Difference between revisions of "SL Certification"

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SL Certification

Process Guides:

Companies:

Skills Lists:

Land Management:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Textures:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Terraforming:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Scripting:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Event Hosting:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Machinima:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Building:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Sculpty:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Marketing:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Tutoring:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced

Other Information:

SL Certification Participants

Meeting Minutes

SL Certification Project

Introduction

There are many classes on many different Second Life skills and all of the classes focus on different sets of abilities within each skill. The SL Certification Project's goal is twofold:

Create extensive and complete lists of abilities within as many different Second Life-specific skillsets as required by businesses and individuals in Second Life.

Create certification exams as another way, separate from portfolio, for Second Life residents and solution providers to prove their ability within a specific skillset.

SL Certification is a task-based approach to identifying those who have attained a given level of proficiency in world in a given knowledge and skills area. To become an SL Certification project participant, contact Orange Planer (Leader).

A list of certified individuals would be maintained and made publicly available.

Action Plan

Phase One - Develop Skills Lists

The SL Certification Developers team uses volunteer moderators to:
- Create and maintain a single schools list on the Second Life Wiki with links to their information locations showing what they teach.
- Create and maintain multiple skills lists on the Second Life Wiki of one should know to attain levels of ability in those skillsets.
The volunteer moderators keep the skills lists current.
Schools will:
- Educate those interested to reach those levels.
- The schools will create learning content based on the certification criteria.
- Remain responsible for their own existing certification programs.
Residents will have a choice of where to go to learn the skills.
Everyone has the benefit of a shared set of skills lists for reference.
- Individuals have:
  - A checklist for managing their own skills education program.
  - A list of schools who are known to give classes on material they want to take.
- Schools have:
  - The opportunity to be known for the classes they already make available.
  - The opportunity to offer new classes not yet available.
- Solution Providers have a checklist for managing their employee skills education programs or checking skills levels of their contractors

Phase Two - Develop Skills Tests

The SL Certification Developers team uses volunteer moderators to develop, test, and document:
- Multiple skills tests of what people need to know, and know how to do, in multiple categories of Second Life skills
- Use the best blends of testing methods including but not limited to: Written (True/False; Multiple Choice), Performance (Build; Texture; Plan)

Phase Three - Create A Mechanism For Establishing Certification Testing

The SL Certification Developers team will identify one or more mechanisms to establish certification testing including:
- Creating a group that would manage the examination process
- Having schools or the certification group proctor exams
- Having schools or the certification group grade the exams
- Exam scores and tests will be kept in a database for which reporting will be available; the exact details shall be worked out at a later time, in particular, who will manage the database, who will have access to the database, what database shall be used, how access will be granted, and where the database will be stored, among others issues.

Phase Four - Certification in Operation

Linden Lab liaison reviews SL Certification Developer recommendations
Present plan for Executive Committee discussion, approval, budgeting
Target Q4 2010 to begin

Process Guides

Company Lists

Education Companies / Schools

Moderator: Lady Hathaway

SL Cert Schools

Skills Lists

In Phase One Action Plan these lists are sorted in the order they were first created.
In Phase Two Action Plan a logical grouping will be added to make subjects easier to find.

Moderators (subject matter experts)

Land Management Moderator: Annie Twilight

Texturing Moderator: [[User:|]]

Terraforming Moderator: Patrice Cournoyer

Scripting Moderator: Grandma Bates

Event Hosting Moderator: Linda Sautereau

Machinima Moderator: Toxic Menges

Building Moderator: Aquarius Paravane

Marketing Moderator: Ppmediadev Blinker

Second Life Tutoring Moderator: Orange Planer

Sculpty: Vickie Greenwood

Skills Tests

Skills tests are now being created. Creating the skills tests will be coordinated with when certification exams begin.

