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MCPF exam administered via Skype?

Kai Vanuffelen said:
It is a great and futuristic idea from Jo-Anne. Can we sit the MCPF exam via Skype as well in our own workshops?
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You can use you own workshop for the first our pieces, but the practicum has to be done in an unfamiliar workshop. That's part of the test to see if the entrant is a real framer or not. It would also be unfair to all the MCPF framers who have had to do their practicum in an unfamiliar workshop! Didn't we have this same discussion before?
 
Yes Ormond, but I wasn't talking about next year, but perhaps in ten years time. We already have surgeons operating on a patient from another place. It must be funny to have a few cameras in our workshop following our every move with loudspeakers from the two examiners huddled together in front of a camera telling us what to do next. Open this framed piece for us please! (My enter key still does not work, so I keep on typing without spaces for paragraphs). The same for competition-pieces. Instead of sending the piece for judging, at the time of judging, the judge can ask the entrant to hold the piece in front of the camera from various angles and then hang it back on the wall of the shop while the judge and secretary jot down the notes for judging.
 
I think you might be delving into the realms of fantasy, Kai!
Perhaps in someone else's lifetime and by that time framers probably won't even exist in the way they do now, if at all! They're already starting to disappear!

I seriously doubt whether I will even be still breathing, let alone framing, if that ever happens.
 
return to sidetrack

hey
I LIKE the idea of an online MCPF

After the 2012 show , It took me 6 months to recover from the trauma of airline travel, tsa and the added flu bonus (and I Had a Flu Vaccine prior). That was way too much time down for me

geezum crow
if Universitys can offer degrees on line why can't PPFA qualify its membership!
why can'tchya HUH?!
is there perhaps something else at stake here?

Jo-Anne
 
Jo-Anne Sherburne said:
hey
I LIKE the idea of an online MCPF
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The CPA (a non performance test) could be a great project for Skype. The MCPF would be a tuff thing to pull off. It does show we are atleast "thinking" of new ways and not stuck in the same old "damaged box.":tape: OK maybe too early in the day for that one!

John
 
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I think that having the MCPF on the East Coast now and then isn't a bad idea. I bet that many would take the opportunity if it was given in the North East. In 2007 a very nice framer in MD offered up his warehouse/shop to PPFA and at least four got to take the exam. It's challenging enough to travel to Vegas, let alone take the MCPF. It was a 4 hour drive each way for me but still being in the same time zone was nice. :thumb: Ormond, I don't know how you did it!:loco:
 
The CPF is available online.

I don't see how the MCPF stays meaningful online.
Particularly the practicum.
Don't see any way for that to happen.
Ever.

And, I don't know what you were hinting at about something else being "at stake," but it really is (IMO) a matter of logistics and thoroughness. And that a major part of the exam is familiarity with equipment in general and not just what's in your shop.
 
The technology is probably already available to do the MCPF remotely....multiple cameras, etc. It is good to spend some energy on thinking about the future and what might be possible.

But right now, and for the foreseeable future, just offering the exam more than once a year in Vegas is a challenge. If PPFA had a staff of 50, and dues were $25,000 a year, I am sure there would be a department tasked with this.:nod:

But the reality is that the exam was developed and is administered by volunteers.

And I can't help myself, I have to point out that 52 years ago The Weekly Reader promised that I would be able to fly to work on a jet pack by the time I finished college. I'm still waiting.:noidea:
 
I'm sorry, but how am I going to run my thumb over the miter to see how clean it is?
That's just one example.

Or, are you proposing the practicum part of the exam is "filmed" live, then the art is shipped to somewhere that two evaluators can get together for the disassembly? Of course, a proctor takes the piece from the applicant and seals it in a shipping container, so it can't be touched after the ninety minutes is up?

I just don't see how you get there from here in a reasonable and cost effective way?
 
Yes, Any framer interested in becoming an MCPF has to be committed and that includes financially making some sacrifices. It shouldn't be that hard to get a loan for a few thousand dollars in order to prepare, go to and attend the exam. At least we are contemplating or preparing for what the future may hold for us.
 
First, as it has already been pointed out, the CPF exam is available online. In fact, someone is scheduled to take the exam today. Being a purely written exam it’s very practical to do it this way.

The MCPF exam, not so much.

Cliff Wilson said:
I'm sorry, but how am I going to run my thumb over the miter to see how clean it is?
That's just one example.
Click to expand...

Yes, how indeed? Examiners need to be able to disassemble the frames and examine every aspect them very closely. Closely enough to see the smallest overcuts. How would that happen on camera?

Also, examiners need to be able to discuss, often in depth, the results of the inspection among themselves away from the candidate.

Who would be the cameraman? You would still need a proctor on-site.


Cliff Wilson said:
Or, are you proposing the practicum part of the exam is "filmed" live, then the art is shipped to somewhere that two evaluators can get together for the disassembly? Of course, a proctor takes the piece from the applicant and seals it in a shipping container, so it can't be touched after the ninety minutes is up?

I just don't see how you get there from here in a reasonable and cost effective way?
Click to expand...

If the exam were done this way then I really don’t see any sort of advantage. In fact it would probably be easier and less expensive once you add in all of these complications. Sorry, I’m not trying to be negative or resistant to change, but I just don’t see how it would be practical.
 
The MCPF is now offered at the annual PPFA conference in Australia in addition to Las Vegas. I had to go to Vegas to take the exam because it was the only location available and the expense of the trip was worth every cent.

I'm sorry to say this, but I think the notion of taking this exam by some digital means is totally absurd! It is a hands on practicum exam in an unfamiliar workshop and the scoring is hands on. There are many aspects of scoring that require it to be hands on.

If anyone thinks that I or other current MCPF holders are going to be happy with someone passing the exam via any quality video, they are mistaken. It would totally devalue the credential!

If anyone is not prepared to spend a few bucks to take the exam, then why would they expect examiners to spend their hard earned cash to travel to conventions year after year to voluntarily score candidates???

The cost for a candidate to travel to the nearest location should not be a horrendous amount. Add a couple of dollars to every job for a year or two and that should easily cover the costs! Go without a cup of coffee a day or a glass of wine, or make some other sacrifice to save a few bucks!
 
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