Section 1450.1155  Correspondence or Home Study Courses  

The Division may consider the recommendation of the Board regarding correspondence or home study course curriculum.  Correspondence or home study courses are non-interactive courses in which students review and learn material through self-study, without any mandatory interaction with a licensed instructor, and in which participation and attendance cannot be verified.  Correspondence or home study courses shall not include classroom instruction.

a)         The following may not be taught as correspondence or home study courses:

1)         Core CE (see Section 30-15(i)(2) of the Act);

2)         The 15-hour Broker Pre-license Applied Real Estate Principles course (see Section 5-27(a)(5) of the Act and Section 1450.1105(b)(2));

3)         The 45-hour broker post-license education courses (see Section 5-50(b) of the Act);

4)         The 12-hour broker management CE course (see Section 5-70(b) of the Act);

5)         The 15-hour Managing Broker Pre-license Applied Management and Supervision course (see Section 5-28(a)(5) of the Act and Section 1450.1105(d)(2)); and

6)         Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (see Section 2105-15.5 of the Department of Professional Regulation Law [20 ILCS 2105]).

b)         Correspondence or home study courses shall be provided by a licensed education provider and meet the requirements set forth in Sections 1450.1100 and 1450.1105, as applicable, and any additional requirements established by the Act and this Part, except that:

1)         The licensed education provider shall be responsible for ensuring that the proctor verifies attendance at the proctored final examination.  The identity of each student must be verified by valid and unexpired photo identification (i.e., driver's license, state identification card, passport, etc.) prior to the start of the examination.

2)         The examination site for correspondence or home study shall be determined by the education provider and shall be proctored by a representative of the education provider or by means of electronic proctoring. A licensed instructor is not required to proctor an examination. Proctors must be impartial third parties (i.e., not a licensee's sponsoring broker, managing broker, relative, or colleague).

c)         Students must be provided with complete information on the nature and the content of the correspondence or home study course. A student enrolled in a correspondence or home study course shall receive the following prior to beginning the course, as applicable:

1)         Education provider and instructor contact information (e.g., telephone, email, business address);

2)         Homework assignments;

3)         Testing information (e.g., sites, proctors);

4)         Schedules and deadlines;

5)         List of student materials and resources required (e.g., written materials, software);

6)         Grading and course credit information;

7)         Resource information;

8)         Registration and withdrawal periods;

9)         Fees;

10)         Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 12101 et seq.) information, including special needs provisions;

11)         Delivery procedures;

12)         Technology support services available to students; and

13)         The procedure for issuing certificates of completion.

d)         No continuing education credit shall be awarded or earned for a correspondence or home study course that fails to meet the proctored final examination requirements (see Section 30-15(i)(6)). 

e)         Licensed education providers providing correspondence or home study courses shall establish written procedures for proctoring and grading examinations. There shall also be written objectives for each course and written procedures for the prompt return of materials, if required.  Copies of these procedures shall be provided to the Division upon application.

f)         Licensed education providers offering correspondence or home study courses shall provide for a licensed instructor and technical support to be available during normal business hours to answer student questions.

g)         Correspondence or home study courses shall require at least the same amount of time to complete as a classroom course.  For each correspondence or home study course, an education provider shall include in its initial application a comprehensive timed outline consistent with course hour requirements.

h)         Licensed education providers shall not administer a correspondence or home study course proctored final examination to a student until the student has had adequate time to complete the course.

(Source:  Amended at 45 Ill. Reg. 2851, effective February 23, 2021)