Many of the calls we have received this month refer to the recent AIA national convention in Denver. Questions range from "When will the credits appear on transcripts?" to "How does this affect members who have mandatory continuing education requirements due at the end of June?"

Credits for AIA national convention sessions

When will my credits from convention appear on my online transcript?
We expected convention credit would show up on your transcripts around the last week of June. This year, we are pushing to get the credits posted in time for the seven states with MCE requirements due at that time (see below).

Some members have asked why this process takes so long. Remember, some 16,500 people attended the convention this year, and the data have to be sent to the University of Oklahoma, streamlined, and converted.

Will I be sent another transcript after convention?
No. The official AIA/CES transcripts are sent out just once a year in March. However, you may check your online transcript at any time.

You should check your transcript after any activity that you complete to ensure that you receive all the credit you have earned. Checking your transcript regularly will keep you up-to-date on where you stand and ensure that you will not become at-risk to lose your membership simply because an activity wasn't recorded for you.

I forgot to swipe my name badge at the session I attended. What do I do now?
Contact AIA/CES Records (phone, 800-605-8229; fax, 405-325-6965) and
provide them with the session or tour number of the program and your member number. This includes the general sessions—many members did not realize they could get credit for attending them.

I swiped my name badge, but the program I attended still does not appear on my transcript. Why did this happen, and how do I get my credit?
We try to employ systems that are as accurate and user-friendly as possible for credit-recording purposes. But errors happen. It may be the result of an improperly coded name badge, a malfunction in the machine, or something as simple as a scratch on the barcode of your name badge.

If this happened to you, contact AIA/CES Records at the numbers above, provide them with the session or tour number of the program and your member number, and they will be able to help you.

A session I didn't attend has shown up on my transcript, how do I fix it?
Contact AIA/CES Records, provide them with the session or tour number of the program and your member number. If this session was recorded instead of a session you actually did attend, then include the correct session number for replacement.

(Evelyn's edification: You may have noticed that I have referred to "session and tour numbers" of the programs you have attended. These numbers are as important as your member number for recording credit. If you can only supply the AIA/CES Records people with the name of the session or tour, it may take twice as long to get the data applied to your record.

You will find session and tour numbers in the onsite convention guide you received when you registered. Convention attendees should make a habit of keeping this book until they their credits appear on their online transcripts.)

MCE requirements

Which states have a mandatory requirement due?
There are seven states with requirements that were due June 30: Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and West Virginia. Fortunately all of these states accept AIA/CES Programs.

What do I do if I'm licensed in one of these states?
You should complete your renewal using the instructions provided by your state licensing board and, should they request it, include your continuing education documentation. All of these states will accept a copy of your AIA/CES Transcript, with the exception of Oregon. (Oregon requires applicants to use the state's individual form but will accept AIA programs for credit.)

What do I do if some of my activities are missing from my transcript?
If you attended a program by an AIA/CES Provider, and your credit has not shown up on your transcript, contact the program provider. Program information is sent from the provider directly to AIA/CES Records. If the provider has submitted the information, then contact AIA/CES Records.

Never use an AIA/CES Self-Report Form to report an AIA Provider program. Many State licensing boards will not accept any self-reported activity as valid continuing education for licensure. (As a result of se-reporting, members with MCE requirements have been fined, and had their licenses suspended or revoked.)

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.