It’s easy to forget what education was like before the internet: centralized, expensive, and hard to get. Having a one-size-fits-all approach didn’t address the different goals, experiences, and preferences of learners. Equality of access was an enormous challenge that couldn’t simply be solved by increasing the number of schools and programs. Highly specialized, technical knowledge was even harder to acquire.

The advent of online learning made the lives of students, ambitious professionals, and curious individuals easier. Today, we can learn the principles we need to advance our careers anytime, anywhere, without sacrificing our full-time jobs or draining our savings.

At AIHA, we understand how important accessible education is to the professionals we serve. Similar to how it revolutionized many professions, online learning can advance the careers of industrial hygienists and empower them to address the challenges they face at work. It is our goal, in turn, to provide affordable, quality education that corresponds with our audience’s needs.

AIHA eLearning has made great strides this year towards delivering on this vision.

This March, we held the first AIHA Exposure Assessment Virtual Conference, offering three weeks of education designed for IH/OEHS professionals. All sessions were online, including a mix of live and recorded presentations with content ranging from introductory to advanced, accommodating the needs of professionals at all career levels. The strong turnout we received proved that our audience has been waiting for an education opportunity like this. We will definitely make the conference available again next year!

Another offering we’re rolling out this year is the Occupational Exposure Assessment (OEA) Certificate Program, the latest in the AIHA family of assessment-based certificate programs. Primarily designed for IH technicians, this four-contact-hour certificate program provides proof that participants have acquired the knowledge to apply the fundamentals of IH to gather, document, and report monitoring data and make exposure judgments. Our assessment-based certificate programs are a great way to show employers your expertise in a given topic area and commitment to professional development, so be sure to visit our certificate programs webpagefor updates.

We also wanted to ensure that we’re supporting the ambitious professionals getting ready to take the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) exam. To help exam takers focus their studies on the most essential areas, we introduced the CIH Crash Course. With 24 hours of presentations and videos, more than 400 flashcards, and a 180-question practice test, those preparing for the exam can gain a better understanding of the complex topics that will be covered.

That said, if you’re just exploring the field of industrial hygiene or want a broader appreciation of how your role interfaces with the field, then our new eLearning course, Basic Principles in Occupational Hygiene, is the right fit for you. Upon completing this eight-contact-hour course, you’ll become familiar with the broad principles in occupational hygiene as the basis for anticipation, recognition, evaluation, control, and confirmation of hazards that can be encountered in the workplace.

2019 isn’t over yet, so be sure to check AIHA’s eLearning page throughout the year for upcoming training and education opportunities!

Are there specific education topics or online formats you think AIHA should be offering? Add your two cents in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!