Certiport Final

Research Report
Prepared by:
Daniel Allen
Savannah Bassett
Sarah Davies
Sam Gale
Collin Pace
[Page intentionally left blank.]
Research Brief | Page 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Executive Summary ........................................... 5
Introduction ...................................................... 7
Background on Research .................................... 9
Management .............................................. 10
Social Media ............................................... 13
Market Share .............................................. 14
SWOT Analysis ............................................ 17
Qualitative Research & Analysis ....................... 19
Quantitative Research & Analysis .................... 25
Strategic Recommendations ............................ 29
Conclusion ....................................................... 31
Appendix ......................................................... 33
In-Depth Interview Transcripts ................... 35
Copy of Survey ........................................... 57
Survey Results ............................................ 61
References .................................................. 93
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Problem and Purpose
Students in the public relations program at BYU conducted research for Certiport in order
to gain a greater understanding of teachers of Digital Media, in particular those who teach
the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) program. Certiport hopes to better meet the needs and
concerns of Adobe Certified Associate Instructors by connecting with them through effective
communication and marketing. Research was done to construct Adobe Certified Associate
Instructor profiles for Certiport to use in their communications and marketing plans. The
purpose of this report is to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data collected from research
throughout the semester, and provide strategic recommendations to improve Certiports
communication with its instructors and improve the Adobe Certified Associate program.
Conclusions
Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from Adobe Certified Associate
Instructors provide the following conclusions:
1. ACA Instructors are happy with the products and services they are receiving from Certiport
but would like more material and information from Certiport.
2. Many of the ACA Instructors contact information provided by Certiport was inaccurate or
unusable, thus making contacting instructors difficult.
3. There is little communication between Certiport and instructors, and also between
instructors themselves.
Recommendations
After evaluating the all the data collected and conclusions, the following recommendations are
given to:
1. Increase the quality and quantity of the ACA program course materials for instructors.
Create more study tools and exam preparation tools to help instructors better teach the
courses offered in their schools and institutions.
2. Filter and update the ACA Instructor information database and remove all inactive email
address and information.
3. Create a stronger social media presence and stronger channels of communication between
Certiport and ACA Instructors.
4. Create an online forum where instructors can collaborate, share lesson plans and materials.
5. Communicate with mailing list no more than monthly and no less than quarterly.
INTRODUCTION
Our project for Certiport was to conduct research that would focus on strengthening
Certiports understanding of teachers of Digital Media, particularly those who teach the Adobe
Certified Associate (ACA) program. In an ever evolving marketing landscape, companies must
understand their customer in order to survive. This can be accomplished through building buyer
personas, which Certiport has asked us to assist with. Buyer personas are representations of
a typical customer, highlighting their typical demographic information, job descriptions and
responsibilities, their realm of influence, goals, values, concerns, motivators and particularly the
behaviors that lead them to making a purchasing decision. Throughout our research we sought
to gain both personal insights from instructors and to understand their collective attitudes.
During our initial meeting with Craig Bushman and Randy Richards, it was indicated to our
class there were a number of questions our research was to answer. Those questions included
how could Certiport better align their strategy with the digital behaviors of these instructors?
What language and terminology do these instructors use? Where could these instructors best
be reached? What topics of concern and pain points exist for instructors of the ACA program?
What campaign ideas or themes might be effective in reaching these instructors?
In order to gain a deeper understanding of Digital Media instructors, we began with secondary
research. We researched Certiport, its history, industry, competitors, relevant partners and
current activities. We found information by searching online, in academic, government and
business databases, and we spoke with our contact at Certiport, Randy Richards.
Our primary research consisted of both qualitative, in-depth interviews, and a survey (See
Appendix: In-depth Interview Transcripts, Copy of Survey, and Descriptive Statistics Breakdown
of for Survey) which garnered both additional qualitative information through open response
questions and quantitative data. We first conducted one-on-one, in-depth interviews over
the phone. We obtained contact information for ACA instructors from a database provided by
Certiport. Each student recruited a qualified candidate and completed an interview which was
recorded. Prompts and questions were prepared beforehand as a team. Once the interviews
were complete, they were transcribed. Themes from these interviews were observed,
highlighted and recorded. This information was used to establish a general understanding of
ACA Instructors, their language, needs and issues of importance. We also used this information
to inform topics we would cover in our survey.
