A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

A Parallel Postsecondary Universe: The Certification System in Information Technology - October 2000

Appendix A:

Three Interacting Platforms

For readers who would like a very concise outline, let us aggregate the observations made above, and put them in an order that reflects the emergence of the IT industry certification guild. There is nothing linear about the process. There are three distinct platforms in this development that are constantly interacting.

Platform I: Establishing the Certification of Competence

• Vendors (international corporations such as Microsoft, Novell, SAP, Sun, Oracle, Cisco and others) establish standards for performance with their product-systems. They ultimately determine whether an individual meets those standards.
• Acting individually, each vendor constructs a set of examinations that signals a comprehensive competence. A certificate is to be awarded to individuals who pass the required examinations. Some certificates require performance assessments and industry experience in addition to the tests. The certificate is given a discrete vendor-based name, e.g. Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
• Within fields covered by a certificate, vendors establish sub-specialty certificates, and some create hierarchies of certifications analogous to hierarchies of academic degrees.
• Vendors recognize that their product-systems share a great deal, and, in practical circumstances, interact. Networks are a good example of a territory in which this commonality and interaction can be observed. Some standards for performance, then, become generic. Some vendors accept the examinations or certifications of other vendors as part of their own certification processes.
• Industry Associations, often consisting of sub-field specialists, develop analogous standards, examinations, and procedures of certification. These are not vendor specific. Where there are a number of industry associations in the same sub-field, certifications may overlap. The various Webmaster certifications are a good example.
• The vendors and the industry associations are the only recognized certifying authorities, and they insure a constant feedback loop from the instructional and testing platforms.
• For the industry associations, vendors, and other employers of IT professionals, the values of the certification lie in (a) guaranteed currency of knowledge, (b) intellectual and skills leadership of certified employees, (c) less down-time and greater efficiency, particularly in a rapidly-changing technological environment, and (d) where applicable, staff interactions with other parts of the industry through the guild, hence, greater organizational knowledge.

Platform II: Providing Opportunity-to-Learn

• The vendors recognize that anyone--in any nation--should have the opportunity to acquire the competence and knowledge required to pass their examinations and qualify for certification. They thus develop curricula and the materials/technology for delivery of those curricula--and in many languages. To be sure, providing these opportunities to learn also creates a skilled labor pool.
• Some vendors function as schools themselves. They offer traditional classroom instruction at many locations around the world. They certify instructors, rent facilities, and charge tuition for the course work. They also provide courseware in CD-ROM format and on-line from strategically located servers. Tuition is charged for those modes of learning/instruction as well.
• Most vendors, however, link with commercial and training companies. These "training partners" must first be reviewed and authorized by the vendor as knowledgeable in the curriculum, skilled in instructional delivery, and possessing appropriate capacity to accommodate various types and volumes of enrollments in their service area. Training partners can also include traditional higher education institutions and other non-profit entities, though these are more loosely-coupled to the vendor. Despite review and authorization, the quality of training may vary widely.
• Industry associations follow suit, linking with "training partners" to provide the opportunity-to-learn.
• Some training partners offer their own certifications in the same fields as those offered by the vendors, but in a more generic, vendor-neutral form. These generic forms, like those of the industry associations, resemble college majors. Network Administration is a good example.
• On-line education providers that are notofficial "training partners" sell support tutorials and self-study materials on specific topics in the certification sequences, and others provide settings for learning exchanges between those studying for examinations and those who have already passed through the gates of certification. The industry recognizes that, in a world of lifetime learners, preparation for certification does not necessarily require formal course work.

Platform 3: Testing and the Award of Certifications

• Both vendors and industry associations develop their own examinations for each portion of knowledge/competence required for a specific certification. Public statements of expected competencies, along with practice examinations, are available on-line.
• The examinations take many forms, and some are available in languages other than English. Some are computer-adaptive, some are based on case studies, some involve simulations, and some are Item Response Theory (IRT)-based multiple choice. Every vendor or industry association that develops these tests retains a staff of testing experts.
• Examinations are under constant review for content. They are frequently "retired" and replaced so that they reflect contemporary knowledge demands.
• The vendor or industry association determines the passing (cut) score on the examinations.
• A minor industry has grown up around IT certification examinations: test-preparation manuals, special test-prep classes and CD-ROM based practice tests. These are signs of maturing credentials, but also expected in an industry that encourages existing employees to seek certification.
• The examinations are administered either by vendors themselves or by independent testing companies. There are at least three major global testing firms on which the information technology and telecommunications industries principally rely to conduct examinations. Collectively, these firms operate 5,000 testing centers in 140 countries.
• "Candidates" for certification submit examination scores and other requested material to the vendor or industry association, which then awards the certification.
• Most certifications must be either renewed or maintained by continuing education, seminars, and/or examination.

[References and Sources][Appendix B]