Re: Seeking feedback on IAAP certification roadmap

Who will be writing IAAP tests?

To be determined, but yes, of course they will be subject matter experts.
And we will involve people with experience in not only writing tests, but
in evaluating the tests for validity and reliability, according to accepted
academic, industry, and statistical best practices.


Paul Bohman, PhD
Director of Training
Deque Systems, Inc
www.deque.com
703-225-0380, ext.121


On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 8:10 AM, Laura Carlson <lcarlson@d.umn.edu> wrote:

> 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/
>