Glossary of COPE Terms

ADMINISTRATOR
APPROVAL
ARBO
COPE
COURSE
COURSE CATEGORY
COURSE DEMOGRAPHICS
    Course Description
    Course Format
    Course Outline
    Curriculum Vitae (CV)
COURSE NUMBER
CREDIT HOUR
FINANCIAL/PROPRIETARY SUPPORT
INSTRUCTOR
    Principal Instructor
    Co-Instructor
    Adjunct Instructor
QUALIFICATION
REVIEWER
URGENT COURSE APPROVAL

ADMINISTRATOR

The organization, group, or entity assuming overall responsibility for program planning, promotion, on-site administration, and financial management. The Administrator handles all attendee registration, prepares any program handouts, and is responsible for all on-site logistical details for a meeting.

APPROVAL

The status, COPE Approved Course, applies only when a COPE Qualified Administrator presents a COPE Qualified Course. The COPE logo, which is issued by COPE to a Qualified Administrator, can be used only to identify a COPE Approved Course. Approval is assigned separately for each meeting/conference offered by an Administrator when the final list of selected courses is submitted to COPE.

ARBO

Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit association of regulatory boards of optometry. ARBO's mission is to represent and assist member licensing agencies in regulating the practice of optometry for the public welfare. ARBO created COPE in 1995 as a service to its member boards; COPE is entirely administered from ARBO's administrative offices.

COPE

The Council on Optometric Practitioner Education, a service of the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO).

COURSE

A structured, educational event specifically designed to impart new knowledge, shared experiences or factual evidence, which is used maintain the level of optometric competence consistent with the statutory requirements of a given state law defining optometry.

COURSE CATEGORY - Category Definition Guide

Each COPE Qualified Course is categorized into one of 15 generalized content areas developed by COPE to meet the CE requirements for practitioner re-licensure of participating boards of optometry. The instructor, according to the major emphasis of the course content, categorizes each course; courses may be reallocated to a different content area by COPE during the review process, or at any point subsequent to its acceptance. All COPE Approved courses appearing in promotional materials or programs must carry the COPE logo, course ID#, and course category. The category must also appear on the documentation provided to course attendees, along with the COPE ID#, for boards of optometry to use when verifying CE credit for license renewal.

COURSE DEMOGRAPHICS

Key course information critical to the categorization, processing, and review of a course submitted to COPE. Much of this information is entered into a database and is made available to state boards of optometry (attendance and course authentication), program administrators (future program planning), and general practitioners (future CE program attendance planning).

Course Description. This is a brief statement of what the instructor(s) intends to present. It is a thumbnail sketch summarizing the course in 35 words or less, which is suitable for publishing.

Course Format. The method used to physically teach a course (i.e., Live, Video, Audio, DVD/CD-ROM, Satellite, Written, or Internet/Online.

Course Presentation. The method used to present the information in a course, (i.e., Lecture, Interactive/Workshop, Panel, Symposia/Scientific Lectures, Grand Rounds, Correspondence, or Internet/Online). More than one presentation method can be used in a course.

Course Outline. A Course Outline is a basic guide to the key learning elements contained in a course. Usually laid out in bullet format, a Course Outline should be in sufficient detail so as to permit either the participant or an observer the ability to clearly follow along throughout the presentation. An outline can be considered sufficiently detailed if an observer is able to enter the presentation and after 5 or 10 minutes be able to locate where in the outline the presenter is. As a rough guide, a 1-½ to 2 page outline is typical for a one-hour course.

Curriculum Vitae. A CV is a detailed chronological history of a person's educational and teaching experience, and professional accomplishments which qualifies the instructor to teach the course (NOT a biographical sketch).

COURSE NUMBER

Each course is given a unique identification number when it becomes COPE Qualified. If the course is discontinued after Qualification for any reason, the number is not used for another course. The number consists of up to five digits followed by two letters, which indicates the content area for the course, i.e., 5344-PH, where 'PH' indicates the course content area as Pharmacology. When such a Qualified course becomes COPE Approved, (i.e., it is being presented by a COPE Qualified Administrator), this number can be used in promotional materials (with the COPE symbol) for reference purposes. Space for this number must also be available on any documentation provided to a doctor for submission to a state board, such as an attendance slip for the course. This is necessary as state boards require the COPE ID# when the course documentation is submitted to authenticate the course with COPE records; only then will states award CE credit for license renewal.

CREDIT HOUR

One (1) hour of CE credit is based on 50 minutes of instructional time. COPE only accepts for review courses of at least one (1) in duration. Additional increments of credit are in 0.5 hours, where 0.5 hour of credit is based on 25 minutes of instructional time. For example, 1.5 hours of credit = a minimum of 75 minutes of instruction; 2.0 hours of credit = a minimum of 100 minutes of instruction, etc.

FINANCIAL/PROPRIETARY SUPPORT

Instructors must disclose on the course application any direct financial or proprietary interests they may have in any of the companies, products, pharmaceuticals or services mentioned, or intended to mention, in a presentation. Instructors must also disclose if they provide for-profit support of any kind, are a paid consultant to, an employee of, or serve as an officer on the board of companies mentioned in a presentation. This information must also be disclosed at the beginning of a presentation to the audience in a clear and unambiguous manner, both verbally, and included in any written course handout/outline.

Additionally, COPE must be notified in writing if the financial/proprietary information disclosed on a course application changes at any time during the three-year qualification period of a course.

INSTRUCTOR

The person (or persons) who actually teach the course, and who assumes responsibility for the educational content and method of presentation of the course.

Principal Instructor. The principal instructor is considered by COPE as the key individual identified with the course, and is the individual who submits the course material to COPE for review and receives all correspondence regarding its disposition.

Co-Instructor. A co-instructor is an individual who, in conjunction with a principal instructor, may assist and participate in the presentation of a course, but also has the necessary qualifications to give the course independently of the principal instructor should the principal instructor be unavailable due to extenuating circumstances.

Adjunct Instructor. An adjunct instructor is an individual whose main function is to support the principal instructor with the presentation or preparation of a course. An adjunct instructor may or may not be present to assist with the presentation of a course, however, an adjunct instructor cannot, under any circumstance, present a course in place, or in the absence of, the principal instructor.

QUALIFICATION

COPE Qualification takes two forms:

Courses submitted by instructors directly to COPE are reviewed, and if they meet the criteria established by COPE, they are designated COPE Qualified Courses. Visit the Downloads page to obtain a copy of COPE's Information & Application for Course Qualification for complete information.

Providers of CE who agree to abide by COPE's Criteria for Administrator Qualification and who submit a CE Event Reporting Form are designated COPE Qualified Administrators. Visit the Downloads page to obtain a copy of COPE's Information & Application for Administrator Qualification for complete information.

Qualification of courses is awarded for a term of three (3) years from the date the statement of qualification is issued by COPE. Renewal of Qualification must occur prior to the conclusion of the qualification period.

REVIEWER

A COPE recognized and state board-endorsed optometrist who has volunteered to review courses for qualification. Reviewers serve indefinitely and are not compensated for their service. Reviewers are required to examine in detail the course materials submitted to COPE, determine if it is in compliance with the Criteria for Course Qualification, and, where necessary, provide appropriate guidance for modification or adjustment.

URGENT COURSE APPROVAL

The standard processing time for course processing is 30 days upon receipt at the COPE office. An additional fee of $100 is required for courses submitted under the 30-day requirement, with a request for urgent processing. In any event no course will be accepted with request for review in less than 10 days.