Technical Requirements and Methods of Delivery:
Access to purchased courses:
Completing the Courses
Return and Refund Policies
Course Articles and Course Material
Posttests, Exams, Evaluations and Completing the Courses
Certificates and Reporting of CE Credits to Licensing Boards
Licensing requirements and required courses:
Disability and Other Restrictions:
Zur Institute's E-Mail List and Clinical Updates:
Additional questions:
Registration
How do I register to an online course?
The process is rather simple and straightforward. Here are the steps:
- You choose an online course from our listing at http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html or other indexes.
- Click on "To Order" button.
- Review the shopping cart listing (make sure that no prior attempts to register are still in the cart) and if it is correct, click the "Checkout (secure)" button at the bottom.
- Fill out the required personal, professional and credit card (only Visa or MasterCard) information and click on "Continue to Checkout" button.
- If your registration goes through, you will get a window with an order #.
- Soon after you have completed your registration successfully, you will receive two e-mails: a confirmation e-mail and an e-mail with link/s to the online course/s.
Which credit cards do you accept?
We accept Visa or MasterCard.
What is the most common reason that registrations do not go through?
The most common reason that registrations do not go through is when an incorrect address is entered. The correct address is the mailing address on your monthly credit card statement, and it should be entered in the "Billing Address" section. If you want us to have another address, enter it in the "Shipping Address" section.
I am having trouble successfully completing my registration.
- The most common reason an order does not go through is that the therapist is not using the address to which the credit card statements are sent. Please use this address under "Billing". If you want us to have another address, you can put it under "Shipping".
- Make sure you have the correct Visa or Mastercard number and expiration date, as well as the correct address.
- Try rebooting (restarting) your computer and then place the order.
- We are not yet set up to receive credit cards from outside the US. If you are ordering from outside the US, complete the order as best you can. We will then be able to enter your credit card manually and send you the link/s to the course/s you have ordered.
- Sometimes an order does not go through because the credit card is denied. There can be a few ways to deal with this.
- Please make sure your have correctly entered the card #, exp. date and address to which your statements are sent.
- If you are over the limit on this card, wait until you can charge on it and register again.
- Use a different Visa or Mastercard that you know is valid.
My order has not gone through successfully, and I am still getting an e-mail with an Order #. Why is this?
This allows us to manually enter your credit card and maintain a consistent reference to your order.
My order HAS gone through and I have not yet received any links to the course/s I ordered. What do I do?
There are a few reasons that may have happened:
- Your e-mail address is not accepting what it considers spam. Look in your Junk and Trash mailboxes. You may find the email with the links there. Please make sure you can receive email from both drzur@zurinstitute.com and orders@zurinstitute.com. If you enter these addresses in your "Address Book", they will not be blocked.
- Sometimes a therapist incorrectly enters their e-mail address, even by one character. In that case our emails to you will bounce back to us and not get to you. Send us an email explaining that you may have entered an incorrect email address. We will then email the link/s to the course/s you ordered and correct your address in our e-mail list.
- If your e-mail is connected with an institution, the institution spam filter may be blocking our e-mails. If this is the case, please either contact your IT department and ask them to 'whitelist' our e-mail addresses or give us a private e-mail address.
- Some servers postpone the delivery of e-mails until verification that they are not spam.
My online credit card statement shows two charges for one order. Why is this and how do I get credit for the extra charges?
Online credit card statements might show extra charges as pending. When you receive your monthly paper statement, there will only be one charge. If you are ever charged for more than you ordered, fax us your statement indicating the extra charges, and we will of course issue a credit.
Another possibility is that the therapist unknowingly ordered two of the same course. It is very important to check your shopping cart before placing an order to make sure you are ordering exactly what you want.
Do I need a password?
No, there is no need to have or remember a password.
Can I register from outside the US?
We are not yet set up to receive credit cards from outside the US. If you are ordering from outside the US, complete the order as best you can. We will then be able to enter your credit card manually and send you the link/s to the course/s you have ordered.
I am worried about entering my credit card online. How secure is your site?
Security of your credit card and other private information is of utmost importance to us. Our shopping cart is secured with an SSL Certificates to offer secure communications by encrypting all data to and from the site. For more information regarding security and privacy, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/privacy.html.
What happens if my registration does not go through?
If your registration did not go through, please try again. Make sure that the address you enter in the "Billing" section matches the address on your credit card monthly statement. If your registration has not gone through a second time, the Zur Institute staff will enter your credit card manually, most of the time on the next working day. If the credit card goes though manually, ZI will notify you and send you the link/s to the course/s. If the credit card does not go through, ZI will let you know and suggest that you contact your credit card company to check whether your card is at its maximum, or if they are holding funds for some other reason.
