CPLP, CPT & Higher Education

Good morning -

I'm responding to reader comments this morning.

Cool beans on the CPLP job postings - they're popping up everywhere!

And - definitely! - both certifications have value. Choosing one, or both (or neither, really) has everything to do with whatever's required for you to achieve your goals.

For some, that's CPT. For others, that's CPLP. I know quite a few folks who are certified in both.

And - for yet others - it's a Masters or Ph.D (although I know quite a few who have both a higher degree and the CPLP as well).

Even then certification and education are not mutually exclusive. There are academic institutions that will take the work you put into achieving something like the CPLP and help you apply it to your undergrad or graduate degree. DePaul University's School for New Learning is one such academic institution.

As for the CPLP relying heavily on instructional design, I'm not sure why some people have that perception.

Designing Learning - just one of nine (9) areas of expertise (AOE) covered on the exam - is weighted at 15% of the CPLP Knowledge-based Exam, and, even so, that AOE is not entirely focused on instructional design.

Then there's Phase II - the Work Product Submission phase. Candidates submit a work sample (and a whole bunch of narrative on what they did, why they did it, etc) based on their selection of one AOE. There are currently six (6) areas of expertise to choose from - including HPI, measurement & evaluation, managing the learning function, etc.

Designing Learning is the only AOE that focuses on instructional design in the work product; work samples include analysis and design documents.

Other AOEs do not require the same.

For example, submitting for Improving Human Performance requires submission of a performance improvement project report for a project where you analyzed a performance gap and developed a solution to close it.

No ID required. :-)

BTW - Please drop me an email if you'd like to speak with someone who holds the CPT and CPLP, or someone who has a Ph.D and the CPLP.

I know some folks who would be happy to share their experiences. :-)

~ Trish Uhl, PMP, CPLP
Owl's Ledge LLC
http://www.cplpcoach.com/
http://www.cplpstudyprep.com/