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Texas Department of Insurance
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Course instruction methods

Classroom (live)

May include webinars, seminars, lectures, audio, video, computer-based instruction, and teleconferences.

  • A disinterested third-party or third-party attendant, or an instructor using visual observation technology must visually monitor attendance either inside or at all exits.
  • At least one instructor and three students must be in the same location; however, in remote presentations, all students and instructor do not need to be in the same location.
  • In the case of presenting recorded or text materials, the instructor making the live course presentation does not have to be the same instructor included on the recorded presentation or who prepared the text materials.
  • Classroom course pace is always set by instructor. TDI awards credit at the rate of one hour for every 50 minutes of actual instruction time (does not include breaks, time spent eating, introduction of speakers, explanatory instructions, or evaluation of course). Courses must be at least one credit hour long and must not exceed 24 hours.
  • Question and Answer Discussion Period must be conducted at the same location or must be live, to allow for immediate inquiries/responses from students.
  • One-time events must meet the TAC requirements of a classroom course, unless the course is offered in a lecture/seminar format at events such as conventions or organizational meetings. The event may be presented by both instructors and/or speakers. It should be designed as a single live presentation, but providers may offer the course an additional three times per year within Texas.

Note: Texas allows both methods of delivery in the same course. In Texas, you do not need two separate courses to offer the content via traditional classroom and webinar; rather, you may have both available in one course, provided you submit a webinar narrative. For all classroom courses that are not taught in a traditional classroom setting, TDI requires information on how the delivery meets all classroom rules set forth in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC).

Two classroom methods

  1. Traditional classroom (lecture/seminar/workshop).

  2. Online training/webinar.

    Webinar Narrative: Describe how the online delivery meets each of the classroom requirements listed in Title 28 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 19.1009(g)(1-4). You must address the following questions:

    1. Will a disinterested third party or course instructor visually monitor student attendance at all times during the presentation?
    2. Will there be at least three students and an instructor present during the presentation?
    3. Is there a Q&A period that allows for immediate student inquiries and responses from the instructor?
    4. Is the course pace set by the instructor (no independent student completion)?

Classroom equivalent

May include independent study, pre-recorded with interactive components; may be online, CD-ROM, DVD, or other computer-based presentations.

  1. Must be 50 minutes in length for each one hour in credit. Will not approve more than 24 credit hours.
  2. May never have more than one student at any one presentation of the course.
  3. Must have means to reasonably authenticate student’s identities on an hourly basis, including upon entering, during, and exiting course.
  4. Must have an interactive component:
    1. Must provide at least four interactive multiple-choice questions, called ‘inquiry periods’ during each hour of the course with one inquiry period at the end of the course. Provider must have at least two sets of inquiry questions per inquiry period that can be rotated.
    2. Inquiry periods shall occur at regular/evenly spaced intervals and ask questions regarding material presented in the previous section only.
    3. Student must answer 70% of the inquiry period questions correctly before the student is allowed to move on to the next section/complete the course.
    4. Course identifies incorrect responses/explanations of correct answer and will generate different set of questions until 70% accuracy is reached.
    5. The student must have means to transmit their final course results to the provider so the provider can issue a Certificate of Completion.
  5. Must indicate how the requested hours were calculated. For information on how to calculate hours, please review the credit hour calculation page.

Self-study

Independent, self-paced correspondence/ distance learning.
  1. May include textbook, audio, video, or computer-based instruction.
  2. Must be an independent study setting designed in such a manner as to ensure that the course cannot be completed by the typical enrollee in less time than the period for which the course is certified to the department.
  3. Example of self-study: Read these 3 chapters that will take approximately 50 minutes. 1 credit hour.  
  4. Must be 50 minutes in length for one hour of credit. Will not approve more than 12 credit hours.  
  5. Must indicate how the requested hours were calculated. For information on how to calculate hours, please review the credit hour calculation page.

Questions?

Last updated: 3/24/2025