I am trying to register from outside the US, and my registration does not go through. What should I do?
We are still working on making our process compatible with registrations from outside the US. The first option is to complete the order as best you can. We will then be able to enter your credit card manually and send you the link/s to the course/s you have ordered.
Another option is for you to fax (707-935-3918) your name, address (to which your credit card statements are sent), course title (choose a course at http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html) and credit card info (Visa or Mastercard only). As soon as we manually enter your credit card successfully, we will send you the link/s.
Can I change my order?
Under certain circumstances we will allow a course to be substituted for one you have paid for but not completed. We have a $15 administrative fee for this process.
Do I need to have a license # to register for a course?
No, if you take the course/s as part of pre-license requirement/s, obviously, you do not need to have a license #. If you do not have a license #, enter "0000" into the license # box.
If I have a license #, do I have to enter it in my registration?
If you are a licensed psychotherapist or a nurse, we want you to enter your license #. Some accrediting bodies require that we have the license # on file before we grant a certificate of completion.
How can I get a receipt for my online payment/registration?
After you have successfully completed your online registration, you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration. This e-mail also serves as a receipt for you payment.
Technical Requirements and Methods of Delivery:
What are the general technical requirements for the completion of an online course?
Generally, there are no special technical requirements. Almost any computer will do. Besides Internet Access, many courses require that you can read PDF files.
Must I have a ‘fast' or Broadband Internet connection, such as DSL or Cable, or can I take the courses if I have a landline connection?
You can easily access almost all the courses with a slow or landline Internet connection. Exceptions are the courses that have very large articles, which will take a long time to download, if they can be downloaded at all. These courses include Spousal and Partner Abuse (7CE) and Intimate Spousal and Partner Violence (15CE).
Do I need any special software to take the online courses?
You do not need any special software. All the articles or course material are a simple Web page. Most are simple HTML, some are in PDF format and very few use power point.
Does the course material involve movies, or is it mainly text?
We do not use movies in our courses. All the course material is presented in online articles, presented as simple Web pages.
Do your courses involve chatrooms, Blackboard, etc?
We do not use chatrooms or blackboard technologies. All our material is presented online as simple articles that are posted on standard Web pages.
Access to purchased courses:
How do I get access to the course after I register?
After you had successfully completed your online registration, you will first receive an e-mail confirming your registration. Then you will receive a second e-mail with the link/s to the online course/s that you signed up for. Both e-mails are sent automatically and instantaneously after you have successfully completed your online registration. You must open the second email within twenty-four hours of receiving it, open the link/s and Bookmark or save to Favorites the course link/s. If you do not do this immediately, you will lose the link/s to the course/s.
I have not received the links to the online course/s I ordered. How do I gain access?
The link/s to the online course/s that you signed up for are sent automatically and instantaneously after you successfully complete your online registration. Following are some explanation of why you may not have received the link/s, and what you may be able to do about it. Additionally, sometimes servers delay the e-mail until they verify that it is not spam.
Following are things you can do to retrieve the e-mail with the link/s to your course/s:
- Please check if the e-mail with the link/s to the course/s ended up in your "Junk Mailbox" or "Trash Mailbox."
- If you cannot find it in the above mailboxes, please make sure that your spam filter does not block messages from drzur@zurinstitute.com and from orders@zurinstitute.com. Make sure your computer can receive emails from both of our email addresses: drzur@zurinstitute.com and orders@zurinstitute.com.
- If the email is coming from an institution, it is possible that the institution's spam filter may have blocked the e-mail. We suggest that you contact your IT department and ask them to "whitelist" our email addresses: drzur@zurinstitute.com and orders@zurinstitute.com. If you cannot get to the IT department to release the e-mail addresses, send us another e-mail address requesting the link to the course. Please include the order # in your request.
- Sometimes a therapist will enter an incorrect email address on the registration form. In that case the email with the link/s to the course/s will not reach you but will be returned to us. If we can determine the correct email address, we will send the link/s to you.
- Finally, if you cannot resolve the mystery of why you did not get the link to the online course, send us an e-mail at drzur@zurinstitute.com requesting the link to the course. It will expedite the process if you include your order # in your request and use the same e-mail address that you entered on the order online.
I no longer have access to the course/s, how do I gain access again?
