Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.'s)

Registration and Login Procedures F.A.Q.'s

1. Why do I have to register?
   Every user must register. This registration process enables our educational vendor to provide you with ongoing support for both CE and Professional Skills courses, as well as file any necessary CE credits.
   
2. How do I register for online courseware program?
   Before you can take one of the online courses or have licenses assigned to you, you must complete a brief, one-time registration form. You can complete the registration form at any time by visiting My Coursework page. If you haven't already registered, you'll be able to do so after selecting a course to take. At that time you will asked to the "Sign In for Courses”. There you can either register or login if you have already registered.

Membership Pricing

Members are offered discounted pricing for online courses. In order to receive the discounted price, it’s necessary to update your “Account Profile”.

1. Click My Profile.
2. At the bottom of the page, you will see a new required field Membership Status.
3. Click on Member if you are a Member; other wise, click Non-Member.
4. Click the Validate Membership link. (The system checks to validate your selection, and provides a message as to the status.)
5. Click Save.

Continuing Education Course F.A.Q.'s

1. Can I take any course that I see in the CE Descriptions page?
   No. CE courses are filed per state; that is why you choose a state at the beginning of the program. Additional courses are always being filed, so you should check back, but courses currently available to you are those shown on the state page.
2. How will I know if the course I am choosing is the course I want?
   Before choosing a course, you can view a brief description of the course. After selecting a course and signing in you will also have the opportunity to read a table of contents. If you decide later that the course you have chosen does not meet your needs, you may cancel at no cost, as long as you have not yet activated the test at the end of the course.
3. How is the CE Selected Curriculum option different from the CE Full catalog option?
   Not all PIA affiliates have elected to take the CE Selected Curriculum option. It is merely a collection of courses tagged to a particular career path, and meant as a suggestion only. All courses represented in the CE Selected Curriculum are also in the CE Full Catalog option, but the reverse is not true. One option is "Selected" courses only and the other is a "Full" catalog.
4. How much do CE courses cost?
   Previews are FREE! You may go in and out of as many courses as you like at no charge, as long as you do not activated the test at the end. The price for each course is $35.95 . Prices are displayed beside course titles when you select a course.
5. When do I pay?
   When you elect to take the test. You will get three chances to pass with a score of 70 or better.
6. Do I have to complete the entire course in one session, or can I stop, and resume a course later?
   You may go in and out of a course as many times as you like. Once you start a test, however, you need to be prepared to finish it. If you exit prematurely, that will count as one attempt (you have a total of three attempts). If you have a problem with power or your computer and are forced to exit before you complete a test, please send an email to PIASupport@learn.net.
7. What if I have difficulty navigating a course?
   Check out Online Courseware Navigation Overview and Support for assistance.
8. If a course is filed for a certain number of hours, does that mean it will take me that long to complete it?
   Not necessarily, especially those courses that have more than 4 hours of credit.
9. Is my credit card secure?
   Yes, we have a secure site, encrypted with the highest level of security.
10. How soon will I know that I have passed?
    Results are immediate.
11. Who files my CE?
    PIA’s partner will process CE filing and/or other documents as permitted by the DOI in each state. In some cases, the states allow the provider to actually file for CE credit on behalf of the student. In other states, only the student may file for CE credit. Any and all processing that may be done by the provider is done within 24-48 business hours once any and all student requirements have been satisfied. Specific information about the filing procedures is noted clearly in the course prior to actually purchasing the exam on the rules page (you will see this page once you select the exam – you can review these rules before purchasing the exam). Students are advised to read this information closely prior to purchasing any exam. Additionally, this information is noted in the Certificate of Completion that the student receives in the mail.
12. Do I have to mail or fax anything in?
    Please refer to the instructions within the course for specifics about what needs to be sent to the provider and by what method.
13. Will I get a confirmation that my CE has been filed?
    The provider will put a certification of completion in the mail within 24-48 business hours once all student requirements have been met. If the provider was able to file the CE credit with the state on behalf of the student, the certificate of completion will note this information.
14. What if I forget the courses I have taken?
    Check My Coursework for your transcripts for all courses taken under both this program and the Professional Skills program.
15. How often are new courses added?
    New courses are added weekly. PIA National and your local PIA affiliate will periodically promote courses that have been added. However, we suggest you check back periodically to see updated listings.

Professional Skills Course F.A.Q.'s

1. Can I preview a course under this program without paying first, like I can with the CE courses?
   No. You have to pay for the course before you can open it.
2. Are these courses filed for CE?
   No. They are very useful instead for professional development.
3. How do I know the difference between Desktop courses, Business courses and Technical courses?
   After selecting your state, you will see a brief description of each category.
4. How do I choose a course?
   For complete instructions check out the Online Courseware Navigation Overview and Support web page. You can browse through the various categories and their sub-categories until you find the course that you want.
5. How many Professional Skills courses are there?
   2000, including Desktop, Business and Technical courses.
6. Why should I buy a package of courses instead of just one, especially when I am not sure about what to take in the future?
   Discount pricing is available if you purchase two or more courses. If you only want to take one course now and know you want to take more within the next 12 months, buy what you will ultimately need. The system will do the rest. It will hold "open" slots until you come back to make further selections.
7. Can I mix and match between Desktop, Business or Technical courses in a package?
   No. You can only mix Business and Technical with each other, but not Desktop with Business, or Desktop with Technical. For example, if you want 2 Desktop courses for one user, and 2 Business courses for the same user, then you should buy two packages.
8. Is there a test at the end of the course?
   Yes, and there are tests within chapters.
9. Do I have to finish a course at the same time I start it?
   No. Courses are good for one year. You may resume a course, or start over, as you wish.
10. What is the best way to find a course I have already started?
    Visit your personalized My Coursework web page to look at courses you have started and see licenses with open slots.
11. Can I transfer licenses to other registered students?
    Yes, however the license must have all of its slots open. To transfer a license please go to the My Licenses page and select the Reassign license button.