Our survey questions were formed collectively as a class, reviewed by our contacts at Certiport,
then entered into Qualtrics. We disseminated the survey using the email database provided to
us by Certiport in addition to posting a link to it on the ACA group pages on both Facebook and
Linkedin. The survey began by asking a screening question, to filter out anyone who may have
accidentally begun the survey while not being our intended audience, teachers of digital media.
The survey was live for about two weeks and was completed by 157 individuals.
Results from the survey have been analyzed using both qualtrics graphing tools and SPSS, a
statistical tool. We have included here our findings, in addition to recommendation based upon
the results. Raw data and transcripts have been included in the appendix.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
Objective
The objective of our research is to help our client segment specific publics for its marketing
campaign. We will focus on teachers of Graphic Design for our Certiport Adobe products. We
will use quantitative and qualitative data to help our client understand this buyer persona.

These buyer persona models will show us who they are, what they are trying to
accomplish, what goals drive their behavior, how they think, how they buy, where they buy,
when they decide to buy, and why they make buying decisions. These buyer personas are
not merely demographic or psychographic profiles. Rather they are buyer personas that will
help the clients marketing team to know about patterns and habits that will help steer their
products reach most effectively.

Through our basic secondary research provided here we will see the big picture to know
more about the client and their purposes in order to conduct substantial primary research in
the near future. Through our comprehensive research findings we will then be able to provide
comprehensive profiles for their buyer personas.
External Environment
Companies look for potential employees based on skill sets and experience, and having a
certification in an area proves to employers that a candidate is proficient in said area as
opposed to simply stating it in their resumes. Certiport offers a way for potential employees
to prove their skills to companies they are applying to. As the job market becomes more
competitive, the need for certification increases, yet the challenge that Certiport faces is fewer
people understand the need for certification and how available it is. Certiport is based out of
American Fork, Utah, it is a predominantly Republican state (politico.com) and the average
income in Utah is about $73,000 annually (US Census factfinder).
Management:
Robert Whelan
President, CEO
Over the course of an impressive 33-year career, Bob Whelan has made significant
contributions to Pearson VUE and the entire testing industry. Through successful
communication of a clear vision and a team-based collaborative approach, he
has seen the company grow to become the global leader in computer-based
assessments. In recognition of these efforts, Bob received the 2011 ATP Award
for Professional Contributions and Service to Testing from the Association of Test
Publishers. Bob earned a BA in Finance and Economics from the University of
Alabama.
Kevin Brice
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Kevin has worked in Information Technology training and assessment since 1994,
having built and developed several successful businesses in the computer education
industry. From 1997 to February 2000, Kevin funded and aggressively built
MeasureUp into a leader in the Information Technology certification preparation
industry. MeasureUp, now a part of Certiport, is the leading practice test and
assessment provider for certification, training and hiring. Kevin holds a BBA in
Business from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Craig Bushman
Vice President, Marketing
Craig serves as the vice president of marketing for Certiport. In this role, Craig is
responsible for global campaign marketing, events, partner and product marketing,
branding, public relations and marketing communications. In management positions,
Craig has directed diverse teams including product management, product marketing,
international sales, field and global marketing, event, brand and communications
management. Craig received a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast management
and communications from Brigham Young University.
Neill Hopkins
Vice President, Global Operations
Neill Hopkins is Certiports vice president of global operations, and in this role
Neill works to further develop Certiports global testing channel relationships
both domestically and internationally. Neill has spent 25 years working in the IT
testing and certification industry. Prior to joining Certiport, Neill was responsible
for the development, management and growth of Computing Technology Industry
Association (CompTIA) certification programs, the voice of the worlds information
technology (IT) industry.Neill holds certificates in mechanical engineering, is a Miller
Heiman alum is certified as a Novell CNA and CIP and served on the editorial board
of Certification magazine.
