- From: Laura Carlson <lcarlson@d.umn.edu>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 09:28:24 -0500
- To: Paul Bohman <paul.bohman@deque.com>
- Cc: w3c-wai-ig <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Hi Paul, That's great. Transparency in who writes the tests, their credentials and affiliations as well as test methodology will help strengthen any certification program. Thanks. Best Regards, Laura On 4/10/14, Paul Bohman <paul.bohman@deque.com> wrote: > 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/ >> > -- 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 14:28:55 UTC