| Distance education courses are programs whereby instruction does not take place in a traditional classroom setting but rather where teacher and student are apart and instruction takes place through other media. Distance education courses include but are not limited to those which are presented through interactive classrooms, computer conferencing, interactive computer and the Internet. Distance education courses may be offered by approved instructors of primary or secondary providers. (1) A primary provider is defined as a course developer who has a proprietary interest in the course. Primary providers may have their own instructors deliver courses and/or may market the courses to secondary providers. If a primary provider offers distance education courses directly to Alabama licensees, the provider shall be a school licensed or approved by the Commission. (2) A secondary provider is defined as a school which obtains a distance education course from a primary provider. The secondary provider shall have approved instructors who are responsible for enrolling students, providing course orientation, monitoring student progress, answering student questions, administering and grading exams, verifying and reporting course completion and verifying student identity. Any school or instructor who provides any of these services, other than administering a final exam, shall be deemed to be a secondary provider. The secondary provider shall be a school licensed or approved by the Commission. (3) Instructors of distance education courses shall be approved by the Alabama Real Estate Commission. Instructors shall not receive approval until they receive the Distance Education Instructor Certification from IDECC (International Distance Education Certification Center), which is a subsidiary of ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials), and submit verification of the certification to the Commission. The Distance Education Instructor Certification shall be renewed and kept current in order for the instructor to continue offering distance education courses. (4) Instructors and schools of the prelicense course shall provide students with licensing requirements and information on how to schedule to take the licensing examination. Instructors and schools of the post license course shall provide students with original salesperson license requirements and an application. (5) All distance education courses developed by approved primary providers shall be approved by the Commission prior to being marketed to secondary providers who will offer the courses to Alabama licensees. Additionally, all distance education courses that will be offered to Alabama licensees by either primary or secondary providers shall be approved by the Commission. Any course containing major content errors or which fails to meet curriculum requirements shall be denied. The revised course may be submitted at a later date along with a new application and course review fee. (6) Approved instructors who submit any distance education course for approval shall submit the Course Summary Certificate number from ARELLO or IDECC along with the course application and fee. For secondary providers, the Course Summary Certificate number from ARELLO or IDECC shall be the same number received by the primary provider. (7) All distance education courses of primary providers shall be certified by ARELLO or IDECC before being submitted to the Commission for approval and shall retain certification in order to retain Commission approval. This includes prelicense, post license and continuing education courses. College credit courses offered through distance education at approved colleges and universities shall be exempt from ARELLO or IDECC certification. (8) Instructors for secondary providers shall only offer courses which primary providers have had certified by ARELLO or IDECC. The instructor for a secondary provider shall not be required to obtain ARELLO or IDECC certification for courses. (9) Instructors of approved distance education courses shall submit to the Commission their procedures for enrolling students, monitoring their progress, answering student questions, administering and grading exams, verifying and reporting course completion and verifying student identity. (10) ARELLO or IDECC certified distance education courses shall follow curriculum requirements as specified by the Commission. Instructors who teach courses developed by another school or organization shall review the course for accuracy and applicability of content prior to submitting it to the Alabama Real Estate Commission for review and approval. (11) Instructors shall give distance education students instructions on how they can electronically submit a course evaluation to the Commission. (12) Distance education courses of primary providers shall continue to be ARELLO or IDECC certified in order to continue their approval with the Alabama Real Estate Commission. If ARELLO or IDECC certification is discontinued for any reason, approval by the Alabama Real Estate Commission shall be simultaneously discontinued for all primary and secondary providers who offer the affected course. (13)The Commission may withdraw approval for any distance education course that is not offered in accordance with Commission requirements for distance education courses. (14) The Commission may withdraw approval or otherwise discipline instructors and schools in accordance with Rule 790-X-1-.17 for any instructor who teaches distance education courses that do not comply with all applicable rules and statutes. (15) In order to successfully complete the prelicense or post license course, students shall take and score a minimum of 70% on a proctored final examination administered in an educational facility by an approved real estate instructor, school administrator or by a qualified person who is not in the real estate business.
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 34-27-6; 34-27-8. |