Objectives 

CenSARA staff and its instructors work diligently to ensure that course training materials are adapted as best they can be for online learning. CenSARA has developed these guidelines to help manage training expectations for the instructors and all the participants. Instructors do their best to replicate the classroom experience, but it is the responsibility of each student to pay attention, participate in discussions and complete assignments. 

Registration 

Course registration is at least a two-part registration process. Students must register for the course at the CenSARA website for the training and later they will be sent a link to register at the webinar platform GoToWebinar (or ZOOM, or WebEx). You have until 5 days before a course starts to register. The various webinar platforms also send multiple reminders for training courses to the students who have registered. Students should not wait until the day of the course to complete the webinar platform registration 

Registration for the webinar platform and other online training tools is designed on a per-person basis. Each student will receive an individual link to register for the online portion of the course. CenSARA uses the webinar system tracking information to determine attendance. If a student uses someone else’s login, they will NOT show up on the attendance list and will not be able to receive credit for the course. If several students are planning to login as a group from a single location, then their supervisor should alert CenSARA prior to the start of the course and provide the names of the students who are in that group. This will ensure that each of the students will receive proper credit for the course. 

If something unexpectedly comes up, and a student realizes that they will not be able to attend a training event, then they should use the CenSARA website to cancel their registration as soon as possible prior to the course. There are usually students on the waiting list, and an early cancellation will allow someone else to receive that training. If the course registration system is closed, then students should notify Katrina Jones (kjones@censara.org) to let her know of the change. 

Course Attendance 

CenSARA staff will monitor video and audio, as well as attendance during the course. Students should use the tools built into the software to mute their phones and/or microphones. This will allow our staff to monitor who is muted properly (this is not the same as simply muting their phone line). Students are asked to keep lines muted unless they are engaged in a discussion with the instructor. 

Student Expectations

• Attend at least ¾ of the course to receive certificate of completion.
• View the presentation and actively participate (not just listen to the instructor).
• Students should ensure they have sufficient internet connection speeds to allow for both video and voice.
• Students can use their PC microphone or headset to participate. If they do not have these options, a phone number is provided for them to call in to, but they are still required to be on their laptop logged into the course while using their phone to hear the audio.
• Students should be in a fixed working location with minimal distractions during the course.
• Students are encouraged to participate in the discussions and ask questions by utilizing the following:
  • Chat box- moderator will ask questions to the instructor
  • Utilizing the “raise hand” function
  • Respond quickly to poll questions when they are launched 

Hardware 

CenSARA is not responsible for the age or capabilities of the student's computer or their internet connection. Students must ensure that they have both video and audio capability with their computer so that they can fully participate in the course. Some virtual platforms provide a separate call-in number for audio; however, students should not use smartphones as their primary connection for both video and audio. CenSARA cannot provide technical support for basic computer operations. 

Exams 

Some courses may require pre- or post-tests that can potentially be administered through one of several systems that might include Survey Monkey, EPA’s AirKnowledge LMS or some other avenue. Students need to pay attention to the instructions received from the instructors. 

Last Updated 7/7/2025