Download - How do I get CPTC certified?
May 2012
How do I get certified?STC Summit, Rosemont, IL
So, I’m certifiable, now…
Session Agenda
Introduction
Review
Certification Process
Submission Packet
Submission Evaluation
Maintaining Certification
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INTRODUCTION
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Your Speaker: Rob Hanna
STC Certification Commission Vice Chairman (2011-2013)
STC Associate Fellow (2011)
Senior Information Architect, Innovatia, Inc – Saint John, NB
STC Board Member (2007-2009)
AIIM Certified Information Professional – CIP (2011)
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STC Certification Commission Incorporated in 2011, in Virginia,
as a 501(c)(6) organization
Independent of STC
Responsible for establishing certification policies, granting CPTC™ certifications, and overseeing day-to-day operations
Bylaws, policies, procedures, finances separate from STC
Seven commissioners, serving two-year terms
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REVIEWWhat is Certification?
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The Value to Practitioners
Certification is an objective, portable, personal credential that is associated with higher salaries, job-hunting advantages, and better job opportunities
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Are You Eligible?
All practitioners who meet eligibility requirements can apply
STC membership is not required
Prerequisites: combination of full-time experience and education
Must agree to abide by Code of Conduct
ExperienceExperience...... Plus EducationPlus Education
5 yearsHigh-school diploma or equivalent
4 yearsDegree in related
field
3 yearsDegree in
specified field
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The Process
CPTC™ granted for three years
Continue training and professional development with annual maintenance fee
Commission evaluates packet
Trained evaluators assess individual sections under non-disclosure
You send submission packet and payment
Completeness verified
You send application and payment
Eligibility verified
Commission returns evaluation
Results within 60 days
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Assessing Areas of Practice
1.User, Task, Experience Analysis
2.Information Design
3.Process Management
4.Information Development
5.Information Production Areas of Practice Submission
Packet
1.Project Planning
2.Project Analysis
3.Solution Design
4.Organizational Design
5.Written Communication
6.Visual Communication
7.Content Development
8.Content Management
9.Final Production
SUBMISSION PACKET DETAILS
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Your submission
You have one year after your application is accepted to complete and deliver your submission to the Commission.
Submission consists of one section for each of the nine competencies.
Each section is evaluated independently by at least two trained raters and scored as:
Pass
Borderline Pass
Borderline Fail
Fail
Refer to theCandidate Instructions for CPTC™ Certification
Available for download at http://www.stccert.org/?q=node/138
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Documentation Planning
Demonstrate your skill in planning projects for delivering information products.
Factors include developing a plan for creating and tracking the implementation of an information product.
Include with your submission:
A sample portion of the project plan.
A project schedule and/or list of milestones. This may include a Gantt chart or MS Project schedule.
A written commentary.
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Section 1
Documentation Analysis
Demonstrate your skill in analyzing requirements for developing information products.
Factors include analyzing audience, task, and data requirements for developing an information product.
A sample portion of a persona, profile, or other document that details the primary audience.
User requirements, use cases, user task analysis, or needs analysis characterizing task content required for the information product.
A written commentary.
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Filippo, Elizabeth. “The Road to Personas" Intercom 56.1 Jan. 2009: 22
Section 2
Solution Design
Demonstrate your ability to design high‐level solutions for implementing information products.
Factors include research methodology and synthesis of research results into an overall design solution.
Include with your submission:
An actual or simulated work sample of a project design document. The sample may be a documentation plan, document specification, or equivalent document.
Written commentary on the project including considerations for universal accessibility.
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Section 3
Information Architecture
Demonstrate your ability to design the organization of information products.
Factors include selection and construction of an organizational framework that defines the information architecture.
Include with your submission:
A project outline, storyboard, template, DTD, or other evidence of the framework for the information product.
A written commentary that explains the rationale for organization and level of detail selected for the framework.
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Section 4
Written Communicati
on Demonstrate your ability to
compose content and communicate in written form.
Factors include writing style, use of structural elements, appropriateness of presentation for the intended audience, and consistency.
Include in your submission:
A representative sample of your information product.
A written commentary that explains how your knowledge of objectives and audience influenced your writing style.
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Section 5
Visual Literacy
Demonstrate your knowledge of visual communication principles that support written content.
Factors include templates, styles, graphics, signal words, layout, and navigation.
Include in your submission:
A representative sample of published information product that you have developed, such as a chart, table, diagram, or illustration.
A written commentary that explains how the layout and design support the structure of the information.
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Dragga, Sam; Voss, Dan. "Cruel Pies: The Inhumanity of Technical Illustrations"
Technical Communication 48.3 Aug. 2001: 265-274
Section 6
Content Development
Demonstrate your knowledge of content development principles and ability to develop content.
Factors include your ability to review, edit, and verify content.
Include in your submission:
An edited copy of the provided sample.
A written commentary that explains how you collaborate, validate technical accuracy, and conduct technical and editorial reviews.
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Read Don Bush, STC Fellow
“The Friendly Editor” in back issues of Intercom
online
Section 7
DITA
XML
META
DA
TA
WIKIS
Content Management
Demonstrate your knowledge of content management principles and ability to manage content.
Factors include
collaboration and workflow
topic‐based authoring
structured authoring
single‐source authoring and reuse
metadata
version control and archiving
Include a written commentary.
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Section 8
Production Processes
Demonstrate your knowledge of final production principles and processes.
Factors include handling for both electronic and print outputs.
Include in your submission
A commentary that explains
Electronic and print channels and production processes.
QA processes for final production.
Working with production services such as commercial printers.
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Section 9
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Preparing your submission Read and follow all the
directions on the candidate instructions
Treat each section separately
Don’t skip anything
Choose your samples wisely
Observe all page lengths
Proofread carefully
Submit only PDF files (we do not accept other formats)
Packaging your submission Give us your finest work. Only one PDF per section. Do not cross-reference
other sections in your submission.
Use features available in the PDF.
Remove all references. Signed PDFs cannot be
combined with other PDFs.
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Annotating your submission Do not add comments or
annotations directly to your PDF in Acrobat. Your identity is far more
difficult to obscure in Acrobat.
Change your User Name and Initials in MS Word before annotating.
Use track changes feature to show your edits.
Remove identity in MS Word
1. Click Office button
2. Click Word Options
3. Select Popular settings
4. Change User Name to Candidate and Initials to CPTC.
5. Print document to Adobe PDF.
6. Select Document showing markup from Print what drop down.
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EVALUATING YOUR SUBMISSION
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Evaluation
Your packet is received and administratively screened
Double-blind assessment
Evaluated section by section
You must pass core competencies
Results returned within 60 days
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Evaluation methodology Submission demonstrates
Minimal Competency
Evaluation is Criterion-Based
Subjectivity has been minimized
Scoring demonstrates a high level of parity between raters.
Raters and scores are continuously evaluated to maintain parity.
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Maintaining your certification Your CPTC™ certification is
valid for three years
To maintain your certification:
Ongoing professional development
Stay active in the field
Annual maintenance fee
Renewable without retest, resubmission packet, or recertification fee
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Where do I sign up—?
To get started on your CPTC™ certification: www.stccert.org
More questions? Email [email protected] (or me at [email protected])
Join the 2012 CPTC Professionals
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Beth Agnew CPTC Jody Agraz CPTC
Carrie Chambers CPTC Stephen Daugherty CPTC
Meredith Kinder CPTC Cheryl Taylor CPTC
Michael Opsteegh CPTC Michele Wallace CPTC
2012