NCARB Identifies ARE Cheating
In his recent article entitled
NCARB Looks at Exam Security, Stephen Nutt, AIA reports NCARB’s claim that ARE Candidates are increasingly disseminating exam content, thereby risking any agency’s ability to “fairly gauge a candidate’s knowledge . . . [that] will prove to be detrimental to the profession and the public.” NCARB has reported observing five categories of suspect behavior that provide ARE candidates the means to circumvent exam integrity including:
1. Unauthorized access to materials
2. Presence of unauthorized devices in the testing room
3. Unauthorized written materials
4. Use of unauthorized devices or materials
5. Dissemination of exam content
The article acknowledges that some ARE candidates are critical of the need for examination for licensing, since they already hold an architecture degree and have completed internship.
Stephen Nutt, AIA is NCARB's Director of Professional Development who oversees all aspects of the ARE. In the article he justifies the claim of the significant threat to the public and the profession by noting that state boards of architecture were the first to identify the need to examine candidates for licensing "backed by the US Constitution, which empowers states to protect public health, safety, and welfare."
NCARB and its member boards standardized the exam in 1997 by using electronic examination technology; perhaps, making it at once more convenient for candidates to take and, apparently, more tempting to cheat.
Link to "ARE Forum Reminder on behalf of NCARB"
A colleague recently discussed an issue regarding test sharing on the ARE. After doing some digging, I found this interesting statement from
http://www.areforum.org.
"Each time a candidate takes each division of the ARE, he or she agrees to the following Confidentiality Agreement:"
To check out the entire message follow this link:
http://www.areforum.org/ncarb.htm.
IDP Coordinator Resources:I received an email newsletter called the EPN News today from AIA's
Educator/Practitioner Network that had many interesting links to share. For instance:
http://www.aia.org/idp_coordresourcesHere is the introductory blurb from that site:
If you are a student of architecture or an intern, IDP Coordinators can be a great resource to you during many points in your internship. You are encouraged to contact them for information or to schedule a presentation at your school or firm.
Ohio IDP Mentor Network Introduction:
Hello and thank you for visiting my Ohio IDP Mentor Network web log. This site seeks to share information and experiences about your journey toward becoming a registered architect in the state of Ohio. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has an interest in helping you navigate the sometimes difficult terrain of the Intern Development Program (IDP.) To that end the national AIA organization has developed many great tools to serve as refueling stations along the way. Make your first pitstop at the following URL:
http://www.aia.org/nav_ep.
You should also stop by for a quick look at the State of Ohio Board of Examiners of Architects. The following information is copied from their site at this URL:
http://arc.ohio.gov/regreq.htm.
"Ohio adopted the Intern Development Program (IDP) in 1990. As adopted, anyone who is completing their experience or internship requirements after January 1, 1994 is required to have completed IDP. Candidates must start an NCARB Council Record to participate in IDP."
As an opening post, it would be good form to keep this short. Before closing, I can share a couple of other useful links. Please consider visiting the National Council of Architectural Registration Board's IDP introduction page at:
http://www.ncarb.org/idp/index.html; and, for information about AIA Ohio please visit
http://www.aiaohio.org/.
And finally: thanks for reading. Check back from time to time. Share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Eric.
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