Rob Moore
Vice President, Client Services
As Vice President of Client Services, Rob is primarily responsible for ensuring that
Client and Company objectives for Certiport certification programs are aligned and
achieved. In addition to directing business relationships with Microsoft, Adobe,
HP, Autodesk, Intuit and CompTIA, Rob manages Certiports Account and Product
Management teams and the operational resources supporting those functions. He
also helped to create and launch the IC program and its industry advisory panel, the
Global Digital Literacy Council. Rob studied at George Mason University and holds a
B.S. and MBA from Brigham Young University.
The Product
There are three ways for others to purchase Certiports products. These are
purchased on an individual basis, through school boards, and through entire
state school systems. Individual tests can be purchased for around 80 dollars.
Organizations, such as schools can purchase 500 packages of exams or more for
$2000-$3000. Deals to sell exams to entire states are multi-million dollar deals.
Students around the world work with their digital and technical media teachers
to prepare for these exams. In order to be effective teachers, there are separate
processes given by Certiport to help educators become certified themselves. Once a
student is ready, they can meet in designated testing centers, pay for the exams, and
become certified. The entire process is made possible because Certiport has passed
off their exams with the exam product creator (Microsoft, Adobe, etc.). With this
process in place, students arent actually receiving certification from Certiport, but
from Microsoft and Adobe themselves.
Promotions
Annual Competition
Certiports most successful promotional effort is their hosting of the Microsoft Office
and Adobe Creative Suite Annual World Championships. Students all over the world
from ages 13 to 22 may participate in this global tournament. Students from 130
countries represent their regions in this tournament and the finalists are sent to the
annual championship in a new city each year. In the 2014 Microsoft Office World
Championship, over 400,000 students from around the world competed to make it to
the top. In the 2014 Adobe Certified Associate World Championship, 60,000 students
competed and 23 were sent to the world championship in Anaheim, California. For
Certiport, these events are ideal because they capture the attention and market
share of the youth. It also reinforces Certiports partnerships with Microsoft and
Adobe by getting students excited about these products.
Promotion to Instructors
Certiport has designed an Adobe Certified Associate Educator Program which is
targeted and promoted to teachers who will be offering ACA certification in their
classrooms. The program includes an application process and a renewal of their
application every three years. Teachers benefit by this program because they can add
it to their resumes, receive exclusive company news, and have access to marketing
materials for their own promotion. This is considered one of the premier clubs
or associations a digital media teacher could belong to. By targeting educators,
Certiport can more effectively secure the growth of future enrollment by students.
Social Media
Social Media is an ever-growing field that allows companies to connect with
audiences like never before. This advent is an obvious opportunity for businesses
to convey promotional messages. Certiport is active on the most popular and most
relevant (considering Certiports product) platforms including YouTube, LinkedIn,
Facebook, and Twitter. Below is an analysis of each of these platforms from a
promotional perspective.
YouTube
Certiport has maintained consistent activity on its YouTube channel for six years and
has uploaded a total of 168 videos. The most popular videos feature the Microsoft
Office Certification information, how to use Certiport exam vouchers, and the annual
worldwide certification competitions. They range in views from 10,000 to over
25,000 views and can give Certiport a good taste of what viewers find most valuable.
Certiports YouTube channel now has 883 subscribers which means a large number
of people not only watched the videos, but want to be notified whenever new videos
come out. This will help secure views on future videos.
LinkedIn
Certiport generally posts to LinkedIn on a bi-weekly basis and has over 1800
followers. Most of the content posted does not come from Certiports own website,
but from other websites that feature or cover Certiports stories. One of these
third-party websites was a recent hit by ABCNews, which proves that Certiport
is effectively using this platform. There are multiple relevant groups in LinkedIn
that relate to Adobe product Certification including groups of the names of Adobe
Certified Associate, Adobe Certified Instructors, Adobe Certified Expert (ACE), and
Adobe Certified Community. These groups, some with as many as 1,500 members,
could prove valuable in connecting with digital media teachers to gather more
information and to pitch Certiports product.
