[Qgis-psc] Procedure for approval of training certification organizations

Wed Jun 20 14:07:00 PDT 2018

Can I suggest if possible that maybe it is better to resolve it on email - I think it is unfair to make the person wait so long for a response (or at least maybe you could write to him and tell him what the delay is and what the timeline for giving him a decision is).

Regards

Tim

> On 19 Jun 2018, at 12:51, Paolo Cavallini <cavallini at faunalia.it <mailto:cavallini at faunalia.it>> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Kurt for your thoughts and insights.
> I think we should discuss about this in the next PSC meeting.
> All the best.
> 
> Il 18/06/2018 20:21, Kurt Menke ha scritto:
>> Thanks for raising this issue! As I have been in the trenches on this, I
>> have lots of thoughts.
>> 
>> One of the benefits of the way the certificate program is structured is
>> that it works for all course types: professional workshops, short
>> courses and full term/semester courses. This also makes evaluating
>> course materials tricky. It's easy when an organization is known to the
>> QGIS community. However, I think the criteria need to be set up so they
>> work equally well for organizations who might be more geographically
>> distant, or more involved in the educational side and are not well known
>> to the core QGIS community.
>> 
>> In addition to providing a revenue stream back to the QGIS project I
>> think we all want the resulting certificates to mean something.
>> 
>> This is how we have been operating so far:
>> 
>> We have established that if an organization isn’t one we are familiar
>> with (outside QGIS “trust network”) they need to provide:
>> 
>>  * Course outline/syllabus
>>  * Some sample exercises with sample data and lecture/presentation
>>  * Link to the course website (if it exists)
>> 
>> I then go through their material and make sure they are representing
>> QGIS accurately, that the materials are up to date (e.g., not based on
>> v2.8), thorough, and generally look to be high quality. There are
>> obviously judgment calls here. Translating materials can also be difficult.
>> 
>> We (Hans, Tim and Andreas) also discussed that having open
>> course-ware, or an online MOOC should be encouraged and would be a
>> positive attribute for a new organization seeking approval.
>> 
>> *snip*
>> * have a proved record of successful QGIS training, over at least 3 years
>> 
>> I think this is an good idea although I'm not sure what we would ask for
>> to demonstrate this. # of courses taught? # of students passed?
>> 
>> * be an active member of the community, with a documented record in
>> participating to HFs, writing code (as either core or public plugins),
>> writing documentation, translating large parts of interface or
>> documentation, maintaining core infrastructure; simple awareness rising
>> is not sufficient, in my view
>> 
>> If this is the case then they likely already fall into the QGIS "trust
>> network" and get approved automatically. This might preclude
>> Universities, who have great programs, from becoming certifying
>> organizations. While I love the sentiment software development and
>> teaching are two different skill sets and most people don't
>> possess both. This criteria would need to include writing text books or
>> open course-ware as a contribution to the project.
>> 
>> * be approved by the corresponding QGIS local user group.
>> 
>> What if there isn't a local QGIS user group? For example, where I live,
>> I feel like a QGIS island in and Esri ocean. I don't have a local QGIS
>> user group, although I would like to start one. It would mostly consist
>> of my ex-students!
>> 
>> *******
>> One last thought...Since this is about education, having qualified
>> instructors is strikes me as important. Currently the initial approval
>> of the organization is the only quality check in the system. Once
>> certified, an organization can add new courses and instructors. Perhaps
>> in the future when an organization adds new teachers we should have them
>> provide a bio or resume and have some criteria for approving them? I
>> realize it would add another layer to manage, but it would be a nice
>> additional quality check in the system going forward.
>> 
>> Best,
>> Kurt
>> 
>> **************************
>> 
>> Kurt Menke, GISP
>> Bird’s Eye View
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
> 
> 
> --
> Paolo Cavallini - www.faunalia.eu <http://www.faunalia.eu/>
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Tim Sutton

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