Yes, because they are presented live and we measure interactivity. Our software reports when you arrived, whether you were paying attention (more than one open screen), and when you left. That interactivity measurement determines whether we can award you a certificate.

Please note: In a May 2017 ruling by the TMB, recordings of original live events are not considered instructor-led classes. STAR events are not recordings; they are in real time and you can ask questions of the presenter during the broadcast.

No, a compatible computer (PC or Mac) with speakers will work just fine. Participants do have to have a good high-speed internet connection. After you register for the event, there is a step to sign up on the webinar platform. That step gives you the chance to ensure compatibility. Even if you have a microphone, it will be muted during the presentation. Compatible tablets and smartphones also work, although we don't recommend smartphones because the images are too small.

If you can download and install the free Zoom app (www.zoom.com), your device will work. A Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days prior to the event. A few people who have tried both a PC and a tablet actually preferred the tablet experience. Again, you'll need a good internet connection during the broadcast and you may want to have your charger cable handy in case your battery runs low.

Not exactly, but poll questions are asked at random intervals throughout the presentation. At the end, we'll know who did and who did not answer these questions.

After we receive the interactivity report (about 15 minutes after the webinar) we will review it to verify you've earned the credits. If you have, we'll send your certificate (as a PDF) to the email address you used to register for the event.

Sign up and pay through the website. In the confirmation email from our website, you'll receive a link for the webinar platform preregistration (not the same as signing up and paying for the event). No later than one week prior to the event, we'll send you a special link that contains the webinar platform preregistration link and additional details about the upcoming webinar. By using this preregistration link sooner rather than later, you'll receive email reminders for that upcoming webinar (one day and one hour prior). Additionally, that preregistration link will verify that your computer is compatible with the webinar software.

We're all subject to weather and internet connectivity issues. If problems happen on your end, we can't award credit if you're not there, but we will allow you to attend a subsequent webinar for free. If STAR or the guest instructor has electrical or internet problems that can't be quickly resolved, we'll have to reschedule. The audience will be notified by email of the makeup date, likely within 48 hours.

You've probably lost connectivity. Please log off and log back in as quickly as you can. Then send a message to the moderator explaining what happened.

What is happening:

Zoom is still connected - that's why you still see the slides / video moving. But the audio stream dropped. That usually means your internet speed dipped just enough to cut audio first, or your speaker / audio output switched.

What to do right away in a Zoom meeting:

1. Check yourself first - 5 second fix:

Is your speaker volume up? Is Zoom muted? Look for the speaker icon in the bottom left of Zoom - make sure it doesn't say "Join Audio".

Click the little ^ arrow next to Mute / Unmute > Switch to different speaker.

2. Quick re-connect:

Click Leave Audio then Join Audio again in the lower left.

Or leave the meeting completely and re-join as quickly as you can with the same link.

3. Switch to phone audio if it still doesn't work:

In your Zoom controls, click the ^ arrow next to Mute > Switch to Phone Audio.

It will show you a 10-digit number and a Meeting ID/PIN to dial. That is a long-distance call.

You'll then watch on your computer and listen by phone.

If you get back in, drop a message in the Chat to the moderator/host explaining you lost audio and what time you dropped - so they have a record for attendance / CE credit.

What is happening:

You are still connected to audio, but Zoom has frozen the screen share / video. Your internet is just good enough for audio (which takes very little bandwidth) but not for video. Or the presenter stopped sharing, or you minimized the shared screen.

What to do right away:

1. Check your view:

Look at the top of your Zoom window. Does it say "You are viewing 's screen"? If you see a black bar that says "Shared screen paused," just wait.[Name]

Try View Options > Fit to Window or click Side-by-side mode.

Make sure you didn't accidentally minimize the share - click View > Show Shared Screen or click the little green "You are viewing screen share" bar.

2. Fix a frozen screen:

Turn off your own camera - click Stop Video. That saves bandwidth for the incoming share.

Click Leave and re-join with the same Zoom link as quickly as you can. That forces Zoom to re-download the video feed.

Close other apps, browser tabs, and email that might be using your internet.

3. If it stays blank:

Send a chat message to the host/moderator: "Sound is good but screen is blank/frozen since."[time]

You can usually still get credit if you stay connected to audio, but the chat creates a record that you had a tech issue.

If both sound AND screen freeze, you've fully lost connectivity - log off and log back on as fast as you can.

STAR is not responsible if your battery dies during a webinar. Please have your charging cable available to ensure you stay connected for the entire broadcast.