Certification Exam To Be Beta Tested At CEDIA EXPO By Kirsten Nelson
The first component of CEDIA's designer and installer certification program will be beta tested at this year's EXPO, September 22-26 in Indianapolis, Indiana. This test is the Installer One segment, which was recently completed and is designed to evaluate entry level installers' knowledge of basic safety and electronic principles. Following the beta test, the exam will be evaluated and modified according to the results, and it will then be officially administered during the CEDIA Regional Education sessions in 2000. Those who pass the Installer One exam will progress to the Installer Two segment that is expected to be beta tested at CEDIA EXPO 2000. Two Designer modules will also be developed and administered by the association, and installer/designers who pass all four exams will receive a ""Master"" certification. The beta testing marks the first manifestation of CEDIA's long-held ambition to provide certification for installers and designers. To develop the Installer One exam, a committee of 10 volunteers wrote questions that were validated for accuracy and then reformatted to meet the specifications of a psyhcometrcian (test developer) hired by CEDIA. To produce a valid test, CEDIA also brought on a consultant to ensure that the questions were valid. CEDIA Director of Education Jennifer Carnahan said that these initial phases of the tests' development are only the beginning of a long process. ""Once the test is implemented the question writing continues, because as technology changes, certain questions will have to be updated,"" she said. ""Also, with a certification program, sometimes there is a really hard question that everybody talks about. Then it becomes a well-known question and skews the results. So this will be a continual process of updating questions and working with the right people to make sure that they're accurate and valid."" The beta test will be administered to 100 installers randomly selected by CEDIA from a pool of entry-level employees. The results will be evaluated by a professional testing company and any questions that are obviously too difficult or simple will be altered to create a more valid exam. The 100 beta testers will be required to re-take the test in its final format, but the exam will be free for them if taken within the next year. According to Fred Ampel, head of the CEDIA Certification Task Force, the exam will be required of everyone wishing to gain CEDIA Certification. ""It is the recommendation that everyone tests. Nobody is grandfathered,"" he said. ""The model here is the drivers license exam. If you want to drive a truck you first have to get a basic drivers license. Then you can get a commercial license to drive a truck."" Installer One is meant for the entry-level, supervised installer. Like all levels of certification testing, the Installer One exam will include a scaled version of modules on video technologies, audio technologies, systems integration and control, home theater and data/voice communications. Scaled to the expected experience of those who will be taking it, Installer One is focused on basic knowledge, with emphasis on job safety, basic electronics, and basic installation techniques. The Installer and Designer tracks of the certification have the purpose of providing a way for consumers and employers to recognize the abilities of installers who pass the tests. The CEDIA membership voiced its support of such a measure over a year ago when the association did a survey regarding the possible implementation of a certification program. CEDIA officials reported the highest level of response to any survey or poll circulated by the organization. CEDIA executive director Billilynne Keller pointed out that the membership was eager to implement the certification for several reasons. ""I think CEDIA members believe it is a member benefit that will not only benefit the industry as a whole, but also their businesses,"" she said. ""Our industry has grown to a point where this type of educational certification will legitimize the industry as a whole. It is something that our members have wanted for some time. We have been very deliberate in doing it right."" While a course load recommendation for the Installer One exam has not been specified as yet, Carnahan assured that the basic courses offered by CEDIA would prepare installers for the Installer One test. A more defined curriculum is in the works, along with other support materials in the form of a CD-ROM, Web access and study guides. Source: Systems Contractor News