3 Ways the New Standards Will Benefit You
PSIA-AASI leaders from across the country gathered in Colorado this week for the Board of Directors meeting. The association’s Strategic Alignment Initiative and how the new certification standards will support consistency were a key part of the board’s conversation.
The Strategic Alignment Initiative is project to bring greater transparency and consistency to the association’s education and certification processes, and the new certification standards will help the association work towards this goal. The initiative is supported by the Quality Assurance and Enhancement process which will help PSIA-AASI measure the member experience so the association can ensure it’s working towards alignment and meeting members’ professional needs.
Update on New Certification Standards
The new certification standards will bring increased consistency and alignment to PSIA-AASI’s eight divisions, giving members more clarity for how to teach, turn, and succeed in their profession.
“I think it’s important we acknowledge how far we’ve come as a result of the incredible amount of work from our volunteer education leaders,” said PSIA-AASI Director of Education Dave Schuiling.
To outline how much work went into the process of developing the new standards, Dave led a presentation along with Pete Allison, associate professor of values and experiential learning at Penn State. The university is a partner in the Strategic Alignment Initiative and giving PSIA-AASI an academic perspective on the association’s education products and processes.
“I think one of the key shifts over the past couple years is a deeper understanding of what certification is,” said Pete. “Rather than simply studying to pass an exam, we are working to get certifications assessments to align closer to the jobs people are actually doing. PSIA-AASI is an education organization, and the standards need to showcase that instructors have a validated skillset and proficiency in the Learning Connection.”
Learn more about the Learning Connection in this handout or podcast.
Education Leaders Panel Discussion
Dave and Pete’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring education leaders from the Education Leadership Council (ELC) and related task forces. The eight hardworking volunteer leaders included ELC members Jeb Boyd, Jill Imsand Chumbley, Geoff Krill, Emily Lovett, and Rick Lyons, as well as task force members Jonathan Ballou, Brian Donovan, and Ann Schorling.
“As we’ve continued to work on alignment over the past few years, the key aspect has been the spirit of collaboration,” said Rick. “We are working across disciplines.”
As the new standards are implemented – beginning with alpine, cross country, and snowboard this fall – PSIA-AASI members will enjoy increased consistency, and clarity, in how they can grow as professionals, teach better lessons, and achieve advanced certification.
3 Ways You Will Benefit from the New Standards
Implementation of the new standards is the first monumental step toward strategic alignment in education and certification. Here, Dave explains the top 3 ways members will benefit from the new standards this season:
- The new standards will bring increased consistency to the certification process so members across the country will receive the same level of training and assessment throughout the certification process.
- Examiner training will bring increased consistency to how examiners conduct exams. To help train examiners on the new standards, task force members will deliver digital and face-to-face trainings at division events across the country.
- Members will notice increased transparency on learning outcomes and the criteria used to measure the skillsets required to be a great snowsports educator. Instructor skillsets are now clearly rooted in the Learning Connection.
“We’re finally ready to release the new standards, and we need all oars in the water, from the volunteer leaders of our boards to the operational leadership and education staff from the entire association,” said Dave. “The membership and their experience is the ultimate inspiration driving it all.”
Listen to this podcast featuring Dave and Jeb to learn more.
