Frequently Asked Questions

New ACVA Online Learning Model and Policies
Effective April, 2010 - Page Two

The ACVA office is slow to respond. Why is that?

While our new, limited volunteer staff wants to do things right, they are not always able to do things right away. In the past there was a dedicated office with paid staff. Now we have capable but part time volunteer staff trying to keep ACVA up and running until recovery can be achieved. If you do not hear back from us right away, please be patient. We are trying to return calls and emails as fast as we can. It could take several days in some cases.

Someone took down the ACVA certification requirements from the website. What happened?

The requirements for certification had to be rewritten to reflect the transition from the tutor-led model to the online model. We had to pull the certification policy off the web, to avoid confusion until we have recreated new criteria for the online model. Again with our reduced staff, things take longer than before. The new certification policies should be posted on the website at this time.

What happens to my former certification?

For reasons mentioned previously, ACVA will be putting all its focus on its Online activities. The certification that learners will earn going forward will be from the exam that new online learners will begin taking sometime in the Summer of 2010. Those who hold certificates from the former tutor-led model will still be able to tutor anyone they wish, but such tutoring will not be applied to the new certificates. Again, new certification will come as a result of taking ACVA Online Level 1 or Level 2 courses.

How do I advertise myself with the certificate gained under the tutor-led model that is being transitioned out at ACVA?

As certificate holders under the tutor-led model, you should still be able to describe yourself as “ACVA Certified Level I,” or ACVA Certified Level II.” Newer learners who earn the online certification, will call themselves, “ACVA Online Certified Level 1,” or “ACVA Online Certified Professional Level II.”

If you qualified to be a tutor under the former tutor-led model, you can still call yourself an “ACVA Certified Tutor.” However, as a tutor, you will not be able to offer credit hours for ACVA Online certification, since course credit for ACVA credentials will only be offered via ACVA Online web-based classes.

Within the next year, ACVA Online intends to offer training for those who want to become instructors at ACVA Online. At this time the details of this instructor’s training course are being worked out. There should be an announcement towards the end of 2010 regarding the details of this offering.

What if I am almost complete with my credits for certification under the tutor-led model?

ACVA certification following the tutor-led model is planned to be offered at some summer 2010 conferences. This can give students of the traditional tutor-led certification a reasonable time line to complete their studies. It will act as a sort of grandfathering for students who have collected hours in the traditional manner. Again, these certificate holders who qualify as tutors in the past, will not be able to offer tutoring for credit at ACVA Online. If a tutor wants to teach Vedic astrology lessons to anyone, they are still free to do so, but no longer for ACVA credit.

Is it really fair that I am losing the ability to tutor students for ACVA course credit? Is ACVA not honoring its past commitments?

It is not so much a matter of fairness or commitment as it is of the inability of the tutor-led model to generate enough revenue to support the administration required to run its activities. Many companies in today’s business world have either gone out of business, have had to merge with other companies, or have had to significantly reduce the cost of doing business. ACVA had to cut its operational expenses by over half to keep going in today’s economic downturn. Even with that, ACVA’s staff is working pro-bono at this time, with the exception of our Registrar. The tutor-led model was not financially self-sufficient. It did not generate enough revenues for ACVA to support itself.

Since the former tutor-led model of certification is being retired in favor of the more self-sustaining ACVA Online model of learning, only ACVA certified online instructors will be able to teach courses online that lead to the ability to take the new ACVA Online certification exam. Since former ACVA tutors are not trained to teach the newer ACVA online classes, unless they are recertified to do so in the future, the tutoring they offer will not be applicable for credit with the new online certification process.

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