Behavioral Ethics & Compliance Institute
The BECI Standard
What an online behavioral education course must do before it can be described as BECI-reviewed. Every requirement is written so that a court, attorney, probation officer or employer can check it.
What this standard is. A published quality standard for course content, seat time, assessment, records and honest marketing. What it is not. It is not a government approval, a license or an accreditation, and it does not guarantee that any court or agency will accept a course. Acceptance is always decided by the authority that requires the course.
1. Curriculum
1.1Each course states its learning objectives or curriculum before enrollment.
1.2Each course states its length in hours, and the volume of instruction supports that length.
1.3Content draws on established behavioral-education approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral skills, decision-making, communication and accountability.
1.4The course is presented as education. It is not presented as therapy, treatment, or legal or medical advice.
1.5Content is reviewed for accuracy at least once every 12 months.
2. Delivery
2.1Active seat time is tracked for every lesson. A learner cannot complete the course in fewer hours than its stated length.
2.2The course works on a phone, tablet and computer.
2.3The languages a course is offered in are stated before enrollment.
2.4Learners can reach the provider by email or phone, and contact details are published.
3. Assessment
3.1The course includes knowledge checks during instruction.
3.2The course ends with a final assessment that must be passed.
3.3A certificate is issued only after every lesson is completed, the required seat time is met and the final assessment is passed.
4. Completion records
4.1The certificate shows the learner’s name, the course title, the course length in hours, the completion date and a unique certificate ID.
4.2A letter of enrollment is available to the learner once they enroll, and a seat-time or attendance record is available on request.
4.3A course information sheet describing curriculum, length and format is available for a court, attorney or employer to review.
4.4Completion records are kept for at least three years so that certificates stay verifiable.
5. Verification
5.1Any certificate can be checked online using its certificate ID, at no cost and without an account.
5.2A certificate that has been refunded or revoked shows as invalid when checked.
5.3The provider answers verification questions from courts, attorneys, probation officers and employers within two business days.
6. Honest marketing
6.1The provider does not claim a court approval, license or accreditation that it does not hold.
6.2The provider states that acceptance is decided by the requiring party, and does not promise that every court or agency will accept its certificate.
6.3The price shown is the full price. There are no added fees for the certificate.
6.4A written refund policy is published.
7. Learner privacy
7.1Learner records are not sold or shared for marketing.
7.2Completion details are shown only to someone who holds the certificate ID, or released at the learner’s request.
7.3A privacy policy is published.
8. Review and renewal
8.1A course is checked against every requirement in this standard before it is listed as BECI-reviewed.
8.2Each listing shows the date of review and the version of the standard used.
8.3Courses are reviewed again every 12 months, or sooner if the course changes materially.
8.4A course that no longer meets the standard is removed from the list until it does.
Questions about the standard
See how courses are reviewed, or write to info@becicertified.org.