Meetings and Notes

Certification discussions, hosted by Orange Planer (2009/2010) and Emily Darrow (2008/2007)

Location (SLDEVU ISLAND) - accessible by group members only

Meeting Minutes

4th Quarter 2008 Accomplishments

Team Leader Emily Darrow
Developed Action Plan
Schools List Up on Wiki

First Quarter 2009 Accomplishments

Team Leader Orange Planer
Additional Participation Generated by Post on XStreet
Ten Skills Lists Up on Wiki

Second Quarter 2009 Goals

Team Leader Orange Planer
Continue and Deepen Generation of Skills Lists
Begin Generation of Skills Tests
Identify 3rd Party testing companies to be used for certification process

Fourth Quarter 2009 Goals

Complete rough drafts of all certifications

First Quarter 2010 Goals

Acquire outside review of all certification requirements
Complete final revisions of all certification requirements

Linden Participation

Linden Lab is supporting the development of certification for the use of key Second Life tools. We’ll begin with in-world building tools and LSL. We believe this will benefit Residents, Developers, and anyone who wishes to use Second Life by clearly identifying both key skills and the holders of those skills. This will also enable the creation of training to build the skills required for certification.

Resident Participants

SL Certification

Process Guides:

Companies:

Skills Lists:

Land Management:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Textures:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Terraforming:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Scripting:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Event Hosting:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Machinima:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Building:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Sculpty:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Marketing:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Tutoring:
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced

Other Information:

SL Certification Participants

Meeting Minutes

To list yourself as participating in the development of Linden Lab's SL Certification Project, add [[Category:SL Certification Participant|{{PAGENAME}}]] to your user page.

Certification Mailing List

https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/slcertification

SL Certification Group

SL Certification Devs - request membership from Orange Planer in world. Membership is open to anyone who requests it. Meetings are announced here and in-world.

Meeting Announcements

March 20, 2010 at 9 AM SLT/PST. If you do not have the landmark, please ask Orange Planer in-world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the value of Certification?

The primary value of certification is to those hiring people to create content for them in SL. Specifically, it answers the question "where can I find a group of contractors that I can interview for work I need done?" Certification is a strong indication that someone has at least a minimum set of skills. Certification is only one of many ways to demonstrate competency.

Certification also provides a set of skills against which anyone in Second Life, whether they build for fun or for hire, can measure their accomplishments.

By more clearly defining skills related to Second Life tools, certification may improve the quality of construction in Second Life, and may encourage a broader range of instruction about the Second Life tools.

Portfolios already show if someone is competent; why do we need certification?

Not everyone has an extensive portfolio, despite obvious skill and talent. Portfolios have a valuable role in demonstrating accomplishment, both in RL and SL. In Second Life, many projects are done collaboratively. Builds can incorporate content that is bought and created, and many people can be involved. It can be hard to look at a project and understand what a particular person has contributed. Certification provides one method of demonstrating your own skill set. It should be only one of many potential ways to evaluate a candidate.

Is Linden Lab mandating certification?

You can chose to be certified if you want, or not. Linden Lab has no intent to monitor or mandate that Second Life content be created only by Residents with certification, or to mandate certification in any way. Nor will Certification (or non-certification) be tied by Linden Lab in any way to land ownership, group membership, membership level, or any other attribute of a Second Life account. While Linden Lab may provide a way for those listed in the Developer Directory to identify certification, it will not require it for the Developer Directory, Classifieds, Events, or any other Linden Lab-operated listing service.

Is Linden Lab mandating content of certification?

Linden Lab has engaged the Residents in defining the skills involved in competency, and in developing the appropriate demonstration of those skills. Linden Lab is not defining the skills nor the demonstration of them.

Will it cost money? Does Linden Lab intend to profit by Certification?

Linden Lab was looking to have a third party organization manage certification; we don't want the administrative hassle of doing it, nor the potential for anyone to claim that we would have influence on who gets certified. We intend to make certification as widely available as possible. We will work with Residents, Instructors and Developers to find the best way to enable certification.

