists will provide feedback about possible changes to the home study, if warranted. They will also determine the number of CE units to be awarded for taking the home study. The psychologists appointed to evaluate a home study will recommend approval or disapproval of the final version of any home study to the Education Committee and to OPA's Mandatory Continuing Education Committee. These committees will make the final determination as to whether or not a particular home study meets APA standards. Once a home study receives approval from the Education and Mandatory Continuing Education Committee, it will be posted for psychologists on the Internet.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please e-mail me at kcrabtree@ohpsych.org. Check out www.ohpsych.org for examples of home study opportunities.