Course Attendees

Course Materials
When you arrive at the meeting, your first step will be to check in at Registration. There, you will receive your badge and registration materials for the symposium. Even if you are a course-only attendee and not attending the technical conferences, you will need to complete this step.

After checking in, you will receive a set of printed tickets which will include one ticket for each course you are attending. Take these tickets to the Course Materials desk, where our friendly staff will exchange them for a set of the printed course notes along with an auxiliary textbook for those courses that feature them. (The notes themselves are your "ticket" into the classroom; you will be required to show your notes to be admitted to the classroom.) When you pick up your notes, you will also be informed of the course location.

During the Course
Out of respect for the instructor and other students, please arrive to your course(s) no later than the posted start time, and preferably a few minutes early. It's a good idea to pick up your course materials well before the class start time, since courses are often located a considerable distance from the registration area. Come prepared with a writing instrument and paper for taking notes.

One break of 15 to 30 minutes will take place for each half-day of instruction; full-day courses will have a break during both the morning and afternoon session. In addition, full-day courses have a 1.5 hour break for lunch. Breaks coincide with the official symposium coffee breaks, so you will be able to get refreshments at that time.


Course Evaluations and CEU (Continuing Education Unit) Credits
Your set of course notes will contain an instructor evaluation form and application for CEU credit. The evaluation form has a section of questions and an additional area for comments. Please make sure to fill out the evaluation completely, as this is an important factor in assessing the value of the course and providing feedback to the instructor. Also, written comments are strongly encouraged.

The evaluation form also serves as your application to receive CEUs for attending the course. SPIE is an authorized provider of CEUs through IACET - The International Association of Continuing Education and Training. SPIE awards CEUs to participants who attend its courses and complete the evaluation.

To receive your CEU credit:

1. Fill in the course evaluation.
2. Check the box on the front indicating you wish to receive CEUs.
3. Complete contact information on the back of the form.
4. Drop your form in a Course Evaluation box onsite.

You will receive your certificate of completion, indicating the number of CEUs received for each course, approximately one month after the end of the meeting. SPIE maintains CEU records for a period of seven years. To receive a transcript of your total CEU awards you may contact the Education Services department of SPIE at education@spie.org.

Enjoy your course! And if at any time you find that an SPIE course does not meet your expectations, please let us know. SPIE has a full money-back guarantee for its short courses and welcomes your comments on how we can improve.