Who will be providing the Certification service?

The SL Certification Developers group will be providing the certification service. SL Certification Developers welcomes input from anyone, although it reserves judgment on whether the input is valuable. Linden Lab has no intent of operating the certification service.

At this time, the only answer we can give is "Not Linden Lab." We will work with the Residents who participate in developing certification to find the best provider - whether a Resident, an external third party, or some other provider. Ironically, our original reason for only considering an external provider was to prevent any concern that one group of Residents might use Certification against other Residents. Linden Lab has no intent of operating the Certification service - we don't have the expertise or resources, nor do we want the inevitable accusations of bias.

Will certification make it harder to become competent in using Second Life tools?

Certification is a way to more clearly communicate skills. Without certification, everyone has their own idea of what competency is. Some classes will teach one set of skills, others another, and outcomes aren't comparable. That's why we're involving SL instructors in this project.

Learning to use SL Tools will still take the same amount of effort. Certification will help guide builders and scripters in what they ought to learn in order to achieve particular measurable standards.

How will information on who is certified by made available?

Residents who are certified will be listed on a public website, along with what certifications they hold.

Can we do certification in Second Life?

At least one Resident has started building a set of in-world tasks that could become part of a certification system. This seems preferable to having external tests/tasks.

Certification Categories

Categories for certification will be varied, and will grow or shrink over time. The basic principal behind the certification process is to provide as wide an array of subjects as possible, and involve residents with skills in these areas.

Currently the following categories are being developed at Skills Lists above.

The certification skillsets were completed in 3rd Quarter 2010 but will be reviewed as technology changes.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.secondlife.com/w/index.php?title=SL_Certification&oldid=1142696"