The link/s in the email you receive are good only for 24 hours. If you do not open the link/s and then bookmark (save to favorites) within 24 hours of receiving the email, the link will no longer be good. If that should happen, or if you have lost access for any other reason, send us an email referencing the Order Number, full Course Title and # CE Credits. We will then email the link/s to you.
If I need you to send me another link to the course, how do I best contact you?
Simply send us an e-mail at drzur@zurinstitute.com. It will help us if you let us know your order #.
Will the link to the course that you send me expire?
The e-mail that is automatically sent to you will expire in 24 hours of receiving it. You must Bookmark course page/s or add it/them to Favorites to assure access at future times.
What should I do so the link/s to the course/s will not expire, and I will be able to use it/them at future times?
In order to be able to access the course/s at future times, you must Bookmark the course page/s or add to your Favorites.
How do I Bookmark or add to Favorites?
In order to save the course page link (which expires in 24 hrs) for later use, it is necessary to Bookmark it or save it to Favorites. This is what needs to be done with the course page, the initial page that opens upon receiving the link to the course. This is the page that contains instructions for the course, links to the articles--course material--and this page also contains the Evaluation. Bookmarking or Saving to Favorites can make access easier to course articles for later use.
To Bookmark a page:
- To bookmark a Web page, open the page, then choose "Add Bookmark" from the Bookmarks menu.
- Type a name for the bookmark and choose where you want it to appear from the pop-up menu.
- You can add the bookmark to the bookmarks bar, the Bookmarks menu, or a collection of bookmarks.
- You can also go to the Help menu and type in "bookmarks" for more information.
To Save to Favorites:
- Go to the page that you want to add to your Favorites list.
- On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites.
- Type a new name for the page if you want to.
- To open one of your favorite pages, on the Favorites menu, click the page you want to open.
- As your list of favorite pages grows, you can organize them by moving them into subfolders.
I cannot access the articles that are formatted in PDF. What should I do?
You must get Adobe Acrobat so you can read PDF articles. It is free and you can simply download the program at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
Completing the Courses
How long do I have to complete the course/s?
You have two years from the time you order the course/s to complete them.
Can I complete the courses over two renewal cycles?
Yes, you can complete the courses over two renewal cycles. You have two years from the time you order the course/s to complete them.
How long does it take to complete a course?
Course lengths vary, so the time to complete them varies. Generally each one (1) CE credit corresponds to one (1) hour of reading. If you read faster or if you are familiar with the material, you can finish the course faster. As you probably have noticed, some of the courses are offered for 1 or 2 CE credits, others for 15 or more.
Return and Refund Policies
What are your return and refund policies?
Once you get the link/s to the course/s, you have unlimited access to the course articles, texts, forms, etc. Thus we have "no-return" and "no-refund" policies. For more details go to Privacy Statement at http://www.zurinstitute.com/privacy.html.
Course articles and course material
I can't print the articles from the online course I ordered, what should I do?
All course articles are posted online in html or PDF format. They are simply (basic) Web pages and therefore you should be able to print them without any problem. Generally, printing is controlled by your computer rather than by the Zur Institute Web site, which, obviously, does not block any printing. Try the following:
- Reboot (restart) your computer and try printing again.
- Check your printer or printer's "Setting."
- Download the articles to your computer and copy and paste them into a word processing program, such as MSWord, and then print.
Can I download the articles to my computer so I can read them off-line?
Yes, you can download articles onto your desktop. You can use the "Save as" function or other ways to do so. You can also copy the articles on to a CD, if you prefer to store them that way. While you can read the articles off-line, you will need to take and submit the evaluations and posttests on-line.
Can I get material for online courses in hard copy via mail or fax?
No. Our online courses are to be done completely online. We neither fax nor mail the course material, as these courses are designated as online courses not home study courses.
How do I get Adobe Acrobat so I can read PDF articles?
To get Adobe Acrobat so you can read PDF articles, simply download the free program at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
How do I copy text from a PDF article?
Different PDF versions of Adobe Acrobat have different ways to copy text. The newest version (8.1.0) allows you to simply highlight, copy and paste, the same way you would copy from a Word doc. You can download the most recent version for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. For older versions, please follow these instructions:
In Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 4 or higher, first click the "T" with the small box next to it, NOT the "T" in the small box located in the toolbar next to the magnifying glass (zoom). Highlight the section of the PDF file you wish to copy. Go to "edit" in the dropdown menu and choose "copy". Then paste it into a word processing program's new document as usual.
If these instructions are not useful, please check with your PDF manual, seek Adobe's tech support at at http://www.adobe.com/support/main.html or contact your own personal tech support.
