How to approach a CPD Online module

Scheduling your learning

Reflecting and note-taking

Choosing which device or browser to use

Keeping track of your progress

Working with a peer group

Generating and storing your certificates

Recording completed modules on your RCPsych CPD return

Scheduling your learning

On the CPD Online Homepage and Learning modules page each module will state a 'minimum recommended time'. This will either be 30 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes. The majority of modules take around 60 minutes to complete. Ideally, allow for a little extra time in case there are areas you want to focus on more closely.

Many people find it easiest to set aside enough time to complete a module in one sitting, although sometimes interruptions are unavoidable (see below for details of how to keep track of your progress). In order to get the most out of the learning we recommend that you focus completely on the module when you are working through it rather than try to multitask.

Our 30-minute Quickbite modules are ideal for those days when you are very pushed for time.

Reflecting and note-taking

You will have the opportunity to take notes on a module using the CPD Online Notebook that appears on the right-hand side of every page. You can then save these notes and refer back to them at any time in the My CPD Online area: when you click on each section of your modules in progress the notes you have taken will be displayed.

Our more recent modules also contain a downloadable 'Learning notes' Word document that you may prefer to use instead or as well as the online notebook for ease of access.

In most modules, frequent 'Reflections' will be provided. Reflections encourage you to think about your existing knowledge or apply your learning to your own practice. You will get more out of a module if you allow time for these reflections and take some notes to refer back to later.

Choosing which device or browser to use

CPD Online modules are accessible on any device or browser, although there are a few things to bear in mind when choosing your method:

• Desktop or laptop computers (PC or Mac) are ideal for online learning. Modules are accessible on all browsers and are tested at development stage on Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox.

• Tablets are ideal for working through modules when you are not able to access a computer as the screens tend to be large enough to display the content at full quality.

• We do not recommend working through modules on a mobile phone. Although modules are accessible on phones, the small screens mean that the process can be fiddly and some of the content will be difficult to read and engage with (such as interactive activities).

• All our interactive exercises are designed using Adobe Flash. We continue to use this method as many of our users access modules using older versions of Internet Explorer, which are not compatible with HTML5. However Flash exercises will not display on all devices and operating systems (such as iPads and Android), and you may see a blank space where the plugin should appear. For this reason we provide links to HTML5 versions and non-interactive versions for those who need them.

If you experience any technical issues when working through a module you can visit our Help page for assistance.

Keeping track of your progress

As you work through a module your progress will be automatically stored in the My CPD Online area of the website. Just go to Check my progress to view a list of your certificates and a breakdown of the sections of each module you have completed. A module will show as complete when you have worked through every section, and your certificate will appear in the list once you have achieved 100% on the module test and gone through the certificate generating process.

You will be automatically logged out of CPD Online after 30 minutes of inactivity – this is for security purposes. When this happens a login page will appear, and if you log back in from there you will be taken back to the last page you were viewing.

Working with a peer group

If you prefer learning collaboratively rather than on your own, think about working through CPD Online modules in your peer group or in smaller groups with colleagues. Working in groups provides an ideal opportunity to discuss views and experiences during 'reflections' and share ideas when completing the quizzes and interactive exercises. The process works best if each member of the group is logged into the site on separate devices so that everyone can receive their individual certificates of completion.

Generating and storing your certificates

You will need to achieve 100% on the module test in order to generate a certificate of completion. You will then need to follow the onscreen instructions until you see your certificate appear on the screen. If you leave the page before your certificate has appeared on the screen you will need to go back and redo the test.  

During the generating process you will have the opportunity to make any relevant notes to appear on your certificate and amend the number of CPD hours you are claiming for (if a module took more or less than the recommended time). Please note that changing these hours will be subject to peer group approval when it comes to submitting your annual CPD return.

We recommend saving and printing each certificate as soon as you have generated it for ease of access when you are ready to prepare your CPD return. A PDF printing extension is available for most modern browsers. In Internet Explorer you would just choose 'Adobe PDF' as your printer in 'File > Print menu' and you will then have the option to save the certificate as a PDF. Additionally, there are free browser plugins for Firefox and Chrome which allow for printing webpages to PDF.

A list of all your certificates can also be viewed on the Check my progress page of your My CPD Online area, under 'View my certificates of completion'.