http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Certification A listing of the most recently indexed works about Certification in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Certification http://tc.eserver.org/34166.html http://tc.eserver.org/34166.html STC has meant a lot to my professional growth over the past 20+ years as a teacher and practitioner of technical communication, and I want to help STC expand its educational mission for all technical communicators. It is time our profession had a defined body of knowledge. Why? http://tc.eserver.org/32685.html http://tc.eserver.org/32685.html Clearly, our path to certification has been neither fast nor steady. We've spent decades starting from first principles, and trying to construct the argument that we want to be certified. We put effort into trying to decide how to administer certification exams, which was never a good make-vs-buy decision. Our attempts to define a body of knowledge splintered into groups that were unique to certain industries, media, or tools, such as medical writers, Web designers, and FrameMaker experts. Certification was--and still is--an emotionally charged issue; people have felt their livelihoods were threatened. http://tc.eserver.org/32687.html http://tc.eserver.org/32687.html The virtues of certification cannot be ignored, but they are outweighed by the drawbacks: There’s no evidence that employers will value certification; it can be highly subjective; and it requires ongoing renewal, even for experienced practitioners, to avoid diluting its value. The more important task must be to demonstrate our value to employers. Only once they understand our value will certification provide a means to assure employers that they can expect to receive that value. http://tc.eserver.org/32688.html http://tc.eserver.org/32688.html I believe certification of technical communicators is unavoidable, given the current status of related professions and our technological environment. Either the STC develops a certification program, or someone else will do it. http://tc.eserver.org/31846.html http://tc.eserver.org/31846.html The ongoing discussion of certification continues with these concurrent articles, each arguing a different side of the coin. http://tc.eserver.org/31046.html http://tc.eserver.org/31046.html Because the certification has meaning that is fluid and career or personal goals are always changing, I believe it's up to the individual business analyst professional to decide for themselves if certification is right for them based on these factors. If the certification program means upward mobility in their profession or enables an individual to excel at their current job, then it is probably worth the time and cost to undertake a certification program. But I would caution anyone not to cut corners or to cram for the exam to obtain the certification. If they don't see a certification program as a chance to learn, grow and develop their skills and knowledge, then it's probably not worth the investment. http://tc.eserver.org/29216.html http://tc.eserver.org/29216.html The debate over certification of technical and professional communicators has occurred with periods of relative intensity and quiescence for more than twenty years. This article surveys the historical developments of the debate; describes the arguments for and against certification; surveys technical communication curricula and theoretical arguments for literacies, standards, and competencies; and examines various efforts to study certification, including a description of published documents regarding certification. http://tc.eserver.org/28879.html http://tc.eserver.org/28879.html It takes a critical mass of sheep to get any new professional certification off the ground, earnest people who'll throw their weight and reputations behind it, self-selected true believers. http://tc.eserver.org/24601.html http://tc.eserver.org/24601.html The mention of the word certification in any room where technical communicators are often leads to a heated debate. As a profession technical communication is still in its infancy; therefore, the technical communicators are still defining their roles in the workplace and the standards of their profession. Some specialists in the profession have already established their own standards and certification programs. At present the avenues for professional certification are limited. http://tc.eserver.org/24023.html http://tc.eserver.org/24023.html The Society for Technical Communication (STC) has been debating certification for technical communicators for over 37 years in one form or another. Despite many attempts locally, regionally, and nationally to move toward establishing a certification process for the profession, the issue remains on hold. http://tc.eserver.org/23619.html http://tc.eserver.org/23619.html Most professionals want to further their careers over the course of their working life. Scientific editors as a whole do not have well-defined paths for establishing their careers, unlike professionals such as lawyers and doctors, where the educational and credentialing processes are well established. Where can scientific editors get their training? Where can they get experience? This paper will explore experiences, certifications and credentials, as well as training, and degrees, specific to scientific editing that can help further the careers of scientific editors. http://tc.eserver.org/23414.html http://tc.eserver.org/23414.html In spite of the limited population, Sweden is a highly industrialised nation with a number of globally well known industries. As the home market for these industries is far too small, they have to rely on the export markets to sell their products. This situation creates a rather special situation for technical communicators in Sweden. We have to translate the manuals into a large number of languages. And, as our own culture really does not have a dominating position in the world, we have to adapt the information to the target cultures on the different markets. Internationalization is a part of our everyday life. http://tc.eserver.org/21890.html http://tc.eserver.org/21890.html Technical communication as a profession should have some mechanism for identifying and validating the work that its professionals do. In many countries in Europe, professional societies have made some progress in this direction. http://tc.eserver.org/20680.html http://tc.eserver.org/20680.html The more I think about certifications and the issue of 'specialist vs. generalist' I just have to wonder if it would be better to just get a bag of shiny new dice and start rolling one's own. http://tc.eserver.org/18203.html http://tc.eserver.org/18203.html The issue of professional certification for technical communicators has reappeared in recent years and prompted the Society to begin another formal study of the question. Certification is a form of voluntary credentialing developed and administered by private, typically non-profit, organizations. Certification’s value to STC and the profession is the focus of the Society’s current study. Using information compiled from focus groups, surveys, and literature reviews, the Certification Issues Committee has begun an RFP for a comprehensive feasibility study of certification. http://tc.eserver.org/18157.html http://tc.eserver.org/18157.html The proposed competencies for a Usability Professional have been derived from ISO 13407, ISO TR 18529 and the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). http://tc.eserver.org/14322.html http://tc.eserver.org/14322.html Varför anlita certifierade teknikinformatörer? En uppdragsgivare som anlitar en certifierad teknikinformatör (eller tecknare, fotograf, översättare eller liknande) vet att han kan få en opartisk granskning av ett arbete som han är missnöjd med. Om granskningen utfaller till beställarens fördel kommer han med största sannolikhet att få en korrigering till stånd så a tt han blir nöjd. http://tc.eserver.org/13710.html http://tc.eserver.org/13710.html For the past nine months the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) participated in a project to investigate the feasibility of certifying usability (or user-centered design) professionals. The project was kicked off in Salt Lake City last November when a group of people from many organizations, countries and associations met for three days. That meeting ended with a sense of enthusiasm for creating a certification program based on the international standard for a human-centered design process, ISO 13407. The group planned activities to survey professionals to determine the level of support for certification, and to understand the benefits and drawbacks seen by stakeholders. http://tc.eserver.org/13128.html http://tc.eserver.org/13128.html STC members have shown interest in being certified as technical communicators for at least 37 years. The Society has made at least four studies of certification. This paper reviews the work of the 1975-80, 1981, 1982-87 and 1994-1998 committees. The three, multi-year studies had essentially the same results; significant numbers want certification, but too few to make a full certification program economically viable. The studies also revealed that creating a certification program might be divisive. The 1982—-87 study revealed an interest by employers in STC having an accreditation program. http://tc.eserver.org/13135.html http://tc.eserver.org/13135.html We can avoid much of the controversy surrounding certification when we consider it as part of a qualification process. Certification has two primary results. It provides candidates with the most effective way to achieve the required skills. It also provides us with a way to define the skills and skill levels that make us a profession. The Appraisal Institute and the American Medical Writers Association are examples of groups that offer training as part of their certification process. We can promote certification and standards within the Society and in cooperation with academic programs and industry.