Facebook
There are 8,122 page likes on Certiports Facebook page and posts are generally sent
weekly. This platform contains Certiports largest subscribed audience making it a
great opportunity to send promotional messages and build a brand. While there is
regular interactivity (likes, shares, and comments) on the Facebook posts, there are
many customer comments on the page that have been left unanswered. From an
outsiders perspective, this gives a message that Certiport will likely not participate
in two-way social interaction. There are some groups on Facebook that Certiport
should interact with including the groups Adobe Certified Associate and Adobe
Certified Expert. These groups could be filled with both certification participants and
teachers providing access to Certiports most important target audiences.
Twitter
Certiports Twitter account has been active since 2009 and there are currently 3,015
people who follow the company. Among all of Certiports social media platforms,
Twitter appears to be the most interactive with many retweets, mentions, and
link sharing. In addition to the Twitter account owned under the companys name,
Certiport also manages the Adobe Certified Expert Twitter account, which has been
given less attention. This particular platform could be best used, especially with the
use of a hashtag, during Certiports annual world championships as it could help
participants connect and promote the event online.
Market Share
Direct Competition
Certiport and its parent company, Pearson Vue, provide computer-based testing and
certification, and as a result must compete with other companies who do the same.
Certiports main competitor is Prometric, a company owned by Educational Testing
Service. Almost all major and recognizable computer skill-based certification exams
are administered by one of these two companies. According to a recent statement
regarding Microsofts transition to exclusively using Pearson Vue for testing and
certification on the Pearson Vue website, Pearson Vues, and in tandem, Certiports
competitive advantage lies in providing more testing facilities, technological
advancements, greater skills validation integrity and innovations to be released
in the coming months. Among those innovations is cloud-based testing features
allowing students to test from home, according to a recent press release from
Microsoft.
Market Share - Current Trends

Pearson Vue and Certiport have made major headway against ProMetric in recent
years by taking over exclusive rights to several major certification exams. These
include gaining exclusive rights to administer CompTIA exams (Professional IT
Certification exams) in July 2012, SAS certification in December 2012, Microsoft
certification exams in September 2014 and others. ProMetric is still the exclusive
provider of Apple IT Certification and others, however.
Indirect competition
Besides those organizations directly competing with Certiport, other organizations
indirectly compete with Certiport by either displacing the need for certification or
providing a non-official certification. For example, a free skills test can be taken
online from Highlander Ltd., a company specializing in Adobe skills training for
creative professionals. While this test has not received the official approval of
Adobe, some consumers may reason that passing this test is good enough for their
purposes and there is no need to take the official test which costs money.
Many online learning resources, like Lynda.com, have recently begun offering
badges which also denote skills gained or training completed in particular areas.
These badges can be placed on online profiles and resumes. A consumer who has
these badges may not feel the need to also receive an official certification from
Adobe, again displacing Certiport services. While these organizations may not
directly compete in the computer-based testing and certification industry, they fill a
similar need and have the potential to impact Certiports sales. Organizations must
be proactive in making sure their product offering is effectively differentiated from
indirect alternatives.
Pearson
Pearson Vue and Certiports parent company, Pearson, is a publicly traded
company, and by far the largest corporation in their industry, book publishing. They
have capitalized more than 80% of the $20 billion industry, with a current value of
$16.1 billion. They are more than four and a half times the size of their next largest
competitor, John Wiley & Sons, and nearly 15 times the size of their third-largest
industry competitor, Scholastic. Pearsons size and market capitalization make them
an extremely stable company, which in turn offers stability and capital to Certiport as
a Pearson company.
Public Profiles
Demographics
Most of Certiports publics that we will target will be based in Utah county and Utah,
but there are also many national and global publics because Certiport work globally
with 148 companies and five languages including Korean, Arabic, Japanese and
Spanish (certiport.com).
