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Continuing Education Courses

OptiCampus provides online continuing education courses in ophthalmic optics, lenses, and dispensing. These courses are available at no charge, though if you would like to earn continuing education credits for the courses, nominal fees will generally apply. To review a course, simply visit the Continuing Education Courses page, and select (by clicking) the Name of the desired course.

Continuing Education Credits

Many of the courses at OptiCampus may be approved for continuing education (CE) credit from various certification bodies, including the American Board of Opticianry (ABO), National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE), and the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). When continuing education credit is available for a course, the type of credit and number of credit hours will be identified in the course listing of the Continuing Education Courses page. Generally, you will be required to take a short test in order to earn the continuing education credits.

For example, the ABO requires you to take a test with at least 15 questions for each credit hour. In order to receive the ABO CE Credit(s), you must achieve a passing score of 70% on this CE Test. Consequently, a course approved for 2 ABO CE Credits would have an accompanying CE Test with 30 questions—21 of which you must answer correctly to earn the credits.

If you have questions concerning the type or number of continuing education credits required to maintain your certification, you should contact the appropriate certification agency.

In order to earn continuing education credits, follow these simple steps:

1. From the Continuing Education Courses page, select a course that offers the desired CE Credit and course level by clicking the Name of the course. Review the course thoroughly.
2. From the Continuing Education Courses page, create a new User Profile and register your Username, Password, and contact information by clicking the User Profile link.
3. From the Continuing Education Courses page, add the desired course to your Shopping Cart by clicking the Add to Cart link.
4. From the Shopping Cart page, process your purchase by clicking the Check-out Cart link.
5. From the Continuing Education Courses page, access and complete your CE Test by clicking the Take Test Now link.

Once you have passed the CE Test, the CE Credit will be mailed to you within 48 hours. Please allow for adequate delivery time.

User Profile and Sign-In Settings

A User Profile is required in order to sign in and take OptiCampus continuing education courses for credit. This User Profile will allow OptiCampus to store your Shopping Cart and CE Test information.

In order to register your User Profile with OptiCampus, you must complete the User Profile form by entering a Username, Password, and your contact details. Access the User Profile form by clicking the Create Profile link on the Sign In page or by selecting the User Profile menu option.

Once you have created a User Profile, you can Sign In to OptiCampus whenever you visit. Note that you do not have to create a User Profile or sign in if you only plan to review the courses—not earn CE credits.

You can edit and update your contact information, Username, and Password at any time by clicking the Edit Profile Settings link on the Continuing Education Courses page or User Profile page.

If you forget your Username or Password settings to sign in, you can also retrieve your settings using your e-mail address by clicking the Retrieve Now button on the Access Your Shopping Cart (Sign In) page. You will be directed to the Retrieve Login Settings form.

Purchasing CE Credits

A valid credit card is required for purchasing continuing credits from OptiCampus. All major credit cards are accepted, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Diners Club. Your transaction will be processed over a secure server to protect your privacy and security.

In order to purchase continuing education credits, follow these simple steps:

1. From the Continuing Education Courses page, add the desired course to your Shopping Cart by clicking the Add to Cart button.
2. From the Shopping Cart page, process your purchase by clicking the Checkout Cart button.
3. From the myPaySystems credit card transaction page, complete your purchase by entering your billing information and clicking the Process Transaction button.

Once the transaction has been approved, you may proceed with earning the continuing credit. This will generally require you to pass a continuing education test in order to demonstrate to the certification agency that you have actually reviewed and understood the content of the course.

PLEASE NOTE:

• All transactions are final.
• You cannot receive a refund once you have taken the CE Test for credit.
• If you fail the CE Test for credit, you will be allowed one free retake (that is, you may take the CE Test again once more at no charge).

If you do not have a credit card, contact the OptiCampus Staff to discuss alternative payment methods.

CE Course Level

Each continuing education course at OptiCampus has a course level associated with it. This course level is an indication of the level of difficulty of the content and its associated CE Test, and should serve as guidance in determining the intended audience level of the course.

If you are an experienced optician or possess an ABO Master's certification, intermediate and advanced level courses will provide you with a greater challenge and will generally cover topics in greater depth. If you have less experience, or if you feel that you do not possess the suggested prerequisites for a given course, basic level courses may be more suitable for you.

Taking and Retaking the Test

Once you have purchased CE Credit for a course, you are free to take its accompanying continuing education test. Note that CE Credit cannot be issued until you have successfully passed the CE Test. Certification agencies require you to demonstrate that you have reviewed and understood the content of the course by completing a test of specified length.

You will be given two hours per credit hour to complete the CE Test. For instance, you will be given 4 hours to complete a test worth 2 hours of CE Credit.

In order to take the continuing education test, follow these simple steps:

1. From the Continuing Education Courses page, begin the CE Test by clicking the appropriate Take Test Now link.
2. From the Take Your CE Test page, review the CE Course if necessary by clicking the Review Course button.
3. From the Take Your CE Test page, complete the multiple choice test by clicking the appropriate radio buttons.
4. From the Take Your CE Test page, submit your answers once you are finished by clicking the Grade Test button.

Once you have submitted your CE Test, your test results will be provided automatically and the OptiCampus staff will be notified.

Please note that, while at OptiCampus we have tried to make this testing process as easy and as efficient as possible, you are expected to have reviewed the course content before taking the CE Test. There are no "trick" questions on these tests, and all of the answers should be readily available within the course content.

Also note that the CE Test questions are randomized. However, you will be provided with the questions you missed, as well as the correct answers, once you have submitted your CE Test.

You cannot receive a refund once you have taken the CE Test for credit. If you fail the CE Test for credit, you will be allowed one free retake (that is, you may take the CE Test again once more at no charge).

In order to retake a CE Test you have failed, from the Continuing Education Courses page, begin the CE Test again by clicking the Retake Test link.

Your Shopping Cart

Your Shopping Cart tracks the CE Credits for courses that you have selected for purchase. You can access the Your Shopping Cart page from the Continuing Education Courses page. While you can add CE Courses for credit to your Shopping Cart at any time, you will need to either create a new User Profile or Sign In if you have already registered before you can process your order.

From the Your Shopping Cart Page, you can remove any CE Courses that have been added to it by clicking the Remove link associated with it. You can also finish processing (or checking out) your order from the Your Shopping Cart Page by clicking the Checkout Cart button. Processing your Shopping Cart will require you to complete a credit card transaction.

Once you have processed the CE Credit(s) in your Shopping Cart, you are free to take their accompanying CE Test(s), which you can access from the Continuing Education Courses Page. If you have questions about purchasing and processing CE Courses for credit, refer to the Purchasing CE Credits help topic.

Copyrights

All course content is copyrighted by the individual authors. General content on OptiCampus is copyrighted by Darryl J. Meister. No part of the content on OptiCampus may be reproduced, distributed, or stored electronically, in any form, without prior written consent from the author.