How to Get Started
Note: There is no fee to create an account, and some trainings are free.
- Go to the registration page.
- Fill out your information, including your congregation (if applicable)
- Choose a username that is easy to remember, without spaces. (You can use your email address.) CAUTION: Usernames cannot be changed once you register.
- Be sure to note your username and password!
- Look for a verification email that says “To complete the activation of your account, go to the following link: [URL]”
- If you don’t see an email within 5-10 minutes, check your spam folder. Be sure to add uuinstitute.org to your “safe senders” list.
- Click on the link.
- Note: The activation link will only work once. If the activation link doesn’t seem to work, it may already be activated: See if you can log in.
Tip:
- If you are using a private or family computer, click on the “remember me” button when you first log in.
Troubleshooting:
- If you don’t get an email, check your spam folder! Be sure to add uuinstitute.org to your “safe senders” list.
- If all else fails, submit a support ticket or send an email to info@uuinstitute.org and we’ll activate your account for you. (Please give us a couple of working days.)
We recommend that you take trainings with a group from your congregation.
- You can access the materials individually according to your own schedule.
- You can meet periodically with the rest of your group for discussion (we provide questions). Some trainings offer activities that help reinforce learning.
- Learning together builds trust and generates insights and creativity!
All of our available training are categorized and tagged to help you find what you need! Some trainings require a modest fee.
Trainings are sorted into 3 major categories:
- Trainings for Learners are general offerings for faith development (aka religious education) and spiritual deepening.
- Trainings for Leaders provide skills, understandings, and sensibilities for those who serve our congregations, both lay and professional.
- Trainings for Professionals are used for credentialing and continuing education. Most of these trainings are available only as part of a credentialing process.
Trainings are also tagged by topic, which makes it easier to search for something specific, like “Stewardship,” “Anti-racism,” or “Our Whole Lives.” Use the “Free” tag if you want to try out the learning management system (LMS).
You can also search by using keywords.
Click on the image or title to find out more about a particular training.
When you scroll down the page of a training, you can view the modules and topics for the course which provides a rough overview of the course. Some courses also offer a detailed, downloadable syllabus.
Enroll in a Training as an Individual
- Make sure you are logged in.
- Click on the training you are interested in.
- Click on the “take this course” button.
- You will then be taken to the purchase page where you can add the course to your “cart.”
- You will see a “view cart” button.
- You can keep “shopping” and add additional trainings, or go directly to the checkout.
- Start with your “cart” (located under the “My Acount” menu)
- Review your order
- Enter any coupon codes
- Click on “proceed to checkout”
- In the Checkout you will be asked for payment processing information. Options include:
- PayPal®
- Credit Card – Choose the PayPal option, then choose “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” (no need to have a PayPal® account)
- Check (see instruction below)
Once an item is in your cart (found under the “My Account” tab), enter the coupon code in the box under the list of trainings in your cart.
- If you chose “Pay by Check” you won’t have access to the training until we receive the check.
- Please print the confirmation email and send it with your check so we can identify your account.
- If your congregation is paying for your entire team, please use the Group Enrollment option.
Make your check out to UUA-CER and send to:
UU Institute
c/o Central East Region of the UUA
PO Box 425
St. Clairsville, OH 43950
- Make sure you are logged in.
- Click on the “My Account” drop-down menu and select “My Trainings.”
- You will find a list of all of the trainings where you are enrolled.
- Click on the training you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
This website is on a WordPress platform, which uses Gravitar for profile pictures. Use the email address from your UU Institute account to log in to the Gravitar website.
Most of the trainings are available on-demand. Start when you want, move through it at your own pace.
(There are some UUA-facilitated professional and regional trainings that are offered to cohorts. In this case, the modules open according to the class schedule.)
We hope you do!
See our group enrollment page to walk you through it!
Even if you have already marked a section “complete” you can go back and access the materials as many times as you wish.
Once you have purchased a training, you will be able to access the materials as long as the training is active. (If we plan to retire a class, we will give you plenty of notice.)
Our low-cost trainings are supported by your Annual Program Fund gifts to the UUA. We are unable to offer group discounts, however we do offer need-based scholarships.
Make sure you are logged in, then go to the Group Registration page, enter the code in the box and click submit. (see picture below) 
Unfortunately, due to the administrative costs, we cannot issue refunds.
- You will need to be able to open pdf documents (using the free Adobe Acrobat reader or similar software).
- You will need to be able to view YouTube and/or Vimeo videos.
Our newer materials are close-captioned and screen-reader friendly.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to update all of our older materials. If there is an older training you would like to have updated, please reach out to info@uuinstitute.org and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
This varies by training. Most of the longer trainings have a time estimate on the course page.
Doesn’t our Annual Program Fund gift to the UUA cover this?
The UU Institute would not be possible without your gifts! The training fees enable us to invite non-UUA staff (and even non-UUs like Beth Zemsky) and fairly compensate them.
The $30 trainings are monitored by UUA staff. The $15 trainings are popular non-monitored trainings. The free trainings tend to be our older trainings that we are keeping available.
Yes! With the exception of trainings that are part of UUA credentialing programs or specific region-sponsored congregational trainings, our offerings are open to anyone.
