Course and Curriculum Information

What is the general approach of your courses? Our courses provide students with web-based environmental training to assist environmental professionals in the following tasks:

Our on-line courses provide training and services at YOUR convenience. But, more importantly, our objective is that you learn the principles set out in the course.  To achieve this goal, our courses examine topics in great detail.  And, we involve you, the student, in the learning process by including interactive exercises.  

What are the styles of the courses that you offer?  Our courses are primarily text-based.  We also incorporate graphics to illustrate certain principles and for general interest.  The most important part of our courses are the interactive exercises.  As students work through courses and complete each exercise, they learn the principles.  We have technical reviewers that evaluate student responses to each exercise, and these technical reviewers provide students with feedback and additional activities that help students master the materials.  

Because we have a wide variety of courses intended for different audiences, we have several different course designs.  A general discussion of each of the types of courses offered are discussed below.

 Learn the Requirements: This series of courses guide students through the basic regulations in hands-on activities and virtual lectures designed to enable students to learn the regulations. Students must work through each assignment in order to learn the regulations to the degree that is necessary to then apply regulations to facilities. Assignments require students to develop tables and checklists, as well as other tools, that will be of value in later work related situations. To ensure that students are provided with the necessary information, answers to assignments are also provided for evaluation purposes. These courses are generally appropriate for beginner to intermediate students.

Wonderful World of Widgets Exercises: This series of courses provides exercises for applying the regulations designed around our virtual industry, the Wonderful World of Widgets. Regulatory issues are delved into more deeply in this course, and interpretations of certain regulatory requirements are discussed. These courses require students to have a working knowledge of the basic regulatory requirements and thus are generally appropriate for intermediate to advanced students.
Observations of an Inspector: This series of courses covers common findings of violation and other potential pitfalls which result in violations, an explanation of the basis of the violations, and possible strategies or approaches for avoiding violations. Additionally, these courses discuss the inspection process and the evaluation to which a facility is subject, and approaches to addressing violations if found. These courses require students to have a working knowledge of the basic regulatory requirements and thus are generally appropriate for intermediate to advanced students.

Wastewater Clarifications™:  This series of courses covers water treatment plant (WTP) and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) issues important to operators, laboratory technicians, and managers alike.  Courses explore one area of interest and delve deeply into the issues of concern.  That is why they are called "Wastewater Clarifications" but we could have called them "Water Clarifications" as well. 

Plus, many of these courses can be taken to meet continuing education and training requirements as part of some State operator certification programs.  

Waste Matters™:  This series of courses is specifically designed for landfill operators, managers, recycling coordinators and other personnel in the solid waste management field.  

How do I decide on the level of course based on my education and experience? Some courses are basic for beginners (B) just learning environmental curriculum. Most are intermediate (I) for those with background in environmental topics. And, some are advanced (A) for those with considerable experience in environmental work. Even if you hold an environmental degree or work in the environmental field, your exposure to the course topic may be limited and thus you can expect to take a beginner (B) course. To help you in categorizing the courses, we offer pre-tests which will help you determine if you should take a beginner, intermediate, or advanced course. The pre-tests are the same freebies that you may have enjoyed previously.

To determine which courses you should take, consider taking one or more of the pre-tests in a topic that interests you. Then, take a look at the answers and the course selection guidelines which are linked to each of the pre-tests.

How do you learn on-line? On-line learning is fun! Rather than a lecture type environment which is a rather passive method of teaching and learning, you will be required to take an active part in learning. Our courses are very interactive and require you to read some text, and then respond to questions and complete exercises based on what you have learned. This curriculum is not for the namby pamby! You will actually have to do some work. But, you will learn something here if you take the time to respond to the questions and complete the exercises. If you simply plan to look up the answers and say "oh, that's how you do it" instead of actually doing the work, then you won't get much out of the courses. And, if you are taking a test at the end of the course as part of CEU/CEC and other specifications, you will likely fail.

How does on-line learning compare to classroom learning? The studies say that on-line learning is superior, primarily because it requires active participation from the student. On-line learners tend to be self-motivated and thus are more likely to learn even in classroom environments. There are some studies which have indicated that on-line courses are not as high quality as other courses taught in the classroom. But, we believe that depends on the course. We have taken a lot of time to develop what we believe to be some high quality courses. And, we think you will learn as long as you complete the assignments.

Since the course is not a regularly scheduled lecture, how will I know how much time the course will take? The course listings indicate the time commitments (if you are time conscious). The time commitments are based on our best estimate of the amount of time that is required to complete the course including all reading of text/lectures, responding to questions, and completing exercises, as well as the evaluation forms completed by other students like you.

Will I need to sit down and complete the course all at once? Not unless you want to. Remember, these are designed to be taken at your convenience and to fit around your schedule. But, we do recommend that you complete an assignment in one sitting. For example, you may enroll in a 15 hour course. That 15 hour course may be broken down into 10 assignments ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Each assignment may cover an important principle, and if you break up the assignment, you may not be able to grasp the principle entirely. So, we recommend you allow yourself sufficient undisturbed time to complete one assignment or two in each sitting.

How much time will I have to complete the course? The amount of time that you will have to complete the course will vary based on the time requirements. For example, 1-3 hour courses must be completed within 3 weeks. Longer courses such as the 15 hour course will allow you approximately 4 months, and so on. The course synopsis will indicate the amount of time you will have to complete the course. And, the time to complete the course begins the day we e-mail you confirming your enrollment and providing your user ID and password, or the day you enroll on-line.

Can my colleagues take the course? Not unless they also enroll. Your enrollment is for you only. You will also be required to sign a user agreement specifying that you will be the sole user of the course materials. And, each time you log on, you will be required to agree that you are the sole user of the course. Pirating courses is a federal crime punishable under the law, and a pretty raunchy thing to do as well.

How much will this cost? The course listings indicate the cost requirements per enrollee.

Do you offer any deals? You may want to take a look at the best buys. 

Do you have a satisfaction guaranteed refund? We offer refunds, credits/exchanges, and time extensions under some circumstances. But, we have provided significant pre-tests, qualifications, course descriptions, and other information to enable you to make an educated decision about the quality of our information, the content of our courses, and the right course for you. But, because online courses have no way of restricting users access to course materials, offering a satisfaction guaranteed refund would open us up to the unfortunate situation where a user pirates our materials and uses them, but still demands a refund.

How do these count towards CEUs and CECs? Note that in most cases, those interested in taking courses to meet CEU, CEC, and other professional certification maintenance requirements should be aware of the time requirements. And, those interested in such should also look at the accreditation summary, as not all courses meet accreditation in all states.

Also, students that are taking courses for credit should be aware of the obligations which must be met when taking courses online to ensure that the State/Organization honors their CEUs/training hours.  Check out student obligations when taking courses for credit.