Posttests, Exams, Evaluations and Completing the Courses
Can I print the posttest before reading the articles?
Yes. You must complete the evaluation to get to the posttest. Then print it. Still, you have to submit the posttest online.
What is the passing rate on the posttest?
The passing rate is 70%.
How long do I have to take the posttest?
You can take as much time as you want to take the test, but you must stay online the whole time and take it in one sitting. If you go offline in the middle of the test, you will need to go back on line, retake the evaluation and then take the posttest again from the beginning.
Do I need to take the posttest in one sitting?
You can go back and forth to the articles and read them over many sittings, but you must take the exam in one sitting.
Is the posttest an "open book" exam?
Yes, the posttest is in an "open book" format. You can review the course reading material while you are completing the posttest. You can review the course reading material on your desktop or in hard copy if you chose to print the articles.
Can I take the posttest more than once?
Yes, you can take and re-take the posttest as many times as you want.
What happens if I fail the posttest?
If you fail the test (i.e., score below 70%), you can take the posttest again. In fact, you can take it as many times as necessary.
How do I know if I passed or failed the posttest?
As soon as you complete the posttest, you will get a window on your computer telling you your score and notifying you of whether you passed or failed the posttest. If you score above 70%, you will be notified and asked to proceed to the online printable certificate. If you scored below 70%, you will be notified that you did not pass, and then you can take the posttest again.
Where is the course evaluation?
The course evaluation is on the same page as the course material/articles. Scroll down and you will see the evaluation after the list of articles, at the bottom of the page.
How do I get to the posttest?
The only way you can get to the posttest is if you complete the evaluation and click on "Continue." Even if you have taken the evaluation once, you may need to take it again (it takes one minute) in order to gain access to the posttest.
I've completed the reading, now how do I access the posttest?
Go back to the course page that provides the links to articles; scroll down until you see the Evaluation. Complete the Evaluation, click "Continue" button and you will be taken to the Posttest. You cannot get to the posttest without completing the evaluation.
Certificates and Reporting of CE Credits to Licensing Boards
How do I get my certificate?
After you complete the evaluation and pass the posttest, click on the "Grade Posttest" button. This will take you to a page to fill in information that will appear on the certificate. Click on "Show Certificate" button, and you will be taken to your certificate. You must print the certificate immediate. Once you close the page, you cannot access it again. You cannot Bookmark or Save to Favorites.
I can't print my online certificate. What do I do?
Occasionally a therapist is not able to print a certificate. In that case send us an email saying you are unable to print the certificate/s. Include the name/s of the course/s and the Order #, if you can. We will email a copy of the certificate to you. Please note that it is not possible to bookmark (save to favorites) the certificate to print it later. You must print it immediately as that will be your only access to it.
I've lost my certificate/s of completion. How do I get duplicates?
We have an administrative fee of $15 for the first duplicate certificate and $5 for each thereafter. Please send us permission to charge your credit card the proper amount with your request for duplicate certificates.
Why does my certificate not say that the course fulfills a requirement?
Whether a certain course fulfills a requirement is determined by fact of the course content, which is outlined in the Course Description, Syllabus and Educational Objectives. Whether a course is fulfilling a requirement is neither determined by the title of the course nor by the wording of the certificate. It is our understanding that if you were to be audited, you would need to submit the course syllabus, course objectives and certificate of completion. You may want to check with the Board if you have further questions.
Do you report my CE credit to MCEP or my licensing board?
The Zur Institute does not report your CE credits or courses' completion to your licensing boards. The ZI provides you with a certificate of completion that you will have to submit to your licensing board if you are required to do so.
For California Psychologists: Zur Institute's courses all meet the CA-BOP requirements. ZI is an APA approved sponsor and therefore cannot file with CA-MCEP on your behalf. You need to file with MCEP, yourself, by simply sending them their form, a copy of the certificate and the appropriate fee. You can download and print the MCEP Reporting Form at: http://www.calpsychlink.org/accrediting_agency/files/MCEP_Reporting_Form.pdf. For more information please contact MCEP at: (916) 325-4720.
Can I repeat a course I've already taken from ZI?
You may repeat a course as long as it is not done during the same licensing renewal period. In other words, you can take the same course in different renewal periods.
Licensing requirements and required courses:
Do your courses fulfill requirements for CA therapists?
Do your courses fulfill pre-license requirements for CA Psychological Assistants and Trainees, MFT Interns and Trainees, and ASWs?
Do your courses fulfill requirements or pre-requisites for psychologists, social workers and counselors in states other than California?
