The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

The National Institute of Building Inspectors (NIBI®) was established in 1987 to provide educational programs, occupational training, and technical support for the home inspection and construction industries. NIBI offers classroom training programs, special seminars, field-training, continuing education programs, and a web-based online learning program.

Since its inception, NIBI has provided home inspection training for over 3,000 home inspectors in the United States and Canada. NIBI programs are open to the general public. Special sessions are also provided by arrangement for individual groups or organizations.

The individual Lessons of the Home Inspection Course have received credits or approval from various organization and governmental entities. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), the California Real Estate Inspectors Associations (CREIA), and 15 governmental agencies and other organizations have approved NIBI® Online courses for membership renewal credits or continuing education credits.

The NIBI Online Home Inspection Course currently consists of an Introductory Lesson and 11 Technical Lessons bundled in a subscription series as one Course. The Course covers the major elements of a house and the principal issues and components of a home inspection. All Lessons start with detailed information on residential construction, including basic building design and construction materials and practices. The focus of all courses, however, is on home inspection-including: standards of practice, defects recognition, inspection guidelines, and reporting methodologies. Each core course also includes appendices containing extensive glossaries, reference articles, inspection procedure lists, and common defect lists.

Each learning unit is independently formatted, so students can take the course in any order desired, or switch between units; however, the suggested format is to either complete the units as listed above, or alternate between a structure/building components course and a mechanical systems course.

With the NIBI Online Learning Program Courses, students learn in part through extensive questioning. There are hundreds of review questions in each individual course. Assessments-graded exams-are included at the end of each major segment of each course, with typically 6-10 graded assessment per core course. Each exam consists of 20 to 30 or more "multiple choice" or "select all that apply" questions. An aggregate grade of 75% is required for course completion credit.

The testing structure is flexible and can be revised to meet most specified criteria, including proctored exams when necessary. Five other standard question formats can be also used. Exams are graded instantaneously with scores supplied directly to the student.

The program monitors test results to weed out problematic questions. Exam questions are added/rotated regularly to ensure testing program integrity. A "final" 200-question exam covering all topics is used with the subscription series; final exams can be added to any course, as required.

The NIBI Online® Learning Program also provides student tracking, which monitors access times, sections reviewed, tests taken, and other administrative functions to ensure that all key components of each course are completed by each student. In addition to passing assessments, all core sections of a course must be completed to receive full credit.

While the Home Inspection program can be taken by students in any state, some states have home inspector licensing and/or registration laws that require a classroom components for most license or registration applicants. Please click here to view the list of states. The NIBI Online courses may not meet the educational requirements in these states for the typical applicant; however, in some cases, states waive classroom requirements for applicants with certain home inspection expertise or other related experiences or licenses. Each prospective student must consult their particular state home inspection regulatory board for specific information.

The National Institute of Building Inspectors and NIBI are registered trademarks of ProTeam, Inc., a N.J. Corporation. NIBI is affiliated with HouseMaster®, a network of home inspection franchises throughout North America. NIBI administrative offices and training center are located in Central New Jersey, approximately 45 miles west of New York City and 20 miles north of Princeton, N.J.

Course Objectives

The NIBI® Online Home Inspection Certificate Course will:

 

  · Provide an introduction to the home inspection industry.
  · Review home inspection standards of practice.
  · Provide information on residential construction, materials, and installation practices.
  · Address special concerns and issues related to house components.
  · Cover resources, tools, and equipment used for home inspections.
  · Review common safety concerns and personal protection issues.
  · Provide general guidelines on inspection procedures.
  · Address common communication issues, perspectives, and reporting formats.

Upon successful completion of the NIBI® Online Home Inspection Certificate, students will:

  · Understand the purpose and scope of home inspection standards.
  · Recognize and describe basic residential construction materials and techniques.
  · Know basic procedures for inspecting a home.
  · Know basic home inspection equipment and personal protective gear.
  · Recognize common defects found in residential construction.
  · Know the appropriate reporting methodologies
  · Be able to sit for home inspection exams with reasonable expectation of success
  · Earn continuing education credits, where applicable.

The following are the twelve segments or learning units of the Course.

  · Introduction
  · Roof Systems
  · Exterior Elements
  · Structural Systems
  · Insulation & Ventilation
  · Interior Elements
  · Electric Systems Lesson
  · Plumbing Systems
  · Heating Systems
  · Cooling Systems
  · Hot-water Supply Systems
  · Inspection Materials, Equipment and Reporting