The Business Case For ELearning [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Developing a Certification Program

Before launching a certification program, the sponsoring organization should define the skill sets and proficiency levels that the certification will validate. The development effort should include four phases:

Business analysis

To ensure that the program meets the needs of customers, a sponsoring organization should conduct a business analysis to assess the demand and identify the benefits of the program. Defining the productivity impact of a certification program on customer satisfaction and partner performance should be the cornerstone of the analysis. The business analysis should include the following components:

Internal analysis

An internal analysis should cover the strategic considerations behind pursuing a certification program. The strategic advantages might be in the form of distribution benefits or customer franchise for the sponsoring organization, but identifying those should be the first step in any internal analysis. Similarly, available resources, cost of developing a program, availability of subject matter or domain experts, and needs expressed by the stakeholders should be considered.

The internal analysis should specify a few options of how a program might accomplish the strategic advantages sought and what might be the objectives. The analyses also include an effort to narrow down the subject matter or domain to be covered through the certification based on input from in-house experts or stakeholders.

Candidate profile

Program planners should invest in understanding the needs of potential candidates, their demographic and psychographic profiles, and their learning styles and preferences. A certification program should be launched only if planners can demonstrate that the proposed benefits will meet the candidates' specific needs. A program with a strong rationale and evidence of success should not be taken at face value unless the proposition is borne out through market research of the target audience.

Market analysis

A certification program should emphasize content area, subject matter, or domains that exhibit a growth pattern. Identifying expanding domain or content areas becomes necessary because certification programs need a sustainable exam volume to break even. Emerging industries or markets represent viable opportunities to target for training and certification opportunities. Experience has shown that demand for certification often lags a year or so behind the market demand for products or services in the targeted domain area.

When projecting exam volume and exam pricing to assess revenue from a certification program, existing or potential competitive entries from other vendors or associations should be accounted for. If the volume does not seem sustainable through a certification offered by a single organization, collaboration among vendors representing a common industry should be considered.

Job task analysis

When determining the content, it often helps to focus on underlying principles behind a product rather than specific product-based certifications. Because the product life cycle is shorter than that of an underlying technology or discipline, a broader approach to content and assessment development might make the program more appealing for the candidate.

By definition, a job task analysis (JTA) reviews and determines the skills needed to successfully perform on the job. The JTA addresses Chapter 7, "Targeted Learning: Are You Indeed Ready?")

Program design

The program design defines the number of certification tracks and levels that might be offered. For each certification, the program design also addresses the number of exams that the candidates might be required to pass. The program should also define what prerequisite knowledge candidates must possess ahead of pursuing a certification. And finally, the program design should specify how the certifications align or articulate with other certifications offered by the organization or industry.

Creation of assessment tools

Based on the findings from the JTA, exam developers can develop the blueprint for an exam. Written by subject matter experts, the exam questions are validated by psychometricians (question item experts) to determine whether the questions are indeed deriving what they are intended to find out about the candidates' skills.

The exams are run in beta to determine passing scores. Passing scores are determined only after exam developers have the confidence that the question items and the exam forms are reflective of candidate skills.

Learning support

Within the context of the productivity pyramid metaphor, it stands to reason that any certification launched should be based on some form of available training or knowledge content. However, availability of such content might not precede the development of a certification program. Organizations creating assessments without existing training in place should ensure that, at minimum, the necessary learning support materials are offered as white papers, articles, guides, and manuals prior to launching a certification.

To generate trial and interest, candidates need support when preparing for the exams. Experience shows that candidates often prefer to follow a defined road map when preparing to pass a certification. That type of learning support can often be delivered through a formal curriculum defined and delivered by the sponsoring organization or its authorized providers. Learning support can also emerge through informal road maps created with the help of manuals, books, and workshops. Either way, for a certification to have success among customers, a strategy for learning support should be addressed while defining program parameters and design.