Saturday, May 27, 2006

CPLP™ Top 10 Questions

  1. What is the CPLP™?

  2. The ASTD Certified Professional in Learning and Performance™ (CPLP™) credential can be achieved through successful completion of a professional certification program for workplace learning & performance professionals.

    According to Wikipedia, "a profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usually has a professional association, ethical code, and a process of certification or licensing.

    Examples are accounting, law, medicine, finance, the military, the clergy and engineering.
    "

    The ASTD Certified Professional in Learning and Performance™ (CPLP™) is a credentialing program that serves to designate the workplace learning & performance industry as an actual profession -- recognized as such by governing agencies like the U.S. Department of Labor.

    The CPLP™ program requires workplace learning and performance professionals to display at least a standard level of competence in all nine (9) areas of expertise as outlined in the ASTD Competency Model.

  3. What's involved in the CPLP™ program?

  4. The CPLP™ program has eligibility requirements (see below).

    Eligible candidates then go on to Phase I -- Knowledge-based Exam and sit a 150 question multiple choice knowledge-based exam.

    Candidates who successfully pass the exam then go on to Phase II -- Work Product Evaluation.

  5. Who is eligible for the CPLP™?

  6. According to the ASTD Certification Institute (ASTD CI), CPLP™ program eligibility is open to any workplace learning & performance professional with at least three (3) years professional industry experience or two (2) years professional industry experience and one (1) year of education.

    To register for the program, you must provide contact information for references who can validate your level of experience.

    Special note: Many 2005 CPLP™ Pilot participants felt that workplace learning & performance professionals with five (5) years or more hands-on industry experience were more apt to successfully complete the program than their peers with less experience.


  7. How much is registration in the CPLP™ program?

  8. ASTD National Members - $750.00
    Nonmembers - $950.00

    Program registration fees include:
    • Candidate Bulletin – program policies, basic study outline
      Sample test (10 items)
    • Knowledge exam seat (locations in many major US and Canadian cities)
    • Knowledge exam score report
    • Work product score report (must pass knowledge exam)
    • CPLP™ certificate (must pass knowledge exam and work product)


    Program registration fees do not include:
    • Study materials beyond the test outline (the ASTD Learning System is not included in the registrations fees -- it's an additional $495 for ASTD National members and $595 for nonmembers)
    • Study group support
    • Travel expenses to and from testing center
    • Transfers, re-testing fees



  9. What are the CPLP™ program dates?
  10. The 2005 CPLP™ Pilot Program officially ended in April 2006. There are currently @ 300 professionals -- worldwide -- with the CPLP™ credential.

    The CPLP™ program went operational for the first time in May 2006.


    July 2006 Cohort
    The knowledge-based exam window is open from July 17th to July 31st, 2006 for the first operational cohort (candidates who register in May -- the July Cohort) .

    Candidates who sit the exam in July 2006 -- and pass -- are eligible to submit their work product for evaluation between August - October 2006. All work product for the first operational cohort must be received by ASTD CI no later than October 19th, 2006.

    The CPLP™ will be awarded to successful candidates from the July Cohort in December 2006.

    November 2006 Cohort
    The second operational cohort (November Cohort) can register online as of August 2006.

    The knowledge-based exam window will open for the second operational cohort from November 11th to December 8th, 2006.

    Candidates who sit the exam in November 2006 -- and pass -- are eligible to submit their work product for evaluation between December 6th, 2006 and February 7th, 2007.

    The CPLP™ will be awarded to successful candidates from the November Cohort in May 2007.



  11. What study materials are available?

  12. Owl's Ledge LLC offers a series of CPLP™ study materials -- from online resources, to puzzles, flashcards, practice exams, instructor-led workshops, work product coaching, and study group support.

    Click here to take a free practice exam right now!

    More study resources available at www.cplpstudyprep.com!

    ASTD has also developed the ASTD Learning System -- a 1,200 page, nine (9) book reference that serves as a comprehensive collection of material on all nine (9) areas of expertise covered in the CPLP™ knowledge-based exam. The ASTD Learning System is $495 for ASTD National members and $595 for nonmembers.

    It's a great resource for those just starting their workplace learning & performance library!


  13. Where can I register for the CPLP™?

  14. You can register for the CPLP™ program at: http://www.astd.org/astd/cplp/portal_pub.htm

    ** Read the registration information and instructions on this page carefully!

    ** Online registration should be completed on a Windows-based PC running a recent version of Internet Explorer over a high speed connection. If that's not your environment, you're probably better off contacting the ASTD Certification Institute directly at certification@astd.org to make other arrangements.

    During the course of the registration process, you will:
    • enter your ASTD National member number (if you are a member)
    • accept the terms outlined in the ASTD Code of Ethics
    • provide contact information for your most recent academic institution
    • provide contact information for professional references who can validate your professional and academic experiences from the past three (3) years
    • select which area of expertise you will submit work product for (you only choose one -- e.g. Designing Learning)
    • pay for the program
    • schedule your exam

    Important notes:
    • May 31st, 2006 is the registration deadline for the July 2006 exam dates
    • November particpants will not be able to register until August 2006


  15. What's involved in the Work Product Evaluation phase?

  16. Take it from a pilot participant -- there's a lot involved with the Work Product Evaluation phase!

    During registration, you will select which area of expertise to submit your work product in.

    As of May 2006 there are three (3) areas of expertise available -- Designing Learning, Delivering Training, and Measuring & Evaluating.

    That means you pick one of your past projects -- e.g. a course you designed, a class you delivered, an evaluation you conducted -- and start gathering materials from that project together (e.g. project documents, a video of your training session, course outlines, facilitator's guide, student manual, ROI report, etc).

    You also collect signatures from people who were involved -- e.g. people who attended training, people who asked you to develop the training, etc.

    Then you complete a series of forms -- you write a lot of narrative! -- discussing your work product. How did you manage project relationships? What were your inputs? What were the outcomes? What did you do with -- and/or about -- the results?

    Last -- you answer essay-style questions. Two (2) of them. These are referred to as the follow-on questions, which you received upon successful completion of Phase I - Knowledge-based Exam.

    Plan on spending at least forty (40) hours assembling the elements of your work product submission, filling out the designated forms, and writing essay-style responses to your follow-on questions.

    That's at least forty (40) hours above and beyond what you spent actually creating the work product (e.g. writing the course, delivering the training, conducting the evaluation, etc).


  17. How much time is necessary to complete the program?

  18. If you become part of the July 2006 Cohort, then you register in May, sit the exam in July, submit your work product in October, and find out your results in December (given you pass the exam). That's six (6) months from start to finish.

  19. What are the benefits to becoming CPLP certified?

  20. Did you know that some pilot participants -- successful in obtaining their CPLP™ credential -- were actually promoted, in part, based on their certification?

    Or that there were instances of hiring managers posting online job descriptions that for positions that required the CPLP™?

    Professional certification can be found in almost every industry in the United States today. Law, construction, auto repair, nursing, accountancy, information technology training, aerobic instructing, social work, engineering, software development, and association management just scratch the surface of the wide range of professions that have voluntary or mandatory certification.

    Certification has found its way into almost every industry for a reason: It helps advance the profession.

    Here's a listing of some of the benefits of the CPLP™:
    • The certified professional distinguishes himself or herself publicly as an individual who has attained a qualifying level of competency from those that have not.
    • Certification provides a vehicle for professional development.
    • Certification gives recognition of competency, shows commitment to the profession, and helps with job advancement.
    • Certification helps employers evaluate potential new hires, analyze job performance, evaluate employees, select contractors, market services, and motivate employees to enhance their skills and knowledge.

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