# Continuing Education > Plans continuing education offerings with credit requirements, course catalogs, and completion tracking systems. - Skill: `reaperinvest/continuing-education` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/continuing-education` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/continuing-education/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/continuing-education --- # Continuing Education ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Plan a continuing education program with structured credit requirements - Build a course catalog with categories, prerequisites, and credit values - Design completion tracking systems for professional development - Create a CE offering to sell to professionals who need ongoing credentials **DO NOT** use this skill for one-off courses, degree programs, or informal learning. This is for structured continuing education with credit tracking and compliance elements. --- ## Core Principle CONTINUING EDUCATION MUST BALANCE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS WITH GENUINE SKILL DEVELOPMENT — THE BEST CE PROGRAMS MAKE PROFESSIONALS BETTER AT THEIR JOBS, NOT JUST CHECK A BOX. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Industry or profession** | "What profession or industry needs these CE credits?" | No default — must be provided | | **Credit requirements** | "How many credits are required per cycle, and what is the cycle length?" | 20 credits per year | | **Accreditation body** | "Is there a governing body that must approve the courses?" | Self-certified (no external body) | | **Delivery format** | "Online, in-person, or hybrid?" | Online self-paced | | **Revenue model** | "Subscription, per-course, or included in membership?" | Per-course purchase | **GATE: Confirm the brief before proceeding.** --- ## Phase 2: Program Architecture ### Credit Structure ``` ## Credit System **Total required:** [X] credits per [cycle length] **Credit categories:** - Core/mandatory: [X credits minimum] - Elective: [X credits] - Ethics/compliance: [X credits if applicable] **Credit calculation:** - 1 credit = 1 hour of instructional content - Live events: [multiplier if applicable] - Self-paced: [completion requirements] ``` ### Course Catalog Structure ``` ## Catalog Categories 1. [Category 1] — [X courses, Y total credits] 2. [Category 2] — [X courses, Y total credits] 3. [Category 3] — [X courses, Y total credits] ## Course Listing Format | Course Title | Category | Credits | Format | Prerequisites | Price | |-------------|----------|---------|--------|--------------|-------| ``` ### Completion Requirements Define what "completing" a course means: - Assessment pass rate (e.g., 80% on post-test) - Minimum time spent (no fast-forwarding through video) - Attendance requirements for live sessions - Certificate generation upon completion **GATE: Present the program architecture for approval.** --- ## Phase 3: Build ### Course Catalog Create 15-25 course listings across all categories: ``` ## [Course Title] **Category:** [Category name] **Credits:** [Number] **Duration:** [Time] **Format:** [Self-paced / Live / Hybrid] **Description:** [2-3 sentences] **Learning objectives:** [3-5 bullet points] **Prerequisites:** [None or specific courses] **Assessment:** [Quiz, project, or attendance-based] ``` ### Tracking System ``` ## Learner Dashboard Requirements - Credit balance (earned vs. required) - Completion history with dates and certificates - Upcoming deadlines (cycle expiration) - Course recommendations based on remaining requirements - Transcript export (PDF) ``` ### Compliance Documentation - Certificate of completion template (include name, course, credits, date, ID number) - Transcript format for reporting to accreditation bodies - Record retention policy (how long records are kept) - Audit trail for credit verification --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Launch Plan ``` ## CE Program Launch Checklist - [ ] Course catalog finalized with at least 1.5x the required credits available - [ ] Tracking system configured and tested - [ ] Certificate template created - [ ] Pricing and payment system ready - [ ] Marketing materials for target professionals - [ ] FAQ document addressing common compliance questions - [ ] Support process for credit disputes or technical issues ``` ### 2. Growth Plan - Add 5-10 new courses per quarter - Retire outdated courses annually - Survey completers for topic requests - Track most-popular and least-popular courses to guide creation ### 3. Quality Metrics ``` ## Track Quarterly - Course completion rates (target: 80%+) - Assessment pass rates (target: 85%+) - Learner satisfaction scores (target: 4.2+/5) - Credit compliance rate (% of learners meeting requirements on time) - Revenue per learner ``` --- ## Example 1: Marketing Professional CE Program ``` Categories: Digital Marketing (8 credits), Analytics (4 credits), Strategy (4 credits), Ethics (4 credits) Sample courses: "AI in Marketing Ethics" (2 credits), "Advanced Google Analytics" (3 credits) Cycle: 20 credits per calendar year ``` ## Example 2: Financial Advisor CE Program ``` Categories: Regulatory (10 credits), Product Knowledge (5 credits), Ethics (5 credits), Elective (10 credits) Cycle: 30 credits per 2-year period Requirement: At least 5 credits from live instruction ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Box-checking culture** — designing courses that are easy to pass but teach nothing destroys the program's reputation. - **Not enough course variety** — if learners must take the same courses every cycle, they disengage. Offer 2x the required credits in options. - **No deadline reminders** — professionals procrastinate. Send reminders at 75%, 50%, and 25% of the cycle remaining. - **Manual tracking** — spreadsheet-based tracking breaks at scale. Build or use a proper LMS with credit tracking. - **Ignoring mobile** — many professionals complete CE on their phone during downtime. Ensure mobile compatibility. --- ## Recovery - **No accreditation body exists:** Create an internal certification with clear standards. Market the credential's value based on course quality and industry recognition. - **User unsure how many credits to require:** Research comparable programs in the industry. Default to 20 credits per year as a reasonable starting point. - **Not enough content for a full catalog:** Launch with 10 courses covering mandatory categories. Add electives quarterly. - **Learners not completing on time:** Implement a grace period with late completion options. Add automated reminders starting 90 days before deadline.