Org:Foundation/Bf-education/Certification
In order to get started with a Certified Trainer Program, we propose a method to set up a program based on simple and verifiable criteria. During the course of this program we then can add more advanced certification methods.
The education and training board of the Blender Foundation (http://projects.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-education/), will establish a panel to check and validate provided material of candidate trainers. Based on a succesful completion of a couple of simple tasks, they then certify a trainer for a period of one year. The trainer will then become official "Blender Foundation Certified Trainer" (BFCT).
Goals
Summary
The goals of the BFCT program are:
- Provide a standard for Certification for everyone who is interested in teaching Blender professionally.
- Help experienced Blender artists and developers to get into training business.
- Increase the quality and quantity of Blender training world wide.
A certified trainer should target at least one of the following audiences:
- Corporations who want employees trained in Blender
- School/College/University teachers who want to integrate Blender in classes
- Individual 3D artists who want to become trained in Blender
A certified trainer cannot give BFCT status to people who have attended their classes, they are fully free to define their own courses or own student certification programs.
Details
Increase the quantity of Blender training worldwide
Blender education suffers from an availability problem. Most users worldwide do not have access to local facilities where Blender courses are taught. These users rely on less efficient training mediums such as books, online tutorials, forums, and IRC chat for their training. Many users find that these alternatives are not adequate and lose interest in learning Blender. Also, most companies interested in getting Blender training for their people do not have a cost-effective way to do that. The unavailability of Blender training centers turns corporate and private users off from Blender. As Blender becomes more full-featured and professional, it becomes increasingly important that training centers exist to match the increasing demand. Additionally, too few training centers currently exist to justify the creation of a certification. The creation of a Certified Trainer program should receive some press and spark new interest in starting up training centers around the world.
Help experienced Blender artists and developers to get into training business
Many are interested in teaching Blender; however, the training business is difficult to get into without recognized qualification. A Blender Certified Trainer certification increases the perceived value of a trainer's classes. It sets those who receive the certification apart when there is competition in an area. Those without the certification will feel pressure to obtain it.
Certified trainers can get advertised on the blender.org website, and the bf-education mailing list can serve as a network to exchange training material, experiences, and business opportunities.
Business model
It is not the goal of the Blender Foundation to commercialize or 'own' official trainer certification. However, in the course of the next few years it is well possible that the BFCT program becomes more professional, with a well defined course program for trainers who want to become certified, and standard course material for an official student certification. It is in everyone's interest when this certification system remains independent and in in everyone's benefit. The bf-education group will be the reflection board for planning and scheduling such future expansion, which might lead to establishing an official BF training center for certification in the future. Establishing that could be a commercial venture and could be targeted on providing the BF with additional income.
For the first incarnation of the BFCT program, charging a small-yet-reasonable fee helps to set a precedent for charging more in the future as the certification increases in perceived value. It now also helps to set the serious trainers apart from the casual pursuers.
Organization
Panel
The BFCT program will be overseen by a small panel of (for example) five people. This panel will be in charge of approving and rejecting certification applications. This panel will also be responsible for future modifications to this certification program and the development of all other Blender certification programs that may be of interest in the future. The panel may be larger or smaller at times, depending on need. The panel consists of members of the bf-education group, and will be established based on consensis of all bf-education members. When no agreement can be established, the BF chairman can appoint panel members as well.
Certification validation
The BFCT certificate will consist of a (part of a) blender.org web page, where the contact details of the certified trainer are mentioned. Certified trainers will always link to this page, whenever the BFCT is being mentioned in their own communication. We can also design and provide a standard link button for this. The BFCT is valid for one year.
Application Process
Summary
The BFCT certificate will be awarded on a per-teacher basis. A person wanting certification will go through the following steps:
- Create (or have created) an extensive tutorial on the blender.org wiki
- Create (or have created) a video version of the same tutorial (with audio) and link to it.
- Complete the application and submit it
- Await approval by the BFCT panel
- Purchase the application at the e-store for $50 US
Details
Create a tutorial on the wiki
An instructor needs to be able to communicate verbally. This step demonstrates their ability to do that, as well as their style of teaching. It furthermore helps create worthwhile documentation for all Blender users. The contribution can be done in the teacher's local language. When that's not english, a translation to english should be arranged for (or we help with that).
Create a video version of the same tutorial (with audio) and link to it
This further demonstrates the instructor's ability to communicate verbally. Both the written and the video-audio tutorial are needed for the panel to perform a good analysis, as the panel members will be unable to physically attend the trainer's classes, and therefore will need a lot of good samples to judge from. The video can be created in the teacher's local language.
Complete the application and submit it
Apart from filling in personal details, we require an applicant to:
- Confirm to be available for teaching Blender professionally (as a daytime job).
- Provide addresses/websites of training facilities you will be able to use for training.
- If you don't have access to own facilities, we expect you to contact or research opportunities in your areas where you can hire a class room, or explain what your plans are with a BFCT certificate.
A completed and submitted application will be reviewed by the panel. The wiki and video-audio tutorials will be linked to with the application.
Purchase the application at the e-store for $50 US
When an application has been approved, it must be paid for to become activated. Setting the correct price is the tricky part. Charging too little decreases the perceived value of the certification to trainers and their clients. Charging too much discourages people from trying to obtain the certification.
Action points
- discuss and approve proposal
- establish the first BFCT panel
- create a website section and template for the BFCT program and certifications
- do some news announcements
