[CAUT] Retesting

[Ed Sutton]

David-
Yes. After all, the failed CAUT proposal could have been called a "great big 
gold star."
My interest at this time is that we generate as many creative visions as 
possible.
I don't suppose that we can begin with a perfectly realized, fully evolved 
program.
I imagine that we will take the first steps that we can take, and that if 
they are good steps, many good and unexpected things will evolve.
We are in the second generation of our profession. PTG made greater 
communication possible, and the email lists, such as CAUT, have brought us 
into active, daily communication with other technicians for the first time 
in history.
It would be great if we could all stop and attend a "graduate" class at NBSS 
for a year, and that ain't gonna happen. But look at the current discussion 
about action saturation! It's happening right here.
For example, a few of us could develop a set of exams for the "Five 
Lectures." Read the lectures, (possibly participate in an on-line discussion 
of the lectures and their implications for our work), take the exam (perhaps 
every annual and regional seminar will have an "exam room" for standardized 
tests, similar to ASE tests, which are all paper and pencil, broad range of 
tests administered simultaneously), and you have five "advanced continuing 
education credits."
Ed S.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
To: <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Retesting


Israel:

If continuing education were required for maintaining RPT status, taking a 
class and answering some questions would no longer be a gold star but a 
professional enhancement.  The problem - as I saw it - with the Passport 
program was that not doing it had no consequences.  So, when I took a class 
and the instructor was too busy chatting with a friend to be able to sign my 
form I just left.  If I had needed that signature to maintain my 
credentials, I'd have waited.

dp

David M. Porritt, RPT
dporritt at smu.edu



-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Israel 
Stein
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 1:25 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: [CAUT] Retesting


> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:48 -0400 "Ed  Sutton" <ed440 at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> I do not assume that there is a necessary linkage between continuing 
> education credits and recertification exams.
> The RPT certification and recertification is/would be a category in 
> itself.
> Continuing education credits as a voluntary demonstration of efforts to 
> expand and maintain lifelong learning can be another category.
> The Passport to Exellence program had no bearing on RPT status.
> Ed
>
Ed,

The starting point of this discussion was an attempt to find ways to
enhance the RPT certification so that it would have more credibility and
visibility in institutional hiring. The above is just a "feel good"
idea, that might spark some initial interest, but will very likely peter
out - because there are no real incentives or enhancements involved.
The Passport to Excellence program  petered out - partly because of
administrative problems, and mostly due to lack of interest.  Personally
I find the  idea of handing out "gold stars" to adults (whatever shape
or form they might take) in a continuing-education-for-its-own-sake
scheme pretty - well - insulting. And it probably is not a very good
motivator - it wasn't for testing, when the RPT program amounted to
nothing more than a big "gold star", and it won't be with continuing
education either. This is the sort of thing that denigrates rather than
enhances our professional standing. These sort of internal "beauty
contest" tests and quizzes might massage some egos, but they won't do
much to improve our professional standing (or, I suspect, the pursuit of
continuing education among our members).

Continuing education requirements for maintaining the RPT certification
can have a major positive effect on its credibility and marketability.
Without this sort of tie-in -well, frankly speaking, there are more
advantageous ways of using the resources and energies of this
organization than developing and maintaining an administrative apparatus
whose sole purpose is to hand out "gold stars".

Israel Stein