Do you have courses that fulfill the Ethics & Law requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Ethics or Ethics & Law requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements. For more detailed information on these requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/CEcredits.html#caethics.
Do you have courses that fulfill the Supervision requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Supervision requirements go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements. For more detailed information on these requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/CEcredits.html#casuper.
Do you have courses that fulfill the Spousal and Partner Abuse requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Spousal and Partner Abuse requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements. For more detailed information on these requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/CEcredits.html#caabuse.
Do you have courses that fulfill the Aging requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Aging requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements. For more detailed information on these requirements, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/CEcredits.html#caaging.,/A>
Do you have courses that fulfill the Human Sexuality requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Human Sexuality requirements go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements.
Do you have courses that fulfill the Psychopharmacology requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Psychopharmacology requirements go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements.
Do you have courses that fulfill the AIDS/HIV requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the AIDS/HIV requirements go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements.
Do you have courses that fulfill the Alcoholism and Chemical
Substance Abuse Dependency requirements?
To review the courses that fulfill the Alcoholism and Chemical
Substance Abuse Dependency requirements go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html#requirements.
Disability and Other Restrictions:
I have a disability. Would you help me?
The Zur Institute is committed to help people with disabilities and other restrictions to completing our online courses in the best way possible. If you have a disability, please contact us ahead of time so we can make sure to accommodate our program to your specific needs. For more details, go our ADA Policy at http://www.zurinstitute.com/online/adagrievance.html.
What is your ADA Policy?
You can review our ADA Policy at http://www.zurinstitute.com/online/adagrievance.html.
Zur Institute's E-Mail List and Clinical Updates
How do I get on your e-mail list?
There are several ways that people get on our e-mailing list:
- When people sign up for an online course, they automatically are added to the Zur Institute's private and confidential e-mail list.
- When people request to be added to the ZI's e-mail list.
- If you send a question to Dr. Zur or contact us for any reason, you are most likely to be added to the e-mail list.
How private is your e-mail list?
Privacy and security is very important to us. We highly respect your privacy. We never sell our e-mail list nor give access to it by anyone else. For more details on our Privacy Policy, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/privacy.html.
Do you sell or give access to your e-mail list to other venues?
We never sell our e-mail list nor give access to it by anyone else. For more details on our Privacy Policy, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/privacy.html.
How do I get removed from your e-mail list?
At the bottom of our emails is a link to unsubscribe. Click the link and you will removed immediately. You may also simply send us an e-mail requesting to be taken off our e-mail list and you will be removed immediately. Similarly, if you reply to one of the ZI's Clinical Updates with "unsubscribe" in the subject line, you will be taken off the list.
Periodically, we send Clinical Updates that contain information about new courses and/or other information of interest, for example, changes in law. If you would like to receive our Clinical Updates, click here. If you would like to be removed from our e-mail list, you can send us an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
Please understand that every time we receive an order, we add the e-mail address to our list. If you want to avoid this, on your order form is a place for comments. Put "no e-mail list" in that box, and we will not include your address in our Clinical Updates mailings.
Additional questions:
How do I find out what courses I have taken with ZI?
Simply send us an e-mail with the full name that you used to register for the courses, and we will give you a list of the courses you have taken from us in recent years.
I've changed my e-mail address. What should I do?
Please notify us of any change in your e-mail address and/or name.
What is your grievance procedure?
For our grievance procedure, go to http://www.zurinstitute.com/online/adagrievance.html.
Who holds the copyrights to the course material?
Unless stated otherwise, all of the Zur Institute Web pages are copyrighted material and are not to be sold, distributed or shared by electronic or any other means. As stated on the Web pages, someone other than the Zur Institute can hold copyrights to some of the articles in the online courses. Permission to reproduce these articles must be obtained from the holder of the copyright of the article. The Zur Institute has two types of Web pages on this site: The first type is the publicly accessible Web pages and the other type is the restricted Web pages. The latter are the Web pages that are accessible only after readers have paid for an online catalog item or an online course. The Zur Institute's publicly accessible Web pages are accessible to anyone and may be used or reproduced for the sole use of the individual reader. Links to the Zur Institute's publicly accessible pages can be posted on the Web, unless these links are part of operations that are generating profit by using the material. In this case written permission from the Zur Institute is required. Posting the links to the restricted, non-publicly accessible Web pages is not permitted. The written permission of the author is required for any other reproduction, transmission or use of the material or portion of the material.
How long do you keep records of my online courses?
We keep records as required of us by the accrediting agencies, which is at least three years.
