Transcript CPTC - Schd.ws

Certified Professional Technical
Communicator (CPTC):
What You Need to Know
Chris Lyons, STC CEO
Liz Pohland, STC Director of Communications
STC Summit 2016
Why Pursue Certification?
Technical Communicators benefit from:
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Validated knowledge, experience, and competency
Professional development
Leadership recognition
Professional status
Portable career credential
Personal achievement
Employers benefit from:
• Validation of an employee’s skills and knowledge by a third party
• Differentiation from others in the workforce
• Engagement and commitment to the field and the business
Source: STC Intercom magazine, January 2016
CPTC Foundation Body of Knowledge

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Technical Communication Today, 5th Edition
by Richard Johnson-Sheehan, primary source
Technical Communication Body of Knowledge
(TCBOK), secondary source
Listen to the Dr. Johnson-Sheehan’s YouTube webinar for Pearson,
"Responding to the STC's Nine Areas of Competency in Technical
Communication,” http://bit.ly/1QXEQcu.
CPTC Foundation development is based in Bloom’s Taxonomy: a
learning theory that classifies education objectives into 6 ascending
learning levels, each defining a higher degree of competencies and
skills.
Three tiers of CPTC certification will be launched
Expert is analogous to the old CPTC designation.
CPTC’s have been re-designated “CPTC Expert.”
Competency
Knowledge
Purpose:
Measures knowledge
and comprehension
Confirms application and
analysis of knowledge
Confirms ability to
synthesize and
evaluate knowledge
Audience:
Entry-level
Mid- to Senior-level
Expert-level
Primary textbook
1-5 years’ experience
and STC BOK
5+ years’ experience
and STC BOK
Exam
Exam and work products
SME panel interview
and work products
Source:
Evaluation:
Pathway Prerequisite: Candidates must successfully complete the preceding certification tier
to qualify for the succeeding certification tier.
Certification assesses KSAs in 9 core areas:
Core TC Areas:
• Project Planning
• Visual Communication
• Project Analysis
• Reviewing and Editing
• Content Development
• Content Management
• Organizational Design
• Production and Delivery
• Written Communication
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSAs) Surveys Conducted
• Knowledge - familiarity with an organized body of information
• Skill - the proficient manual, verbal, or mental manipulation of data or things
• Ability - the power or capacity to perform an activity or task
1. Project Planning
Project planning focuses on the work involved in planning
and managing technical communication work teams and
documents through a lifecycle process. It includes:
 Process planning
 Goal setting
 Progress tracking
 Strategic planning activities
2. Project Analysis
Project analysis involves the work of identifying readers
and document contexts, including the development of
reader profiles. This includes:
 Identifying types of audiences, users, or readers
 Identifying audience needs, values, and attitudes
 Analyzing document contexts (physical, economic,
political, ethical)
3. Content Development
Content development focuses of the content created for
technical information products. It addresses technical
genres, their content, and use, including:
 Memos
 Technical descriptions and specifications
 Instructions
 Proposals
 Reports (activity, status, analytical)
4. Organizational Design
Organizational design focuses on guidelines and techniques for
organizing and drafting technical documents. It covers
organizational patterns and rhetorical techniques for:
 Technical reports
 Memos
 Technical descriptions and specifications
 Instructional content
 Proposals
 Activity, status, and analytical reports
5. Written Communication
Written communication covers general guidelines for
composing content and communicating in written and
electronic forms. It covers:
 Writing style
 Persuasion
 Tone
 General readability
 Localization and globalization
6. Visual Communication
Visual communication focuses on general design
principles and practices in the creation of visual
information, including:
 Figures and graphics
 Data displays and infographics
 Presentations
 Multimodality
7. Reviewing & Editing
Reviewing and editing addresses processes and
guidelines and general usability when reviewing content,
including:
 Levels of Edit
(global editing, substantive editing,
copyediting, proofreading)
 Grammar
 Mechanics
8. Content Management
Content management focuses on managing the content of
information products and information development teams. It
address:
 Content strategies
 Web content development
 Social networks
 Wikis
 Blogs and microblogs
 Videos and podcasts
9. Production & Delivery
Production and delivery focuses on final deliverables and
project outcomes, including:
 Final production deliverables
 Objectives for final deliverables
 Measuring effectiveness
 Quality feedback loops
 Ongoing usability testing
The CPTC Foundation Exam
The Foundation exam format is:
• 40 minutes
• 50 multiple-choice questions
• 70% pass mark
• Closed book
The cost of the exam is:
• $250 US for current STC members
• $495 US for nonmembers
We anticipate that most candidates will self study, pay, and register to take the
exam through APMG and ProctorU, the online proctoring service that APMG
uses.