Categories:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{SLCert Navbox}}
-==SL CERTIFICATION - ACTION PLAN SO FAR==
+[[Category:Certification]]
-SL Certification is a task-based approach to identifying those who have attained a given level of proficiency in-world in a given topic area. Alhough specially selected in-world schools are used for the education, the emphasis is towards certification; so the education is driven by the requirements of the certification.
+=SL Certification Project=
-PHASE ONE - DEVELOP SKILLS LISTS
+==Introduction==
-# SLCERT team uses VOLUNTEER MODERATORS to maintain:
+There are many classes on many different Second Life skills and all of the classes focus on different sets of abilities within each skill.  The SL Certification Project's goal is twofold:
-#* A single '''SCHOOLS LIST''' on the PUBLIC WIKI with links to their information locations showing what they teach
-#* Multiple '''SKILLS LISTS''' on the PUBLIC WIKI of what people need to know how to do in multiple categories of SL skills
-# The VOLUNTEER MODERATORS keep the lists current
-# The SCHOOLS continue to:
-#* Teach their classes
-#* Remain responsible for their own existing certification programs for now
-# RESIDENTS have a choice of where to go to learn the skills
-# EVERYONE has the benefit of a shared set of SKILLS LISTS for reference:
-#* Individuals have:
-#** A checklist for managing their own skills education program
-#* Schools have:
-#** The opportunity to be known for the classes they already make available
-#** The opportunity to offer new classes not yet available
-#* Solution Providers have:
-#** A checklist for managing their employee skills education programs or checking skills levels of their contractors
-PHASE TWO - DEVELOP SKILLS TESTS
+* Create extensive and complete lists of abilities within as many different Second Life-specific skillsets as required by businesses and individuals in Second Life.
-==SL CERTIFICATION - PROCESS GUIDES==
+* Create certification exams as another way, separate from portfolio, for Second Life residents and solution providers to prove their ability within a specific skillset.
-===SL Certification Roles===
+SL Certification is a task-based approach to identifying those who have attained a given level of proficiency in world in a given knowledge and skills area. '''To become an SL Certification project participant, contact {{User|Orange Planer}} (Leader).'''
-* [[SL Cert Roles | SL CERT Roles - Six action roles identified so far in the SL Certification Project.]]
-===Volunteer Moderator Wiki Guide===
+A list of certified individuals would be maintained and made publicly available.
-* [http://www.fengshuichat.com/sitearm/sl_cert_moderator_wiki_guide.htm SL CERT Moderator Wiki Guide - A simple User Guide for new volunteer moderators to start and maintain their assigned skills lists.]
-===Skills List Template===
+==Action Plan==
-* [[Hunter Benazzi SL Cert Criteria Template | SL CERT Skills List Template - A template for consistent format of skills list criteria pages.]]
+=== Phase One - Develop Skills Lists ===
-===Skills Test Process===
+# The SL Certification Developers team uses volunteer moderators to:
-* [[Hunter Benazzi SL Cert Process Document | SL CERT How Skills Lists Become Skills Test - A process overview for creating certification skills tests from skills lists.]]
+#* Create and maintain a single schools list on the Second Life Wiki with links to their information locations showing what they teach.
+#* Create and maintain multiple skills lists on the Second Life Wiki of one should know to attain levels of ability in those skillsets.
+# The volunteer moderators keep the skills lists current.
+# Schools will:
+#* Educate those interested to reach those levels.
+#* The schools will create learning content based on the certification criteria.
+#* Remain responsible for their own existing certification programs.
+# Residents will have a choice of where to go to learn the skills.
+# Everyone has the benefit of a shared set of skills lists for reference.
+#* Individuals have:
+#** A checklist for managing their own skills education program.
+#** A list of schools who are known to give classes on material they want to take.
+#* Schools have:
+#** The opportunity to be known for the classes they already make available.
+#** The opportunity to offer new classes not yet available.
+#* Solution Providers have a checklist for managing their employee skills education programs or checking skills levels of their contractors
-==SL CERTIFICATION - LISTS SO FAR==
+=== Phase Two - Develop Skills Tests ===
