Frequently asked questions

Getting access

Who is the Trustee Training program for?

Trustees and board members of independent higher-education institutions, along with the staff who support them. Access comes through an institution that holds a license.

My institution has a license. How do I start?

Two ways, and either is fine. If your board secretary or administrator invited you by email, open the link in that invitation. If they gave you an access code instead, enter it on the access code page. Both routes place you on your institution’s license.

I have lost my access code.

Ask your board secretary or institutional administrator — they can re-issue your invitation.

My institution does not hold a license. Can I enroll myself?

No — the Trustee Training program is licensed to institutions, and we do not offer individual licenses. Ask your board secretary or board office to enroll your institution at institution enrollment; once the license is in place they can invite you.

How does an institution enroll?

An administrator applies at institution enrollment and attaches the institution’s sales tax exemption certificate. A Consortium administrator reviews the application and, once approved, sends a secure link to complete payment. No payment is taken while the application is under review.

Signing in

What is my password?

There isn’t one. Enter your email address on the sign-in page and we email you a six-digit code to type in. The code is short-lived — request a fresh one any time if it expires before you use it.

The sign-in code never arrived.

Check your junk or quarantine folder first. Codes come from no-reply@boston-consortium.org; institutional mail filters sometimes hold that address until it is allowed, so it is worth asking your IT team to permit it. Then request another code — a new one supersedes the old.

Can I sign in with a different email address?

Use the address your invitation was sent to; that is the address your institution’s roster and your completion record are attached to. If you need to change it, your institutional administrator can re-invite you at the new address.

Taking the training

How long does it take?

Three video modules, roughly three hours in total.

Do I have to finish in one sitting?

No. Your progress saves as you watch, and the portal reopens to where you stopped. You can switch devices mid-module — sign in on the other device and pick the training back up.

What controls does the player give me?

Play and pause, skip back or forward ten seconds, a scrubber, volume, playback speed, full screen, and a chapter list for jumping within a module. Captions can be switched on with the CC control, and you can set them to be on by default from your dashboard. Each module’s slide deck can be downloaded as a PDF.

Can I use a phone or tablet?

Yes — the portal and the player work on phones and tablets as well as computers. See technical requirements for supported browsers and connection speeds.

The video will not play.

This is nearly always a network restriction or a browser extension. The technical requirements page lists what to check, including the addresses an institutional firewall needs to allow.

Completion & records

How is completion recorded?

Work through every module. When the last one is done the portal marks your training complete, records the date, and emails you a confirmation. If you came in through an institution, its administrators are notified and your completion appears on their roster.

Do I get a certificate?

No certificate is issued. Your completion confirmation email and the record in the portal are the evidence of completion, and your institution’s administrators can export completion reports for their own board records.

How long does my completion stay current?

Four years from the date you complete it. We email a reminder as that date approaches and again if it passes, so nothing lapses quietly.

Can I go through the training again?

Yes, at any time while your access is valid — your dashboard has a retake option. A retake starts a fresh run through the modules; your previous completion stays on record.

Licenses & renewals

What does an institution license cover?

Twelve months of access from the date of purchase, for the institution’s trustees and staff. There is no per-trustee cap unless a specific cap has been agreed for your institution.

Does a license renew automatically?

No. Every renewal is deliberate, because each one re-collects a current sales tax exemption certificate for review. Administrators receive reminders as the term approaches its end and can renew from the billing section of their dashboard.

What happens when a license expires?

Training access pauses until the license is renewed. Nothing is lost — completion records and progress are retained, and access resumes on renewal. Trustees who reach the training during a lapse are told to contact their administrator.

Is sales tax added at checkout?

No. Institutions enroll by submitting a sales tax exemption certificate, and no sales tax is charged on any purchase — the price shown is the amount charged.

Privacy & support

What can my institution see?

Administrators at your institution see their roster: who has been invited, who has started, how far each trustee has progressed, and completion dates. That is what lets a board office confirm its trustees are current.

Who do I contact about something else?

Email trustee-training@boston-consortium.org. For questions about your institution’s license or your place on its roster, your board secretary or institutional administrator can usually resolve it faster.