[CAUT] Retesting

[tannertuner]

Or, if you look at the new Dampp-Chaser certified installer online program, it would seem the possibilities could grow from that?  (I challenge all of you to take the exam before going through the tutorial to see just how much you don't know about installing systems)
Jeff

--- On Wed, 7/28/10, Ed Sutton <ed440 at mindspring.com> wrote:

> From: Ed Sutton <ed440 at mindspring.com>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Retesting
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 9:52 AM
> 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 
>