Setting up a CUBA study group here in Oregon with 4-5 people planning to take the certification exam this fall. Mix of experience levels from 2-8 years in utility auditing. Question for those who've done successful study groups: how do you structure the sessions to be productive for everyone? Thinking monthly 2-hour video calls but not sure about format. Should we work through practice problems together, take turns presenting topics, or something else? Pacific Power territory keeps us all pretty busy so want to make sure the time investment pays off.
CUBA study groups - organizing effective peer learning
Duane - study groups definitely work but structure is key. Did one in Montana last year with 6 people, mix of NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota folks. What worked best: each person takes ownership of 2-3 CUBA topic areas and becomes the "expert" for group sessions. Forces deeper learning when you know you'll be teaching others. We did rotating presentations - 20 minutes teaching, 40 minutes working practice problems together, then open discussion. Monthly was too infrequent; we found bi-weekly 90-minute sessions kept momentum better than longer monthly meetings.
Noel's rotation approach sounds solid. Just finished CUBA certification last year (passed thankfully!) and our Salem study group did something similar. One thing I'd add: create a shared document where everyone contributes practice problems from their real audit work. Anonymize customer details but use actual scenarios you've encountered. Way more engaging than textbook examples and helps everyone learn different utility rate structures. Also, designate someone to keep discussions on track - easy to get sidetracked into war stories when you should be studying demand calculations.
Oh, and Duane - don't underestimate the value of explaining concepts to others. Teaching forces you to really understand material at a deeper level. Even if someone in your group is less experienced, having them explain basic concepts to the group helps solidify their foundation and often reveals gaps that more experienced people take for granted. Good luck with your group!