-(To become a volunteer moderator contact [[User:Hunter Benazzi|Hunter Benazzi]], [[User:Sitearm Madonna|Sitearm Madonna]], or [[User:Glenn Linden|Glenn Linden]]. Current moderators are listed [http://www.spin-stream.com/support/showthread.php?p=2707#post2707 here])
+# The SL Certification Developers team uses volunteer moderators to develop, test, and document:
-<br>(In PHASE ONE ACTION PLAN these lists are sorted in the order they were first created. In PHASE TWO ACTION PLAN a logical grouping will be added to make subjects easier to find.)
+#* Multiple skills tests of what people need to know, and know how to do, in multiple categories of Second Life skills
+#* Use the best blends of testing methods including but not limited to: Written (True/False; Multiple Choice), Performance (Build; Texture; Plan)
-===SCHOOLS LIST (LADY HATHAWAY MODERATOR)===
+=== Phase Three - Create A Mechanism For Establishing Certification Testing ===
+# The SL Certification Developers team will identify one or more mechanisms to establish certification testing including:
+#* Creating a group that would manage the examination process
+#* Having schools or the certification group proctor exams
+#* Having schools or the certification group grade the exams
+#* Exam scores and tests will be kept in a database for which reporting will be available; the exact details shall be worked out at a later time, in particular, who will manage the database, who will have access to the database, what database shall be used, how access will be granted, and where the database will be stored, among others issues.
-* [[SchoolsList|Lady Hathaway Schools List]]
+=== Phase Four - Certification in Operation ===
+* Linden Lab liaison reviews SL Certification Developer recommendations
+* Present plan for Executive Committee discussion, approval, budgeting
+* Target Q4 2010 to begin
-===SKILLS LIST - LAND MANAGEMENT (HUNTER BENAZZI MODERATOR)===
+== Process Guides ==
-* [[Hunter Benazzi SL Cert Basic Land Management | SL Cert Basic Land Management]]
-* [[Hunter Benazzi SL Cert Intermediate Land Management | SL Cert Intermediate Land Management]]
-* [[Hunter Benazzi SL Cert Advanced Land Management | SL Cert Advanced Land Management]]
-===SKILLS LIST - TEXTURING (ALICE KLINGER MODERATOR)===
+=== SL Certification Process ===
+* [[SL Cert Process Document | How skills lists become skills tests]]
-* [[Alice Klinger - Textures Skill Set | SL Cert Texturing]]
+=== Roles Guide ===
+* [[SL Certification Roles | Action roles in the SL Certification Project]]
-===SKILLS LIST - TERRAFORMING (PATRICE COURNOYER MODERATOR)===
+=== Certification Guide ===
+* [[SL Cert Guide to Certification Testing | How 3rd party testing companies work]]
-* [[Patrice Cournoyer sl cert | SL Cert Terraforming]]
+=== Wiki Guide ===
+* [http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Style_Guide | SL KB Style Guide]
-===SKILLS LIST - SCRIPTING (LOUISE RUMPLER MODERATOR)===
+=== Skills List Template ===
+* [[SL Cert Criteria Template | A template for consistent format of skills list criteria pages.]]
-* [[Louise Rumpler SL Cert Basic Scripting | SL Cert Basic Scripting]]
+== Company Lists ==
-* [[Louise Rumpler SL Cert Intermediate Scripting | SL Cert Intermediate Scripting]]
-* [[Louise Rumpler SL Cert Advanced Scripting | SL Cert Advanced Scripting]]
-===SKILLS LIST - EVENT HOSTING (ERIA ZIEMIA MODERATOR)===
+=== Education Companies / Schools ===
+:Moderator: {{User|Lady Hathaway}}
+* [[List of Second Life Skills Training Schools|SL Cert Schools]]
-* [[Eria Ziemia sl cert | SL Cert Basic Event Hosting]]
+== Skills Lists ==
+* In Phase One Action Plan these lists are sorted in the order they were first created.
+* In Phase Two Action Plan a logical grouping will be added to make subjects easier to find.
-===SKILLS LIST - ROTATIONS AND POSITIONS IN LSL (GRANDMA BATES MODERATOR)===
+=== Moderators (subject matter experts) ===
+:Land Management Moderator: {{User|Annie Twilight}}
-[[Grandma Bates SL Cert | SL Cert Rotations and Position in LSL ]]
+:Texturing Moderator: {{User|}}
-* [[Grandma Bates SL Cert#Basic Requirements | Basic Requirements]]
+:Terraforming Moderator: {{User|Patrice Cournoyer}}
-* [[Grandma Bates SL Cert#Intermediate Requirements | Intermediate Requirements]]
+:Scripting Moderator: {{User|Grandma Bates}}
-* [[Grandma Bates SL Cert#Advanced Requirements  | Advanced Requirements]]
+:Event Hosting Moderator: {{User|Linda Sautereau}}
-===SKILLS LIST - MACHINIMA (ALLISON SELENE MODERATOR)===
+:Machinima Moderator: {{User|Toxic Menges}}
-* [[Allison Selene - Machinima Skills Set | SL Cert Machinima]]
