Tuesday, July 22, 2014

How Not to Fail CPLP Work Product - Part II: Find What's Hidden in the Handbook

In a previous blog post I emphasized that the key to preparing a successful CPLP® Work Product submission is to make sure you thoroughly read, understand, and can meet all of the ASTD Certification Institute's requirements. 

How do you do that?

In my previous post, I suggested you start by reading:

  • CPLP® Certification Handbook, Part 1, Program Overview
  • CPLP® Certification Handbook, Part 1, Appendix A - Program Agreements, Policies, and Fees 
These documents give a high-level overview of the Work Product submission phase and provide context for how this phase fits in the overall CPLP® certification process. 

However, these are not the only Handbook documents relevant to CPLP® Work Product.

You MUST also read the following documents in the CPLP® Certification Handbook, Part 3:
  • Introduction: The Work Product
  • Appendix specific to your AOE (Appendix I, J, K or L - Instructions and Forms)

Many candidates know to read the Appendix (Instructions and Forms) specific to their Area of Expertise (AOE), but then completely miss reading Appendices M, P, and Q:
  • Appendix M: Work Product Scoring
  • Appendix P: AOE Key Action List
  • Appendix Q: Scoring Rubrics

Why should you read Appendices M, P, and Q?

That's how you find out what's "hidden in the Handbook" - meaning, clues about what specific "additional evidence" you need to include in your submission and what level of quality is required for work samples in your Area of Expertise (AOE).


For example, Instructional Design requires you to write about and show evidence of how you applied learning theory to your training program design and development. 

What learning theories did you use? Can the Raters easily see those learning theories demonstrated in your work?

(See the Handbook screenshot below.)


Watch for footnotes and endnotes near the Key Action Categories table for your AOE (then refer to Appendices M, P & Q for details)

In Training Delivery, you must demonstrate evidence of informal learning in addition to formal learning.

Yes, much of your Training Delivery work sample is captured in your 3-part recording - where you demonstrate formal learning through facilitation - but how does your submission also demonstrate the informal learning methods you used to help participants transfer their learning to their jobs?

In Managing Learning Programs, the often overlooked developing others consists of a set of key competencies where you must demonstrate how you coached or mentored other team members (or your staff) and helped them to develop key skills.

What types of tools do you use to assess, communicate, and track developmental needs?

In Performance Improvement, you are required to show evidence that at least one of your selected interventions is effective in closing the performance gap

What do you have in your submission that demonstrates that at least one of your interventions is producing the desired results?

Go from Hidden to Unhidden - Making the Invisible Visible

Now that you have a small sampling of some of the "hidden" competencies to look for, the next step is then figuring out what the expectations are and how to make sure you demonstrate them in your submission - both in your words and work samples.

That involves reading multiple documents in the Handbook (all the ones above, plus I also suggest revisiting Appendix F, Part 2) so you can put together a complete picture of what's required for your AOE and, therefore, must be demonstrated in your submission. 

"You Only Have to Brush the Ones You Want to Keep"

That's what I tell young nieces and nephews when they ask if they have to brush *all* their teeth, *all* the time.

Same here with which documents to read in the Handbook.

You only have to read the ones that instruct you on how to pass CPLP® Work Product.

You've come this far. 

It's an awful lot of time and effort to waste if you fail this phase of CPLP® certification - the last step! - simply because you didn't follow *all* requirements outlined in the CPLP® Certification Handbook.

Need HELP?
 

Here at Owl's Ledge, we've developed a suite of products & services to help CPLP® Work Product candidates to be successful in this process - everything from Checklists, to an Online Course, to CPLP Work Product examples, to step-by-step guidance in how to respond to essay questions!

Owl's Ledge CPLP Work Product Schedule - How to Make it Manageable with Major Milestones
  
CLICK HERE to contact one of our team members for details on how we can assist you in finding the right tool to help you tackle your most challenging task!

To your success!

~ trish 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

ASTD Certification - What is the Key to Creating a Successful CPLP Work Product Submission? - ASK Trish: CPLP Work Product Candidate Q&A

REAL QUESTIONS FROM REAL CPLP CANDIDATES

Q: I'm starting to put my CPLP Work Product submission together. I have a lot of work samples ("evidence") and a lot that I could write about in my essay responses.

How do I make sure I put together a submission that meets the requirements the Raters are looking for?

**********************************************

A: It's a valid question, especially since CPLP Work Product is about OBVIOUSLY DEMONSTRATING your ability to apply the ASTD competencies to your work.

The Raters look for your submission to contain very specific elements; elements they have outlined on the Scoring Rubric they use to assess ("rate") submissions.

This means, as a candidate, you must create a very focused, cohesive submission that obviously aligns to ATD CI requirements; a submission the Raters can easily read and score in less than 40 minutes.

That is the KEY to a successful CPLP Work Product submission, it:
  • is easy to read
  • is easy to rate
  • obviously meet requirements

Great! Now, HOW do you do that?

A successful submission requires you to know WHAT the Raters are looking for (see the CPLP Certification Handbook for the "WHAT"), and then to understand HOW to apply it to your submission.

I teach CPLP candidates how to apply the CPLP Certification Handbook ("Handbook") to their submission using a step-by-step, systematic approach in the Owl's Ledge CPLP Work Product online course

The first assignment I give candidates to do helps them visualize their entire submission. 

I do this by reconnecting them with the "BIG PICTURE" for their Area of Expertise (AOE) using a Mind Map. 

Why? 

Candidates often need to be reminded of the competencies that make-up their AOE; the very same competencies they were tested on as part of the CPLP Knowledge Exam.

Once you are reminded of - at a high level, end-to-end - what competencies are in your AOE (and, therefore, need to be demonstrated in your submission), then you can determine what work samples ("evidence") to include and what, specifically, to write about in your essay responses.

The Key to creating a focused submission: 

Understand what your whole submission needs to contain before you even begin the process of putting the pieces together - e.g. compiling work samples and writing essay responses.

Get started by drawing a Mind Map of your AOE.

Drawing a Mind Map helps you visualize the BIG PICTURE of your submission. 

It follows the "begin with the end in mind" adage - by visually representing what the end result should look like.

You can then refer to your Mind Map while you're creating your submission, to make sure you are focused on the right things (words and work samples) as you go!

Here's an example Mind Map I created for Training Delivery to illustrate:





In my Mind Map above, I grouped the Training Delivery Key Actions according to the Training Delivery Key Action Categories. I also color coded each category to make the groupings even more obvious.

To read my Mind Map, start by looking at the blue boxes on the right and then read clockwise all the way around to the red boxes on the left. 

It's an easy visualization, from start to finish, of all of the (high level) elements a candidate must include in a Training Delivery submission.

Makes it easy to see, yes?

Now - try applying this mind mapping technique to your Area of Expertise.

You'll benefit in two (2) critical ways:
  1. You'll have an illustration, like the one above, that you can reference as you put your submission together to make sure you're focused on what matters most.
  2. The very act of creating a Mind Map stimulates your brain in a way that facilitates comprehension and retention. Just the act of drawing the Mind Map will help you better understand your submission.
(Even if you're a Training Delivery candidate, draw your own Mind Map, instead of just using mine. You want to stimulate your brain too!)

BTW - the free online tool I used to create this mind map is:  www.mindmup.com

Yes, this is one of many techniques and shortcuts I've created to help candidate really connect with CPLP Work Product expectations.

What are some of your tips and tricks?

Share them in the blog COMMENTS below!

To your success!

~ trish