Re: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

Hi Paul,

Thanks. I understand that the IAAP is not the same category of entity
as universities.

And I know that IAAP Accessibility certification will be better than
say BrainBench:
http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/aboutus/consumer/whybb.xml
http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/aboutus/consumer/aboutus.xml

Their "current" Web Design for Accessibility test is at:
http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/common/testcenter/consumer/taketest.xml?testId=488

That brings the questions: Who will be writing the IAAP tests? I
assume that they will be subject matter experts (hopefully without a
company agenda to push), but will they be skilled in writing
assessments?

Best Regards,
Laura

On 4/9/14, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman@deque.com> wrote:
> Laura,
>
> Partnerships with universities will definitely be a good thing, but I do
> need to emphasize that the IAAP is not the same category of entity as
> universities, so it's not even appropriate to talk about accrediting the
> IAAP in the same way that you would accredit a university. Professional
> associations -- such as the IAAP, or the American Medical Association, or
> the American Bar Association, or the International Association of Culinary
> Professionals, etc -- serve working professionals in their respective
> fields. Professional associations don't grant degrees, and are not academic
> institutions. Universities and professional organizations are both
> important for what they do, but what they do is different.
>
> So, while it is true that the IAAP can benefit from partnerships with
> universities, it is not true that the benefit comes by virtue of the
> university's accreditation. The benefits come in other forms, such as the
> ability to work together to infuse accessibility into the college
> curriculum, or the ability to benefit from the expertise of university
> professors, and so on.
>
> And yes, we are planning to create a CEU program in accordance with IACET
> guidelines, as explained previously.
>
>
> Paul Bohman, PhD
> Director of Training
> Deque Systems, Inc
> www.deque.com
> 703-225-0380, ext.121
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 5:05 PM, Laura Carlson <lcarlson@d.umn.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi Paul,
>>
>> Food for thought...
>>
>> As Richard already pointed out if IAAP partnered with higher education
>> institutions  it would make IAAP certification much stronger.
>> Partnerships with universities that have good accessibility
>> departments would command a high level of respect as they do have
>> accreditation, something that IAAP will lack.
>>
>> If that is not possible, I would suggest looking into IACET
>> accreditation.
>>
>> http://www.iacet.org/accreditation/benefits-of-authorized-provider-accreditation
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> Laura
>>
>> On 4/9/14, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman@deque.com> wrote:
>> > Good questions.
>> >
>> > *Accreditation vs "authorized provider" of CEUs: *
>> >
>> > Accreditation is a term usually reserved for educational bodies like
>> > colleges and universities. The IAAP would not fall under the
>> > jurisdiction
>> > of higher education accrediting bodies, and in fact would not be
>> > eligible
>> > for accreditation from most accrediting bodies, because the IAAP is an
>> > industry association, not a college or university.
>> >
>> > But the classes can still meet standards for continuing education
>> > units,
>> as
>> > defined by the International Association for Continuing Education and
>> > Training (IACET) (http://www.iacet.org/). In fact, the certification
>> > document references the IACET in the section near the bottom that
>> addresses
>> > CEUs. The IAAP won't be "accredited" by the IACET, but it could be
>> > designated as an "authorized provider" of CEUs, according to IACET.
>> >
>> > *Certificate vs. Certification:*
>> >
>> > In terms of the program in Australia, they offer a certificate, meaning
>> an
>> > educational credential granted by a university after completing a
>> > curriculum. This is different from industry certification, which is
>> > what
>> > the IAAP will offer. IAAP certification is essentially an assessment
>> > that
>> > people will take to evaluate their skills. If a person receives an
>> > acceptable score on the IAAP assessment, that person will be
>> > IAAP-certified. Unlike a university program, there are no required
>> courses
>> > for IAAP certification, and in fact no set curriculum. If you learn
>> > about
>> > accessibility at home or on the job, or in a university, or through the
>> > IAAP, you can take the assessment and be certified, as long as you pass
>> the
>> > test. The University of South Australia can continue to offer its
>> > program
>> > with no interference and essentially no impact from IAAP. In fact,
>> students
>> > can use the program in the University of South Australia to prepare for
>> > IAAP certification. If successful, students will have a certificate of
>> > completion of the university course AND certification from IAAP.
>> >
>> > A university certificate and an industry certification represent two
>> > different kinds of credentials.
>> >
>> >
>> > Paul Bohman, PhD
>> > Director of Training
>> > Deque Systems, Inc
>> > www.deque.com
>> > 703-225-0380, ext.121
>> >
>> >
>> > On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 2:29 PM, Laura Carlson <lcarlson@d.umn.edu>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi Paul,
>> >>
>> >> Just a couple of questions.
>> >>
>> >> Will the IAAP's educational program seek recognized accreditation from
>> >> an authority for example CHEA [1]? Something like that would
>> >> strengthen any certification.
>> >>
>> >> How does IAAP certification fit in with certification programs already
>> >> in place such as the one at the University of South Australia [2]?
>> >>
>> >> Thanks.
>> >>
>> >> Best Regards,
>> >> Laura
>> >> [1] http://www.chea.org/
>> >> [2]
>> >>
>> http://www.unisa.edu.au/Education-Arts-and-Social-Sciences/Communication-International-Studies-and-Languages/pcwa/

-- 
Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/

Received on Thursday, 10 April 2014 12:10:46 UTC