+:Building Moderator: {{User|Aquarius Paravane}}
-=== SKILLS LIST - BUILDING (AQUARIUS PARAVANE MODERATOR)===
+:Marketing Moderator: {{User|Ppmediadev Blinker}}
-* [[Aquarius paravane sl cert | SL Cert Building]]
+:Second Life Tutoring Moderator: {{User|Orange Planer}}
-=== SKILLS LIST - MARKETING (PPMEDIADEV BLINKER)===
+:Sculpty: {{User|Vickie Greenwood}}
-* [[Ppmediadev_blinker_sl_certification | SL Cert Marketing]]
+== Skills Tests ==
-=== SKILLS LIST - SL MENTORING (ORANGE PLANER MODERATOR) ===
+Skills tests are now being created.  Creating the skills tests will be coordinated with when certification exams begin.
-* [[Orange planer sl cert | SL Cert SL Mentoring]]
+== Meetings and Notes ==
+Certification discussions, hosted by {{User|Orange Planer}} (2009/2010) and {{User|Emily Darrow}} (2008/2007)
+* [http://slurl.com/secondlife/SLDEVU/227/73/27 Location (SLDEVU ISLAND)] - accessible by group members only
-==MEETINGS AND NOTES==
+* [[SL Cert - Meeting Minutes|Meeting Minutes]]
-* Certification discussions, hosted by [[User:Hunter Benazzi | Hunter Benazzi]] (2009), [[User:Emily Darrow | Emily Darrow]] (2008), and [[User:Sitearm Madonna | Sitearm Madonna]] (Scribe)
-** [http://slurl.com/secondlife/SLDEVU/227/73/27 Location (SLDEVU ISLAND)]
-** [http://www.spin-stream.com/support/forumdisplay.php?f=90 Minutes (SP COUNCIL FORUM)]
-===4Q08 Accomplishments===
+=== 4th Quarter 2008 Accomplishments ===
-* Team Leader Emily Darrow
+* Team Leader [[User:Emily Darrow|Emily Darrow]]
 * Developed Action Plan
 * Schools List Up on Wiki
-===1Q09 Accomplisments===
+=== First Quarter 2009 Accomplishments ===
-* Team Leader Hunter Benazzi
+* Team Leader {{User|Orange Planer}}
 * Additional Participation Generated by Post on XStreet
 * Ten Skills Lists Up on Wiki
-===2Q09 Goals===
+=== Second Quarter 2009 Goals ===
+* Team Leader {{User|Orange Planer}}
 * Continue and Deepen Generation of Skills Lists
 * Begin Generation of Skills Tests
+* Identify 3rd Party testing companies to be used for certification process
-==Overarching Goal==
+=== Fourth Quarter 2009 Goals ===
+* Complete rough drafts of all certifications
-SL Certification is the only certification group within SL that has Linden Lab's support.
-The purpose of the certification is to allow individuals to have their Second-Life skills recognised as meeting a set criteria, at various levels of "Basic", "Intermediate" and "Advanced"
+=== First Quarter 2010 Goals ===
+* Acquire outside review of all certification requirements
+* Complete final revisions of all certification requirements
-A list of certified people will then be maintained and made available to those requesting a service.
+== Linden Participation ==
+* {{User|Lexie Linden}}
+* {{User|Katrin Linden}}
-To assist residents in achieving these levels, schools will educate those interested. They will create learning content based on the certification criteria.
-Once the process is complete, a list of certified individuals will then be made publically available.
-==Immediate Goal==
-* Develop certification criteria for modeling and scripting
-** We are looking for members of the Developer, Instructor, and Volunteer communities to work with Lindens in creating the skills list and certification tasks for those skills in Modeling and in Scripting.
-==Description==
 Linden Lab is supporting the development of certification for the use of key Second Life tools. We’ll begin with in-world building tools and LSL. We believe this will benefit Residents, Developers, and anyone who wishes to use Second Life by clearly identifying both key skills and the holders of those skills. This will also enable the creation of training to build the skills required for certification.
-It is Linden Lab's intent to work with an external certification provider to offer certification testing and maintain a list of those Residents who have been certified.
-==Linden Participants==
-* [[User:Glenn Linden|Glenn Linden]]
-==[[:Category:SL Certification Participant|Resident Participants]]==
+== [[:Category:SL Certification Participant|Resident Participants]] ==
 {{:Category:SL Certification Participant}}
-==Certification Mailing List==
+== Certification Mailing List ==
 https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/slcertification
-==SL Certification Group==
+== SL Certification Group ==
-SL Certification Devs - request membership from [[User:Glenn Linden|Glenn Linden]], [[User:Hunter Benazzi|Hunter Benazzi]], or [[User:Sitearm Madonna|Sitearm Madonna]] in world.  Membership is open to anyone who requests it. Meetings are announced here.