According to primary research conducted by Certiport and Adobe, the average public
persona for an ACA instructor is 30-65, has 7-15 years of educational instruction and
teaching experience, and has at least a bachelors degree, with most working on or
having already obtained masters degrees.
In the fall of 2012, there was a projected 3.7 million full-time-equivalent elementary
and secondary school teachers. In the 2007-2008 school year, about 76 percent of
public school teachers were female, 44 percent were under the age of 40, and 52
percent had masters degrees or higher. For private school teachers, 74 percent were
female, 39 percent were under 40 years old, and 38 percent had a masters or higher.
The average salary for public school teachers for the 20112012 year was $56,643
(nces.ed.gov).
The median household income for families in Utah is $58,164 and 29.9 percent of
people 25 and over in Utah has a bachelors degree or higher (Census.gov,
Quickfacts).
Motivation and Self Interests
The motivation of these teachers is to provide their students with substantial

education in order for the students to pass the certification exams and become
Adobe Certified Associates. Most of them have been teaching for a number of years
and some at multiple institutions. Their motivation for teaching is to help others
become educated in subject matter, what ever that may be, and achieve their
potential. Their motivation to use Certiport as their resource would be familiarity,
and the excellence in the product and teaching resources they provide. Their
influentials would be certification training experts, supervisors such as principles or
deans.
Current Relationship With The Product and Client

Our main public, being teachers and instructors of Adobe Certification, have a good
relationship with Certiport. From primary research conducted by Certiport and
various persona profiles, they enjoy the product with only a few minor suggestions
on improvement.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Certiport is a Pearson Company

Certiport owns exclusivity rights for several large certifications
Certiport has strategic partnerships and joint interests with Adobe, Microsoft,
and other large companies
Exam takers are proud of their certifications
The product opens doors for consumers
Certified students perform better in school
Strong position (leader) in a very niche market
Weaknesses
Certiports media coverage is limited to coverage of events and competition

winners
Certiport audience is very targeted and has very limited secondary research
Certification is not required for creative professionals
Opportunities
A competitive job market forces employees to obtain certification

Certain certifications are offered to a limited age range
Customer success stories provide emotional marketing material
Threats
Badges offered by training programs may displace the need for certification
Several free, albeit poor, knowledge based tests are available to test job
candidate knowledge
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative Methodology
After being made aware of the limited number of Adobe Certified Associate (ACA)
instructors that reside in the State of Utah, our team made the decision to forgo
holding an actual focus group and instead chose to conduct one on one, in-depth
interviews. These interviews proved to be highly successful in gathering information
as they yielded an equal if not greater pool of data than what would have been
accumulated by a focus group. Through the in-depth interviews, our team was able
to obtain a wide variety of responses and opinions from instructors all across the
United States.
Selecting Participants
The goal in the in-depth interviews was to increase understanding as to who the
ACA instructors are and what makes them tick. Our target audience was Career or
Technical Education (CTE) instructors that were also affiliated and familiar with the
ACA program. We found the majority of these candidates to be CTE or digital media
teachers in secondary schools in every corner of the country.
Reaching Out
Using the database of ACA instructors provided by Certiport, our team personally
reached out to each interviewee with an initial email that read something like the
following.
Email Example
Subject: Adobe Certified Associate - Interview Request
Hi XXXX,
My name is XXXX, I am a senior studying public relations at Brigham Young
University. I am currently in a communications research class and am looking to
gather information on the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) program for our classs
client, Certiport.
Certiport is a world leader in performance-based certification exams and practice
test solutions and is interested in better understanding ACA instructors. They want
to know more about how ACA instructors think, operate and what they do and dont
like about the certification program. The information gathered will be used to help
Certiport better cater to their ACA instructors.
I am interested in interviewing you, as I understand you are an Adobe Certified
Associate. Compensation of $25 in the form of a Visa gift card will be given upon
completion of the interview. Interviews will be conducted at your convenience
sometime in the next two weeks.
