[lpi-discuss] Principles for creation of exam objectives

[Anselm Lingnau]

Torsten Scheck wrote:

> >>Let's convince the Linux-related industry, that LPI's exam objectives
> >>define exactly the knowledge and skills, which are needed to get the
> >>leading in-house Linux compentency.

What I don't buy here is the word »exactly«. Trying to get people to believe 
that, you might as well try to convince them that the sky is green. I think 
the best that we can hope for is a general perception that the LPIC exams 
cover material the knowledge of which is highly desirable in a competent 
Linux person. Any given installation will have their special topics where 
they require knowledge that isn't covered by LPIC exams (yet, anyway), and, 
given the way LPI works, we will have always a hard time playing catch-up 
with what the developers and distributors are giving us, from the exam point 
of view.

Which is probably as it should be -- a certification organisation should by 
design lean towards the conservative, lest it mandate detailed knowledge of 
stuff that looked great when it was new but then turned out to be not so good 
an idea after all (devfs, anyone?).

(As an aside, in my classes I try to get across the »Unix mindset«, i.e., 
build bigger stuff from basic blocks, build stuff on top of existing stuff, 
etc. Arguably, once you have grokked that it doesn't much matter what else 
you know since it is all in the man pages, anyway. However, most participants 
find it very difficult to get used to the idea of *building* anything at all 
-- they seem to have been brainwashed into believing that if you can't click 
on it, it doesn't exist, and to make it exist on your system you have to be 
either some kind of Dark wizard or else spend $$$ to buy extra third-party 
stuff. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to multiple-choice test people for 
»Unixmindedness«)

> I just presented three simple steps regarding our exam objectives:
> * define clear principles for exam objectives
> * review exam objectives according to those principles
> * promote exam objectives

Right. This reminds me of the traditional method of how to carve an elephant 
from wood: Start with a big hunk of wood and cut away everything that doesn't 
look like an elephant. Simple.

Anselm

(This is my personal opinion and not that of Linup Front GmbH.)
-- 
Anselm Lingnau ... Linup Front GmbH ... Linux-, Open-Source- & Netz-Schulungen
Linup Front GmbH, Pallaswiesenstrasse 203, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
anselm.lingnau at linupfront.de, +49(0)6151-9067-101, Fax -299, www.linupfront.de