+SL Certification Devs - request membership from {{User|Orange Planer}} in world.  Membership is open to anyone who requests it. Meetings are announced here and in-world.
-==Frequently Asked Questions==
+== Meeting Announcements ==
-===What is the value of Certification?===
+March 20, 2010 at 9 AM SLT/PST.  If you do not have the landmark, please ask {{User|Orange Planer}} in-world.
-The primary value of certification is to those hiring people to create content for them in SL. Certification is one indication that someone has at least a minimum set of skills. Certification is only one of many ways to demonstrate competency. Certification also clarifies skills and helps instructors develop instruction.
+== Frequently Asked Questions ==
+=== What is the value of Certification? ===
+The primary value of certification is to those hiring people to create content for them in SL. Specifically, it answers the question "where can I find a group of contractors that I can interview for work I need done?"  Certification is a strong indication that someone has at least a minimum set of skills. Certification is only one of many ways to demonstrate competency.
 Certification also provides a set of skills against which anyone in Second Life, whether they build for fun or for hire, can measure their accomplishments.
@@ Line 154: / Line 162: @@
 By more clearly defining skills related to Second Life tools, certification may improve the quality of construction in Second Life, and may encourage a broader range of instruction about the Second Life tools.
-===Portfolios already show if someone is competent; why do we need certification?===
+=== Portfolios already show if someone is competent; why do we need certification? ===
-Portfolios have a valuable role in demonstrating accomplishment, both in RL and SL. In Second Life, many projects are done collaboratively.  Builds can incorporate content that is bought and created, and many people can be involved. It can be hard to look at a project and understand what a particular person has contributed. Certification provides one method of demonstrating your own skill set. It should be only one of many potential ways to evaluate a candidate.
+Not everyone has an extensive portfolio, despite obvious skill and talent.  Portfolios have a valuable role in demonstrating accomplishment, both in RL and SL. In Second Life, many projects are done collaboratively.  Builds can incorporate content that is bought and created, and many people can be involved. It can be hard to look at a project and understand what a particular person has contributed. Certification provides one method of demonstrating your own skill set. It should be only one of many potential ways to evaluate a candidate.
-===Is Linden Lab mandating certification?===
+=== Is Linden Lab mandating certification? ===
 You can chose to be certified if you want, or not. Linden Lab has no intent to monitor or mandate that Second Life content be created only by Residents with certification, or to mandate certification in any way. Nor will Certification (or non-certification) be tied by Linden Lab in any way to land ownership, group membership, membership level, or any other attribute of a Second Life account. While Linden Lab may provide a way for those listed in the Developer Directory to identify certification, it will not require it for the Developer Directory, Classifieds, Events, or any other Linden Lab-operated listing service.
-===Is Linden Lab mandating content of certification?===
+=== Is Linden Lab mandating content of certification? ===
-Linden Lab has engaged the Residents in defining the skills involved in competency, and in developing the appropriate demonstration of those skills. Linden Lab is not defining the skills nor the demonstration of them, it is simply supporting the process.
+Linden Lab has engaged the Residents in defining the skills involved in competency, and in developing the appropriate demonstration of those skills. Linden Lab is not defining the skills nor the demonstration of them.
-===Will it cost money? Does Linden Lab intend to profit by Certification?===
+=== Will it cost money? Does Linden Lab intend to profit by Certification? ===
 Linden Lab was looking to have a third party organization manage certification; we don't want the administrative hassle of doing it, nor the potential for anyone to claim that we would have influence on who gets certified. We intend to make certification as widely available as possible. We will work with Residents, Instructors and Developers to find the best way to enable certification.
-===Who will be providing the Certification service?===
