E-Learning Courseware Certification (ECC) Program

Designed for asynchronous Web-based and multimedia courses, the E-Learning Courseware Certification (ECC) recognizes courses that excel in usability and instructional design. The objectives of the ECC are to:

• Provide certification for e-learning courses that will help facilitate buying decisions for trainers to meet their needs.
• Enable training suppliers to obtain certification indicating their courses meet minimum standards providing them with added market value in a competitive marketplace.
• Contribute to the improvement overall quality of e-learning offerings.

The ECC is the first program established to evaluate the compatibility, interface, and instructional design of e-learning courseware. A paperless operation, the ECC is also the first program to have a workflow tool and reporting tool that is completely Web-based.

The ASTD Certification Standards Committee, composed of e-learning experts, academicians, instructional systems design practitioners, and other learning leaders in the industry, has created the standards that will be used for evaluating courseware. The standards are supported by examples, clarifications, definitions, and other supporting information to assist the evaluators.

Courseware Publishers (referred to as publishers after this) can use the Workflow Tool to set up an initial account, identify the preferred payment method, request courseware evaluations, check the status of submitted requests, and review a list of all their courses that have been certified. They can also use the tool to search for all certified courses.

Courseware Users (referred to as users after this) can use the Workflow Tool to find out more about the ECC and search for courses that have been certified.

For publishers, the step-by-step process for getting your courses evaluated is as follows:

1. Set up an Account
2. Identify the Account Manager(s)
3. Select preferred payment method
4. Complete the request for certification for a course - this includes entering descriptive information about the course. This information will be used in the searchable database of certified courses
5. Once the request is completed and payment is validated, you will submit the URL for the course if it is a Web-based course. If the course is on CD-ROM or DVD, you will be required to send the disk to the ASTD Certification Institute. Complete information is available on the application
6. The course will then be evaluated against the standards, a process that normally takes four to six weeks
7. You will be notified via email of the decision to approve or deny certification or recertification. Information and documentation in connection with this decision and the reasons for the decision (including certification scores) will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed to the applicant company unless the courseware fails to meet the certification or recertification requirements. Only then will the specific information and documentation (including certification scores) be disclosed to the company so that the company may proceed with the Institute's reconsideration, corrective action, and/or appeals process
8. Publishers whose courses are certified will be able to use the ECC logo to promote their certified courses, in accordance with guidelines.

The ECC Program is a program of the ASTD Certification Institute, an ASTD affiliated organization.

Course Certification Fees

For course publishers who submit their courses for review for certification, the following per course application fees apply:

$1,125 for up to two hours of instruction
$2,250 for two to six hours of instruction
$3,750 for six to 16 hours of instruction
$6,000 for more than 16 hours of instruction

In addition to charging for individual courses there is a pricing structure for course publishers to submit their library of courses, a group of courses developed by the same .rev design engine. It will be a requirement for each group of courses to be developed using the same methodology and system. The ASTD Certification Institute staff will work with the publishers to determine the price based on the number of courses in their library.