CompuServe Messages

Hi Nick, thanks for the input on the AutoCAD Exam. This type of input is what we want LOTS more of (hint to all!). Glad to hear that you think this exam will have a significant and positive effect on the overall quality and discernability out there in the working world. Also pleased to know that you share our goal of having the highest quality of instructors/trainers/teachers out there. Re the effect of the exam on this situation, we feel there will be a postivie effect on this too. In general we would see the exam leading to a type of "guaranteed learning" type of situation out there. Users could indeed expect that after taking a course with a content matching or exceeding that covered by one of the Autodesk exams, (and after an appropriate amount of hands-on time to gain a reasonable level of proficiency, they would be "guaranteed" to pass the exam. In any case the quantification of an individuals skill/knowledge will certainly provide a tangible measurement of the success of a course including such factors as: the student's retention/attention, the curriculum, the learning materials, and the instructor. However, IMHO, the greates value of all to learning will be to have the "diagnostic" information that the exams provide. As per my previous emails, we are focussing the exams on this aspect much more so than the "pass/fail" objective of an exam. Think about the consequences of knowning what an individual knows and does not know relative to their ability to accurately select specific learning outcomes to target, helping the instructors to deliver just what the student really needs, customizing the learning process, etc. We also share your concern for some action re the status and situation with instructors and as a result we have had VERY significant professional Instructor Development programs in place for years. Of course as you note, there are more than a few instructors out there in the world and so we haven't quite reached them all yet, and then this darn Autodesk company keeps bringing out new releases and products that gets it started all over again! <g> (a bit like painting the Golden Gate bridge!) So we will continue to put major emphasis on this program. Indeed this is why Customer Education & Training (CE&T) manages and coordinates all these areas of Instructor Development, Learning Resources (materials), learning transfer (ATC) and Certification & Testing. Well, enough for now, thanks again for the input, please keep in coming! wayne ========