Level Up

The Center for Testing and Career Certification (CTCC), formerly known as the University Testing Center is an arm of Academic and Career Success (ACS). Throughout its years of existence, the center has evolved in the number and nature of its assessment offerings to FIU students and the surrounding communities. Long gone are the days of administering the state-mandated College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) first introduced in 1984. The center has gone through both evolution of purpose and expansion of its footprint at both physical locations. CTCC onboarded the most recognized industry-credentialing bodies that exist worldwide to increase its menu of examinations. At the same time the center continues to provide significant opportunities for our students to advance by way of our diverse testing mechanisms. As a result of its wider certification and credentialing goals, CTCC has purposefully refocused its attention towards supporting the career-readiness needs of its FIU population and external clientele. CTCC collaborates with various vendors to offer resources that will improve students’ readiness for testing by utilizing the proven pathways of learn, practice and certify.  

How CTCC Responded to a Pandemic

The rapid spread of COVID-19 shook the entire world. FIU Human Resources sent an email on March 15th, a Sunday evening, stating that the University would be transitioning into remote work starting the following day. What was normal one day, became abnormal the next. CTCC understood that with these changes came many new opportunities. This meant that there was a need for a response that was going to be unique to the current situation. FIU looked unto CTCC for leadership in many areas such as test security and pioneering the way for students to be able to partake in exams that are essential to their academic career.

CTCC came to the conclusion that if there was one thing that had to be established, it was clear communication in the midst of all the confusion. All students who were scheduled prior to the pandemic were issued a refund and given guidance on applicable alternative testing avenues. Next, to stabilize communication, CTCC’s website committee dedicated efforts to consistently update the testing website with COVID-19 updates and exam vendor links. In addition, CTCC’s email response times were increased to meet test takers’ demands.

With the pandemic, came many students unable to meet their admission and graduation requirements. Countless hours of researching, brainstorming and conducting meetings resulted in CTCC partnering with third party vendors in order to better serve the FIU community. In cooperation with one of our vendors, CTCC was able to offer remote proctoring to a number of students in need of fulfilling their foreign language requirement. While there is still work to be done, CTCC will continue to rise to the challenge and uphold FIU’s motto “Beyond Possible.”

Satisfying the Foreign Language Requirement

The Center for Testing and Career Certification (CTCC) offers two ways to satisfy the foreign language requirement, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Foreign Language Achievement Testing Services (FLATS). CLEP offers Spanish, French and German; while FLATS offers upward of fifty foreign languages including Haitian-Creole, Mandarin, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian. Whether seeking much-needed credit or attempting to satisfy the foreign language requirement, it is imperative that students first discuss their options with an academic advisor. 

Test Security

Test security is always of concern among testing professionals, faculty, and third-party vendors. Are students going to cheat? Will exams be tampered with or stolen? How well are we prepared for these situations? These are just a few of the many questions that concern the testing industry. Test security is essential to giving all students and candidates an equal chance by ensuring that no one has an unfair advantage. Rest assured that with resources such as trainings, conferences and webinars, CTCC continues to implement necessary and effective measures in order to maintain testing integrity. CTCC is dedicated to ensuring test security using up to date standards and tools. Strategically placed cameras to monitor activity, wanding to ensure non-permissible items are left out of the testing lab, careful review of exam materials, and security software are all utilized. CTCC staff go above and beyond to ensure that all exams are handled securely. 

Distance Learning

Did you know that approximately 5.4 million students took an online class in the last year according to bestcollegesonline.org?  Also, in the midst of the CoVid-19 pandemic, as all classes were forced to go remote, CTCC, like most testing centers, has had to be nimble in making adjustments to its service delivery as well as be creative in its adoption and implementation of  new technologies. In an age where full-time online enrollment is quickly becoming the norm, the Center for Testing and Career Certification is not limited to FIU students alone. CTCC proctors students from various institutions around the world. While many quizzes and exams are taken online, we recognize that neighboring institutions have students that may need remote proctoring at a testing facility due to location or circumstance. CTCC has made improvements to meet these demands. Some of these improvements include efficient communication through email and direct instruction through our testing website. To get started, the process is as simple as contacting either one of our locations at testing@fiu.edu or bbctesting@fiu.edu. 

