EDUCATION Once More are re-visits for most who have been to more than one ALOA Convention. To hope- fully explain things to those who attended for the first time and reaffirm to others, here’s the abridged version of class approval and testing for ALOA. S Classes Starting approximately 30 days aſter the completion of ALOA classes at the annual convention, the class evaluations are compiled by instructor and class and forwarded to the pertinent instructor(s). If the evaluations are good or better, no action is taken beyond the request to make classes better. If they are sub-par, the class is discussed between the instructor and ALOA Education, with deficiencies addressed based on the evaluations. Instructors have a two-year window to improve these issues before the class(es) are removed from the rotation. Obviously, this is somewhat subjective, as we may see eight of 10 students who find everything great, while two have issues. We do not discount these two; we see if any previous class attendees had the same issues, and we address accordingly. If a majority of attendees think the class lagged behind what ALOA Education sees as a standard, then the class is suspended until it is revamped completely. Testing and Classes Several years ago, we started offering after-class testing that tied directly to class- es. However, we have preached for years that we do not teach a test; we teach a job. You are required to know a little about the content from on-the-job training (OJT), and some content based on a class. Every year, it seems there are complaints that the class did not teach the test content. Well, sorry, but as someone who has been in the industry for over 45 years and has had to learn through OJT as well as classes, what good is an exam and/or credential if it can be learned/passed in a class without practical experience? If you earn a credential, you should indeed “earn” it and not be awarded simply because you sat in a class and learned a few things. 56 KEYNOTES OCTOBER 2022 Into the Breach By Jim Hancock, CML, CMST eems like after each ALOA Convention, I spend a great deal of time explaining the classes and testing that were part of the event. This year seems to be no different. We sent out surveys — which we hope take the place of the paper version given at the end of class — to all class attendees. Some of the same issues always come up, and they “However, we have preached for years that we do not teach a test; we teach a job.” So, as I say every year, these classes and the testing are evaluated yearly and upgraded as needed to stay as current as possible. However, if you assumed you could take a class and then easily pass the test, I will once again say, “We do not teach a test; we teach the work.” The class helps, but it will not now or ever give you 100% nor even 70% of the info needed to pass a credential exam. This is no differ- ent than the bar exam for attorneys or those given in the medical fields. If you have any questions about classes or testing, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. Jim Hancock, CML, CMST, is ALOA’s educat ion manager. You can reach him at [email protected] or (214) 819-9733. WWW.ALOA.ORG