Below is the professors contact information for your reference.
Professor Blake Stowell
Bstowell@adobe.com
(C)- 801-369-5595
Please let me know if this is a possibility. I look forward to your response.
Best,
XXXX
Description In-Depth Interview

After sending our emails, we awaited a response. Our team averaged between 3-5
days before hearing back from the ACA instructors.We found that the ACA instructors
were eager to offer up their opinions of the program and help us in any way they
could. As we scheduled our interviews, we informed the respondents that our
interviews would run between 30-45 minutes so they could plan accordingly.
Incentives
Participants that completed the in-depth interviews were compensated for their
time with a $25 Visa gift card. The gift cards were mailed immediately upon
completion through Brigham Young University as they were sent to the interviewees
to addresses they provided.
Sample Questions Asked

The questions asked in the in-depth interviews were brainstormed at large amongst
our class after meeting with Certiport at the beginning of the semester. Our team
decided to take the approach of asking more general and broad questions at the
beginning of the interviews. These questions were mostly to get a better grasp of
the demographics, qualifications and experience of the ACA instructors we were
speaking with. As the interview went on, we intended for the questions to become
more and more focused in on specific aspects of their experience as an ACA
instructor. The following is not comprehensive but meant to be a sample of some of
the questions that were asked during the in-depth interviews.
Describe ACA certification in your own words.
How long have you been teaching ACA?
How long do you plan on teaching ACA?
In your interactions with students, what brings you the greatest satisfaction?
How did you first get involved in ACA?
Is there something lacking from the ACA Certification test?
At what point in your career did you get certified? Why did you get certified?
Do you feel getting ACA certified is important? Why or why not? Ask for
examples.
How has being ACA certified opened doors for you in your professional or
academic career?
Are there challenges or pain points exist around ACA to help your students
progress?
Where do you get your curriculum?
As an instructor of ACA what is the greatest challenge you face?
What social media channels do you participate on both personally and
professionally.
Are you part of any professional group that sponsors or supports ACA?
In what ways do you currently receive updates about the ACA program?
What is the most effective way to get updates about the ACA program to you?
Describe in your own words the benefits of becoming ACA certified?
What adobe software do you use the most?
Transcription:
During each of our interviews we were encouraged to digitally record the
conversations as well keep detailed notes on what was said. Upon finishing the
in-depth interviews, each member of our team had the responsibility to type up a
thorough transcription of their own interview and submit it for review. One person
from our group then compiled these transcriptions into a 22-page document that can
be referenced in this report.
Analysis of Qualitative Data:

The following is an analysis of the qualitative data we gathered from the in-depth
interviews. After comparing the transcripts we found the following to be recurring
themes amongst the educators from all around the country.
Recurring Themes
Of the most prevalent themes seen in the majority of the focus group conversations
were that of confusion surrounding when and how to certify, the format and content
of the tests, funding, and most overwhelmingly, issues concerning a lack of test
preparation materials.
One of the first issue we found that kept coming up throughout the in-depth
interviews was that of a lack of clarity. We found that many ACA instructors
were confused as to when they needed to certify and how they could use their
certification credentials. Making the certification process more transparent and
uniform across all platforms would help assure that proctors and teachers are
properly certified and most importantly qualified to teach in the capacities they
currently assume. We feel this would also help instructors stand out and and
maximize their potential as they would proudly advertise their credentials which
could help draw in new qualified instructors.
The second theme we found was a desire for the tests to be more interactive,
creative and graphic oriented. Many instructors expressed frustration that the tests
inhibited creativity and encouraged in the box thinking. We feel if the tests were
more interactive and less catered around text book answers that the passing rate of
the test would dramatically improve as well as better serve the purpose of receiving
the certification.
The third theme common throughout our interviews was a complaint of insufficient
funding. We feel that Certiport could capitalize on the opportunity to build upon the
successful attempts from school distrcits to receive grant money for Certiport testing.
By developing within the certification community in education to help sponsor new
initiatives and campaigns to show the benefit of certifications, funding may become
more readily available for these school districts.
