I like being required to take CEU's for my hearing license. It makes many, many courses available to me that would not be available if all the various hearing specialities were not required to take CEU's. I always have more CEU's than the required 15 per year. And it's not necessarily expensive. I just counted; there are 916 classes available right now at audiology online (cost $99 per year for as many courses as you want to take). I attend the continuing education lectures at the National Center for Research in Auditory Rehabilitation monthly (cost $0, nada, nothing). Two to three times a year I attend full day seminars put on by various manufacturers (free, plus they give us lunch). In addition there are state, regional three day and national 5 day conventions with classes (ok, these cost about the same as PTG events). The audiology online courses are put on by hearing aid manufacturers, testing equipment manufacturers, assistive listening device manufacturers, suppliers, battery manufacturers, consultants, individuals who are interested in research in particular areas, the list goes on and on. There is such a smorgasbord of choices that I can pick the classes that interest me most and that can contribute best to the work I do for piano technicians' hearing care. If all piano technicians were required to take continuing education, you can bet a whole lot of people would jump on board to provide that education. Someone already gave the DamppChaser seminar as an example. Diane Diane Hofstetter ---------------------------------------- > Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:28:14 -0700 > From: custos3 at comcast.net > To: caut at ptg.org > Subject: [CAUT] Retesting (Diane) > > Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:32:56 -0700 From: Diane Hofstetter > wrote; >> >> I think Ed said it all: >> >> "My interest at this time is that we generate as many creative visions as possible." >> >> >> His earlier email, where he suggested ways of giving the tests, that we can just barely imagine, was exciting for its possibilities-- and seemingly overwhelming for those who are trapped in the nitty-gritty of administering the already complex exam process. >> >> CEU's don't need to be so complex. They are "continuing education" not the same as the education it took to achieve RPT status. My continuing education units are further education in the field, my education and skills to earn my license are practiced daily and are not retested, unless I go for a license in another state. >> >> The suggestion of an exam written to test one's comprehension of the Five Lectures is a perfect example of a valid CEU opportunity. >> >> There are test centers all over the US. They are usually in community colleges or libraries. The organization requiring testing contracts with the test centers for its members to go there and take a supervised test. It cost me $15 to take one of my distance learning exams. I took it online at the college test center two miles from my home. Other weekly tests I was able to take online from home. >> >> A PTG meeting, or a couple of hours before the meeting, could be an opportunity to have supervised tests. > Diane, > > You have touched on an idea that I was trying to find a way of > introducing. Certifying agencies typically do not engage in educational > activities and do not generate the material to be studied. Its the PTG's > bane that it tries to do everything using its own volunteer resources - > rather than using what is already out there, or the skills of those who > do this sort of thing professionally. Most of what you say above is > doable - if the PTG, instead of trying to be the teacher/tester/resource > creator and motivator all rolled into one starts researching and using > outside resources. Just as an example, we have been talking about an > on-line Written Exam for years - but we have gotten nowhere, because all > initiatives were based on in-house volunteer efforts. I have been for > years trying to convince the powers-that-be to simply research what is > available out there on the commercial testing software market, and then > contract with a testing outfit - or buy an on-line testing software > package. They still think that they can just write a bunch of questions > and then get someone in-house (or someone's 16-year-old kid) to write > the software. > > As I wrote to Ed much earlier in this discussion - all kinds of things > are possible if the PTG would be willing to come up with the money it > would take to pay the people who do this for a living (and find the > financing source) - and have the PTG volunteers concentrate on the piano > end of the matters. Because if we depend on our volunteers to create all > this in their copious spare time, we will still be debugging the systems > by the time our children retire. What we need to do is research the > possibilities of using outside resources for most of this - both for > efficiency and effectiveness sake, and to avoid all the > restraint-of-trade issues that come with us wearing multiple hats. And > then start working out the details. > > Israel Stein
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