SL Certification Process

Overview

In Second Life, education exists already in the form of many SL Schools. But certification does not yet exist in the form of SL Certifiers. The goal of the SL Certification Project is to create these certifiers.

Certification will be results-driven. Criteria will be outlined and maintained by assigned moderators and contributors who act as subject matter experts (SME's) to define criteria, confirm that training created by in-world schools matches or exceeds the levels required for certification, and continue to monitor and adjust the process as changes to the environment take place. A list will be maintained of schools who provide training for certification to enable residents to develop towards certification.

Definitions and Examples

• Certification Documentation is the record asserting that a candidate has passed a certification test.
• Skills Lists are a high-level summary of important knowledge and skills that people need to understand and be able to do.
• Skills Instruction tells people, in detail, WHAT they need to know and HOW to do it, based on the material in the skills lists.
• Skills Tests are detailed questions and tasks people must successfully answer and perform in order to pass.
• Skills Certification is the administration of tests in an objective manner and documentation of those who pass.

EXAMPLE 1

Do you have a Driver's License? That is Certification Documentation.

The applicable Laws of your Government are the Skills List.

Do you remember taking Driver's Ed Classes? That is Skills Instruction.

Do you remember having to pass the Government Driver's Test to get your license? That is the Skills Test.

EXAMPLE 2

Skills List: "Understand and be able to prepare marketing materials that reach the majority of varied learning styles of the general public."

Skills Instruction: "Use images with visual weight proceeding from bottom left to upper right for visual learners, Use text grouped into chunks of seven or less major subheadings for textual learners."

Skills Test: "Prepare a one-page advertisement for web and print that gets 50% of people who look at it to immediately ask for more information."

Education developed for certification will be guided by the criteria developed for each topic but will typically cover a broader range of skills.

Tasks

SKILLS LIST DEVELOPMENT (SL Certification Developers)

• Topics suggested and agreed.
• Moderator/Subject Matter Experts assigned to the topic.
• Moderator and Contributors produce outline of topics to be tested at the three levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.
• Moderator defines pre-requisites for each certification level.

SKILLS TEST DEVELOPMENT (SL Certification Developers)

• Moderator determines best types of tests appropriate for subject (Written, Performance, Other).
• Moderator and Contributors develop, test, and adjust tests until satisfactory.
• Communicate tests to SL Schools and SL Certifiers.

NEW COURSE DEVELOPMENT (SL Schools)

• Schools develop content for training.
• School content checked by Moderator for synergy with related certification tests.
• School's capability added to the Schools List.

CERTIFICATION OPERATION (SL Certifiers)

• Tests provided to 3rd party certification company.
• Candidates apply for testing.
• Tests administered, appropriate documentation given to candidates passing the tests.

PROCESS MONITORING (SL Certification Developers)

• Periodic review by Moderators (e.g., passing rates of candidates; success of candidates getting new work; other)
• Periodic adjustments to criteria, courses, tests