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Certified Distance Education Instructor

I’ve passed the Certified Distance Education Instructor’s re-certification course.  This reporting is for my student’s, specifically, to share an experience we may have in common.

Since online instruction is my business/income, this CDEI certification is without argument the most important certification of my career.  It is, in fact, the only certification available for online instructors and conferred by Association of License Law Officials.  ARELLO is an extremely respected organization. Members are made up of regulators of each state.  They set the bar for state education regulators in all states.  Our TN real estate commissioners look to ARELLO for standards in all education whether classroom or online. Know it or not, we as licensees are influence by what ARELLO does each year to improve our education experience.

Not having my certification would be the end of my online instructor status at National Association of Realtors, Seller Representative Specialist, LLP and my ability to continue my school at all.  My credentials for maintaining my business would have been adversely affected to say the least.  The pressure was entirely self-imposed; however, very real if I wanted to continue my business they way I had chosen to work.

Here’s the skinny – you may have experienced a similar situation –

Beta-testing: I was one of a chosen few to take the course the first time so designers and regulators could study my responses and activity (seat time) and work through all the videos, podcasts, field trips, formative unit quizzes and summative (final) exam question and answers.  This is done, we are taught in the course, so the course content can be tweaked and the technology tested before offering it to other certified instructors.  Of course time is of the essence since the projected release date is fast approaching.

First re-cert course: For a young course like the CDEI to advance and maintain credibility, annual or bi-annual testing of certified instructors and course developers must be done to make sure the credentials have validity in future to:

1)      Confirm people certified continue to update their information

2)      Maintain credibility of the certification

Pressures: Mine was the first CDEI issued, ever.  I reviewed the original CDEI, 16 hour course so I had a reputation to uphold.  Just so you’ll know, I past that final exam on the first try.

I had three days set aside – plenty of time allocated for an 8 hour online course.

19 hours (actually in the course), 22 pages of hand written plus typed notes, hours of review outside the course and 5 attempted final exams later, I still was not re-certified!

Wait . . . What . . . this is impossible.  My dear friend Allyson Avera said I was the smartest person she knew on Facebook.  What am I doing wrong?  What will she think of me now?

Excuses:

1)      I was looking for problems, capturing pages where there were problems and making notes during the first run through.  Ok, that could have me kept me from passing the final exam the first time.

2)      After attempting the final exam the 2^nd, 3rd and 4^rth time (none were the same test);

“WELL, there must be – and I reported same – that there are obvious problems with the test questions.  ARELLO ignored me.  Could there have been technological problems? Yes, but I had to finish before we knew to what extent.

3)      Start over . . . you know how to do this!  OK, I’ll start at the beginning, complete the course again and retake the test in real time after review.  Failed it again even though I changed my approach.

4)      I’m too old and can’t get the content anymore

5)      Life won’t let me concentrate

6)      My husband (fill in the blank)

7)      My dogs (fill in the blank)

8)      It was the holiday, I couldn’t concentrate

9)      It gets more and more silly, so I won’t bore you with the next 20 excuses

This is an actual email to the course administrator after the 4^th attempt to pass the final exam.  Blue italics is a quote from the content of the course!

I really hate to be the subject of the course

“Learners often view assessment as a very personal, critical, intimidating process. The grades that they receive as a result of the assessment are often personally internalized and can substantially influence their perceived self-worth.”

I continue on . . . with forced confidence.

Sheila

Bottom line is that it was difficult, Period.  The content was strong, questions not giveaways and, as it should have been, constructed at a level that insisted I think at a higher level of learning than I was used to.  It created an uncomfortable equilibrium which is where real learning takes place in adult education (from course content).  I hated it by now and the more I tried to change my approach so I could pass the exam, the more frustrated I became and the more I failed.

I took a two day break, came back with appropriate time allotted for review, set up an atmosphere conducive to concentration and began again.   I failed the test again.

Did I mention the required 90% passing grade?  My scores were 87, 84, 85, 87, don’t remember 5^th score and finally, finally the most anticipated 98% passing grade.  I had passed!

Note: On the 5^th failure I’d made up my mind that I would not take the test again … ever.  Judging that I was unable to withstand another failure!

Moral of the story: Had I maintained that judgment, I would not be a CDEI today.  Don’t give up.  Try harder until you accomplish your goals … especially when it is the most important thing in your life at the time.

To students who’ve taken online courses at my school, I feel your pain.  I have been through my worst possible scenario and continued until I accomplished the goal – no matter how painful.

Now I can say with authority … I understand.

This course did more than teach me how to design, develop, implement and instruct an online class or teach me how to help adults learn using their respective styles.  It also gave me a renewed sense of what students go through as they progress through online class content at my school.

Worth every painful minute!  It helped me be a better school owner and instructor.

Thanks to Joe McClary, Director of Education at ARELLO, Dr. Mac Adkins, Course Facilitator, ARELLO and International Distance Education Certification Center for developing the CDEI certification and for upholding the integrity with a gut wrenching re-certification course.

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