+=== Who will be providing the Certification service? ===
+The SL Certification Developers group will be providing the certification service.  SL Certification Developers welcomes input from anyone, although it reserves judgment on whether the input is valuable.  Linden Lab has no intent of operating the certification service.
+<div>
 At this time, the only answer we can give is "Not Linden Lab." We will work with the Residents who participate in developing certification to find the best provider - whether a Resident, an external third party, or some other provider. Ironically, our original reason for only considering an external provider was to prevent any concern that one group of Residents might use Certification against other Residents. Linden Lab has no intent of operating the Certification service - we don't have the expertise or resources, nor do we want the inevitable accusations of bias.
+</div>
-===Will certification make it harder to become competent in using Second Life tools?===
+=== Will certification make it harder to become competent in using Second Life tools? ===
 Certification is a way to more clearly communicate skills. Without certification, everyone has their own idea of what competency is.  Some classes will teach one set of skills, others another, and outcomes aren't comparable. That's why we're involving SL instructors in this project.
 Learning to use SL Tools will still take the same amount of effort.  Certification will help guide builders and scripters in what they ought to learn in order to achieve particular measurable standards.
-===How will information on who is certified by made available?===
+=== How will information on who is certified by made available? ===
-The Residents involved in developing certification will help us determine the most effective way to list who is certified.
+Residents who are certified will be listed on a public website, along with what certifications they hold.
-===Can we do certification in Second Life?===
+=== Can we do certification in Second Life? ===
 At least one Resident has started building a set of in-world tasks that could become part of a certification system.  This seems preferable to having external tests/tasks.
-==Certification Categories==
+== Certification Categories ==
-Catagories for certification will be varied, and will grow over time.
+Categories for certification will be varied, and will grow or shrink over time.
 The basic principal behind the certification process is to provide as wide an array of subjects as possible, and involve residents with skills in these areas.
-Currently the following catagories are being developed:
+Currently the following categories are being developed at [[#Skills Lists|Skills Lists]] above.
-* GRAPHIC DESIGN,
-* MACHINEMA,
-* CLIENT INTERACTION,
-* BUILDING,
-* LAND MANAGEMENT,
-* TERRAFORMING,
-* HOSTESSING,
-* SCRIPTING.
-By the end of February 09 we hope to have a framework of skill-sets which will then form the basis to develop learning materials.
+The certification skillsets were completed in 3rd Quarter 2010 but will be reviewed as technology changes.
-==Previous Attempt at Categorisation==
-An initial attempt at the SL Certification project began in the second quarter of 2007. Included below is an initial attempt at categorising Modelling and Scripting skills (further works and discussion can be seen on the [[ModelingSkills|List of Modeling Skills]] and [[Scripting Certification|Scripting]] pages). The current work on skill categorisation can be found in [[#SL CERTIFICATION - LISTS SO FAR|SL CERTIFICATION - LISTS SO FAR]] above.
-===[[Modeling Certification|Modeling]]===
-[[ModelingSkills|List of Modeling Skills]]
-* Architecture
-* Furnishings/Interior Design
-* Objects
-* Weapons and Vehicles
-Note: Includes using scripts to animate objects and textures but no writing of scripts
-===[[Scripting Certification|Scripting]]===
-* Animation
-** Note: Animation includes object animation, texture animation and particle systems
-* Attachments
-* Movement
-* Physics & Collisions
-* Detection & Sensing
-* Asset Management
-* Setting Properties
-* Communications
-* Interacting with external data stores & web content
-* Media Management
-Alternative Method:
-* Dynamic Objects - manipulation of objects
-** Subcategory: Physics and movement in 3-D space
-** Subcategory: Primitive Attributes
-* User interaction
-** Subcategory: User input and communication
-** Subcategory: Event handling
-* Web interface
-** HTML, XML/RPC, and any knowledge of web languages - Perl, Python, PHP, Java, etc
-[[Category:Certification]]
 [[Category:Skills]]