The word game-changer gets thrown around more than the word dynamic at a Grant Thornton strategy meeting but this really is a game-changer. Sort of like Foursquare for continuing education, Indiana is attempting to change CPE as we know it, transitioning from day-long sessions and webinars to compentency-based courses that are more like games. GAMES, people. This could be incredible!
From the press release:
Indiana is the first and only state to permit competency-based education to qualify for CPA license renewal. The Indiana CPA Society is cooperating with the Indiana Board of Accountancy on a landmark pilot program, and the change was facilitated through work of the CPA Center of Excellence®. Announced last week, the CPA Center of Excellence® has been established as a source for competency assessment, competency enhancement and intelligent collaboration for CPAs.
The competency-based courses permitted for license renewal include gamification and "nano-learning.” The courses are online, interactive modules and can be taken on-demand. Digital badges (shown below), a new concept for the CPA profession, will be earned upon completion. Course offerings cover vital skills for CPAs to be successful in the 21st century and are rooted in the core competencies identified by the AICPA in the CPA Horizons 2025 project. The CPA Center of Excellence® plans to expand offerings over the next 12 to 24 months.
We got some screenshots to get an idea of what this future of CPE will look like. Here's a Q&A section:
And the badge system:
The pilot program is in effect through December 31, 2015. Any licensed CPA in Indiana can try out up to two online modules (8 hours each) to receive a waiver for 16 hours of CPE credit.
The AICPA isn't far behind, announcing the launch of the Future of Learning portal today.