You have one year from payment with APMG to sit the exam with ProctorU. The
online test and instructions will require at least a full hour.
Foundation Question Format
Question Type
Example
Standard multiple choice
What is an editor on a technical communication team
typically responsible for?
Missing word
Identify the missing word in the following sentence. An
effective information graphic should [ ? ] the written
text, not replace it.
Negative
Which approach is NOT applying the visual design
principle of grouping?
Select (List)
Which of the following statements are correct guidelines
for writing plain sentences?
Select (Evaluate)
Which of the following statements about the focus of
substantive editing are true?
Sequencing
When strategically planning the work of a technical
documentation team, in what sequence are the
following typically undertaken?
Distractors
Plausible incorrect answers
Sample Questions
Sample questions available online:
http://www.stc.org/certification/sample-questions
When strategically planning the work of a technical documentation team, in what
sequence are the following typically undertaken?
1. Create a list of tasks
2. Develop a timeline
3. Set objectives
a) 1, 2, 3
b) 2, 3, 1
c) 2, 1, 3
d) 3, 1, 2
Topic Area: Project Planning and Technical Communication
Correct Answer: D
Test Objective: How to strategically plan the work of a technical communication team.
The proper sequence in strategically planning the work of a technical writing team is to
set objectives, create a list of tasks, and set a timeline.
Sample Questions
Which approach is NOT applying the visual design principle of grouping?
a) Use borders to break the page into more manageable sections
b) Offset the elements on a page to create a stable feeling in the text
c) Use horizontal straight lines (rules) to signal places to pause in the document
d) Use the whitespace appropriately to frame items on the page
Topic Area: Visual Communication
Correct Answer: B
Test Objective: Understand the principle of grouping and how it is used to add visual
structure to information products.
a) Incorrect. Carving pages into smaller groups of information using borders is applying
the grouping principle.
b) Correct. Offsetting items to create a stable feeling in the text is applying the design
principle of balance.
c) Incorrect. Rules can be used to carve a page into smaller groups of information.
d) Incorrect. Appropriate framing of items using whitespace is applying the design
principle of grouping.
Foundation Continuing Education Requirements
Type
STC Annual Membership (any type)
Points
2
STC Recorded Webinar (self-study)
1
STC Live Educational Webinar (free, sponsored, and community webinars
excluded)
STC Online Courses
2
STC Summit Pre-Conference Courses (full day)
6
STC Summit Pre-Conference Courses (half day)
3
STC Virtual Summit
4
STC Annual Summit
8
College accredited course related to the tech comm field
8
Published articles that relate to any aspect of Technical Communication (2/article)
2
Published books publicly available on topics related to Technical Communication
(5/book)
Presentations at conferences related to aspects of Technical Communication
(2/presentation)
Total needed within 2 years post-certification date
5
6
2
12
CPTC Foundation Common Questions:
What does the
Foundation exam cost?
Are there any
prerequisites?
$250 members $495 nonmembers
(No other fees.)
None for CPTC Foundation. There will be prerequisites for Practitioner
and Expert.
Individuals and training organizations are being accredited and will
conduct prep classes for an additional fee. STC has released a study
Does STC offer training or
guide that is available on the STC website. A prep class was conducted
study assistance?
by Alan Houser at the Summit in Anaheim, CA, with time to take the
exam. Additional trainers will be posting course availability this year.
Is there a waiting period
if I don’t pass the exam?
Not for CPTC Foundation, but you will be required to register and pay
for the exam again. Feedback is provided to all test takers on your
knowledge of the 9 areas.
Can I simply retake the
Foundation exam instead
of acquiring CEUs?
You could, but you will not be able to qualify for CPTC Practitioner or
Expert without proof of ongoing continuing education.
More CPTC common questions:
Why did STC use a
third-party vendor
(APMG)?
Is there a discounted
price for developing
countries?
When are CPTC
Practitioner and
Expert opening?
APMG brings best practices in the structure and standards of developing
certification programs and their accompanying exams. They also accredit
a network of trainers and testing centers around the world.
Not at this time. We are waiting to understand demand.
We anticipate Practitioner to open in 2017 and Expert in 2018. We are
currently working on the criteria. The program is cumulative, so the pool
of potential Practitioners will be those who have passed CPTC
Foundation.
For more information about the CPTC program, visit:
Why Certify? http://www.stc.org/certification/why
General info: http://www.stc.org/certification
Study Guide: http://www.stc.org/images/certification/cptcstudyguide.pdf
Sample questions: http://www.stc.org/certification/sample-questions
Questions?
Contact an STC representative:
Liz Pohland, Director of Communications, [email protected]
Chris Lyons, CEO, [email protected]
Craig Baehr, Chief Examiner, [email protected]
Alan Houser, Accredited CPTC Trainer, [email protected]