The final and most common complaint amongst our interviewees was that of a lack
of test preparation materials. More specifically, practice tests and missed question
tutorials were mentioned in three out of the five interviews we conducted as a team.
One of our interviewees was quoted saying,
Last year we used the Certiport website to do practice tests to get students ready
for the real test. This year we are not using Certiport for the practice test we are
using a different company called Geometrixx. The best thing about their training is
that it provides correct answers if they get it wrong. It also will give you bullet points
and walk you back through the problem. If you get it wrong it shows a short video
clip of how to get the answer. Certiport offers the practice tests but only offers one
and no training. That is the biggest difference. They can take up to different practice
tests. That is what has left us unsatisfied with Certiport.
Based on this data, our team feels it imperative that Certiport increase the quality
and quantity of the ACA program course materials for its instructors. By creating
more study tools and exam preparation materials, instructors will be able to better
teach the ACA courses offered in their schools and learning institutions.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH &

ANALYSIS
Our team sent a 25-question survey to ACA instructors from Certiports database
in an attempt to better understand digital media teachers with regard to their
age, gender, time spent teaching, what kind of classes they teach, how they
communicate, where they find their teaching curriculum, and many other criteria.
The following analysis is based on 157 responses to this survey.
The above charts give information about the teachers experience with the ACA
program. Some particularly interesting data points include the fact that 16 percent
of these ACA instructors are not certified themselves. A part from that percentage,
the majority of the rest of the instructors have had their ACA certification anywhere
between one and five years. This indicates that a steady stream of instructors have
received their ACA certifications for the past five years. Another key point is that
67 percent of the instructors have not received their Adobe Certified Instructor
Certification.
When asked who decided to offer ACA classes in their schools, the majority, at
43 percent, said that it was them who made the decision, however, nearly 30
percent indicated that the decision was made by district CTE administrators. While
the decision of what classes are offered are largely up to the teachers, funding
decisions are largely made outside of the schools themselves with about 70 percent
of teachers stating that their funding is managed district administrators and CTE
administrators. Certiports influence in these schools, then, is in most cases out of
the control of the teachers and should be addressed through district leaders.
When asked as to where the instructors teach ACA courses, 82 percent said they
taught in public schools with 13 percent in technical schools and 8 percent in
vocational schools.
The instructors had many reasons for preparing their students for certification
exams, but most said it was because they believed the certifications would prepare
the students for career opportunities. There was virtually a tie for the next reason
between the fact that certifications would prepare students for college and that their
districts required it. Again, this indicates a large influence coming from the districts.
We asked respondents an open-ended question about what type of information they

would like to receive about ACA certifications. A couple of consistent themes came
up:
Study Guides, tutorials, practice tests
The value employers see in the certification exams and success stories
Updates on test materials and testing software
Our (check all that apply) survey question asking about how instructors keep up-todate with Adobe products yielded the following results:
The top sources listed were the Adobe website and Adobe emails. The interesting
findings come in the next most used sources: Conferences, Lynda.com, and Youtube.
com. The instructors are already using these platforms for assistance in their work.
This finding could provide Certiport some outlets through which they might offer
test study aids which are prescribed as a large need as seen in the previously listed
research.
When asked how often instructors wanted to be contacted by Certiport, the
following results were recorded:
The majority of instructors (67 percent) would like to be contacted between monthly
and quarterly. As mentioned above, there are a variety of materials they would like
to receive regularly. We also asked them about how they would like to be contacted
and found that they would like to be contacted first by work email, second by postal
mail, and third by work phone.
Although most instructors indicated that they didnt want to be contacted by
Certiport through social media, most reported that they use social media frequently.
When asked about which social media platforms they use most, they reported
Facebook to be the most used, followed by YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Each of
these could be leveraged as a way to communicate with current and prospective ACA
instructors.
The average class size was 25 students with a standard deviation of 8.98. This means
that class sizes actually vary quite a bite. The largest class reported included 40
students.