Managing Pop-up Blockers and Firewall Issues

I click on a link/button and nothing happens - why?

Your computer may have a pop-up blocker program or firewall that prevents pop-up messages. The Learning Center uses pop-up messages to communicate information or additional screens. Your computer's settings need to be set to accept pop-ups by using one of the following:

• Internet Explorer:

  If you have administration rights to your computer, you will have the capability to assign a web site to a security zone by following the steps below:

  1. In Internet Exporer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. Click on the Security tab, and then a Security Zone: Local intranet zone, Trusted sites zone, or Restricted sites zone.
  3. Click on the Sites button.
  4. If Local intranet is selected, click on Advanced.
  5. In the "Add this Web site to the zone:" text box, type the internet address for the web site that is be added to this zone, and then click Add. (http://IPS-Sendero.maplelearn.com)

• Google Pop-up Blocker:

  • The pop-up blocker in the Toolbar Options menu prevents a new windows from automatically opening when you visit a website. Often times, this opens a new windows displaying advertising that can interfere with your ability to see the content on the page you're trying to read.

    When the pop-up blocker intercepts an incoming ad, your cursor changes briefly to look like this: .
    
    The pop-up blocker button displays this icon: along with a count of the number of pop-ups blocked since the last Toolbar installation.
    

  • To let a pop-up through on a one-time basis, press and hold the CTRL key as you click on a link to navigate to a new page.
    
    
  • Sometimes sites communicate useful information via pop-up windows. The pop-up blocker can be instructed to remember these sites so pop-up windows are allowed to launch. This information is stored on your computer in what's known as a "whitelist" (as opposed to a "blacklist" ). The pop-up blocker uses the whitelist to turn itself off when you visit sites whose pop-ups you don't mind viewing.
    
    
  • As you find sites that have pop-ups you want to see, click the pop-up blocker button to add that site to your whitelist. (The whitelist is never actually displayed.) Repeat this process as you find websites where you want to see pop-ups.
    
  • If you'd like to remove a site from the pop-up blocker whitelist, simply visit that page and click the pop-up blocker button. The button text will change from "Site popups allowed" to the count of your blocked ads. This indicates that the pop-up blocker has been re-activated on this site.
    
    
  • To set the pop-up blocker count back to zero, hold down the 'Shift' and 'Alt' keys while clicking on the pop-up blocker button. You can also hide the pop-up count entirely by opening the Options window, selecting the More tab, and checking the box next to the setting "Hide popup blocker count."
    
    
  • To completely disable the pop-up blocker, open the Toolbar Options window and clear the checkbox next to pop-up blocker in the Accessories section.
    
    
  • The pop-up blocker is available only for Internet Explorer version 5.5 and later.
    

• Yahoo and AOL:

  The Advanced Searchbar Pop-Up Blocker is turned on by default.
  
  You can turn it off and on again by simply clicking on the Pop-Up Blocker button on the Searchbar.
  
  The button will turn green indicating that all your web pop-ups will be blocked.
  
  It will also provide a counter that indicates the number of pop-ups the Advanced Searchbar has blocked to date.

   

• EarthLink:

  Click the ON/OFF button to turn Pop-Up Blocker on or off. When on, the button is green. When off, the button is red.

  

   

• MSN:

  Turn the Pop-up Guard on and off by clicking its button on the MSN Toolbar. When the button label reads Pop-ups Blocked, the Pop-up Guard is turned on and most pop-up windows are blocked. The number of pop-up windows that have been blocked is shown in parentheses on the button.

  When the button label reads Pop-ups Allowed, the Pop-up Guard is turned off, allowing all pop-up windows to appear .

  

• Windows XP:

  The Pop-up Blocker may be turned on/off in the following ways:

  • When you are prompted
  • On the Tools menu
  • From Internet Options

  To turn on/off the Pop-up Blocker on the Tools menu, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.
  2. On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

• Firewall Issues:

  If you are unable to view the stream and Popup blocker is turned off, a firewall Issue may be present. You are advised to contact your IT administrator for further trouble-shooting.

Managing Internet Cookies

I am receiving a message that my computer is not accepting cookies - what do I do?

1. Launch Internet Explorer directly from your desktop or from the Start Menu.

   From your desktop, click on the Internet Explorer shortcut on your desktop.

   To use the Start Menu, use the following steps:

   • Click on Start (bottom left hand corner of your desktop)
   • From the Start menu, select Programs
   • From the Programs menu, select Internet Explorer
     
     
2. Update your internet options to allow cookies by selecting Tools from the main Internet Explorer menu. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Next, the Internet Options window will appear.
   
   
3. Perform the following steps to correctly set up cookis acceptance settings.
   • Select the Privacy tab from the Internet Options window.
   • From the Privacy tab, click on the Advance button (toward the middle part of this window).
   • From the Advance Privacy Settings window, make sure the Override automatic cookie handling check box is selected.
   • Under First-Party Cookies, select the Accept radio button.
   • Under Third-Party Cookies, select the Accept radio button.
   • To save these settings - Click on OK on the Advance Privacy Settings window AND click on OK on the Internet Options window.