Remembering Our Mission: Testing in the New Millennium

The Florida Association of College Test Administrators (FACTA) held its 11th annual conference, hosted by Hillsborough Community College in Tampa (HCC) – Dale Mabry Campus, in early February. We are proud to announce that during the conference, our very own CTCC Director, Dwight Nimblett was recognized as a 2020-2021 FACTA Council member.

Understanding the importance of maintaining relationships and building new ones with colleagues at various institutions of higher learning in the state of Florida, our staff are always delighted to attend. Themed “Remembering Our Mission: Testing in the New Millennium,” this year’s conference focused on various aspects of testing and assessment, changes in the industry, evolving in order to stay ahead, and certifications.

The testing director and administrators at USF led a session on interactive activities among staff and test takers to increase moral, confidence, and awareness. Devona Bonaparte Spradley, the Testing Coordinator at FAU’s Boca Raton Campus led a session on the connection between testing security and customer service; emphasizing that testing personnel should always be vigilant and respectful. Paris Sepulveda-Smith, the Test Center Manager at Palm Beach State College’s Lake Worth Campus led an educational session on what constituted as reasonable accommodations and gave suggestions for seeking counsel when uncertainties arise. The 2019-2020 FACTA President, Mark Ross from MDC, and his fellow campus testing directors led a great session on the necessity and effectiveness of using wands in all testing centers. A wanding demonstration was shown to educate testing personnel on the proper wanding procedure. All in all, this year’s FACTA conference proved to be another enriching opportunity for growth.

On the Lighter Side - Testing Centers and Surviving the Great Pandemic: Six Lessons Learned.

Dwight Nimblett - Director, Center for Testing and Career Certification

Life’s lessons learned are rarely ever linear. Those that are worthwhile are often bridled by the uncertainties of happenstance, the frustrations of trial-and-error, and the imprecise demands of the unanticipated. Like most vocations that are closely tied to the knowledge industry, testing and assessment are not immune from the vagaries of life. For testing professionals who spend most of their time attempting to avoid happenstance, trial-and-error, and the unanticipated, these are disorienting times to say the least.

Our very practice and nature have been built upon an almost unflinching appreciation of certainty, the get-it-right-the-first-time attitude, and an uncanny ability to anticipate the unanticipated. Our testing protocols rarely ever allow the caretakers of both faculty and third-party bounty to venture too far outside those simple rules and rightfully so. Entire fortunes and life-long careers are cast upon the correctness of assessments and the integrity of their results. Those who risk playing outside the rules expose both self and institution to the dreaded Friday evening headline…scandal, not to mention the cringe worthiness of a well-earned industry-wide shunning.

Then here comes the P-word with all its vitriol and bite upending the already upended, and bringing to its knees test-center programs, protocols, and personnel already bent by the weight of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The 4IR is well known for its blend of digital, physical, and biological technologies. But unlike the 4IR that has allowed the testing industry just enough time to steady its footing while stepping into the future, the P-word has afforded no such luxuries. In one fell swoop it has flipped almost every norm that we have grown accustomed to. The ways we work, the ways we congregate, the ways we check candidates in, the ways we validate identity, the ways we manage time, and the ways we certify value have all been punctuated, placed in parenthesis by a yet to be tamed P-word. Still, the testing industry is proving to be nimble, and there are lessons to be learned from the unfolding drama.

1. Leaders emerge overnight. Survival demands it. 
2. Long-term planning is three months… six if you push it. 
3. Leveraging what you know may not be what you’ve learned.  
4. Low-touch, high-tech is a part of the new normal. 
5. Lightning speed is too slow. That was so yesterday. 
6. Letting go of well-healed testing industry practices may be the most important tip you can ever hold on to. 

Bookmark This!

The FLATS is now available for FIU students to take remotely with a proctor. Please visit our website at http://testing.fiu.edu to register and for any questions, email CTCC at bbctesting@fiu.edu or testing@fiu.edu.

FIU students registered for CIV 2222 may now take the Florida Civic Literacy Test remotely on Canvas via Honorlock. Please visit our website at http://testing.fiu.edu for details on how to take the test.