Among those who were ACA Certified, 91 percent felt that had benefited from the
ACA certification. This was a very positive sign that they valued the certification.
When asked why it was valued, the most common responses were that it helped
them to better prepare their own students and that it provided them with additional
resume credentials.
When asked which programs the instructors teach as a part of their ACA instruction,
the following results were recorded:
The most commonly taught Adobe software was Photoshop (87 percent). Somewhat
surprisingly, the next most commonly taught software was Dreamweaver, which was
taught by 56 percent of respondents. Next most common was Illustrator (51 percent)
and InDesign (44 percent).
Of our respondents, 78 percent were Caucasian and 64 percent were female.
It was interesting to find that ACA instructors are an aging group. The median age
was between 46 and 50 years old. 81 percent were over 40 years old and 45 percent
were over 50 years old. Only 19 percent were under 40 years old.
ACA Instructors are a very educated group. More than 96% have at least a Bachelors
degree, while nearly 56 percent have either a Masters degree, Doctorate or other
professional degree.
STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
As a result of our findings, we have formed several strategic recommendations for
Certiport that could help resolve prominent concerns for Digital media instructors,
build good will, and build up channels that could be used to influence an important
market segment. These recommendations include:
Increase the quality and quantity of the ACA program course materials for
instructors. Create more study tools and exam preparation tools to help
instructors better teach the courses offered in their schools and institutions.
As recorded, most instructors (77 percent) feel that they must create their
own materials because alternatives are not sufficient. In open response survey
questions and focus group findings, instructors repeated that an increase in
regular (monthly to quarterly) course materials and updates would be welcome.
Filter and update the ACA Instructor information database and remove all
inactive email addresses and information. In performing our focus groups
and online surveys, we talked with many who explained they were not ACA
instructors or involved with ACA certifications. An updated database would
allow for more complete research and improved frequent communication with
customers.
Create a stronger social media presence and stronger channels of
communication between Certiport and ACA Instructors. Most instructors
use social media in their personal lives. It is a tool that could easily be used to
communicate with them and receive feedback. Encourage instructors to like and
follow pages through an email or other form of communication, and describe the
benefits of connecting.
Create an online forum where instructors can collaborate, share lesson plans
and materials. During our interviews and throughout our survey results we
found many instructors feel they are on their own. This isolation is generally not
by choice as some have little opportunity to collaborate with others because of
their busy schedules and unique roles within their school. Many have looked for
online resources and struggled to find them. Providing an official online forum
would help alleviate this problem, as well as generating useful content and lesson
plans that could be repurposed.
Communicate with mailing list no more than monthly and no less than
quarterly. Although a small portion of the instructors would rather not receive
communications, the large majority of them want monthly to quarterly updates.
In our research, we found many things they would like to receive.
CONCLUSION
In summary, through the qualitative and quantitative research we conducted for
Certiport, we were able to understand Adobe Certified Associate Instructors on a
more personal level and understand their needs as consumers of the Adobe Certified
Associate program. We were able to highlight some key strengths and weaknesses in
the program, as well as in Certiports communication strategies.
We conducted two types of primary research to understand Adobe Certified
Associate Instructors: personal in-depth interviews and a survey. Originally we
had liked to conduct focus groups at BYU, but after realizing the limited number of
instructors that would be available for focus groups we decided to conduct individual
interviews via telephone in order to gain a wider variety of responses. We also
conducted a nationwide survey that included 25 questions about the Adobe Certified
Associate program and how instructors felt about it, how it was run, and a variety of
other topics. We found a few major themes from our research that we are important
to highlight.
The Adobe Certified Associate program run by Certiport is strong and very well liked
and valued by its instructors. We found that the majority of our respondents were
pleased with the services provided by Certiport, but had minor suggestions on the
programs improvement. Instructors would like to see more material and resources,
as well as more updates on new material and ideas. Seventy-seven percent of
instructors create most of their own material because they feel they are not provided
with adequate course material to teach students.
Whilst conducting research for Certiport, we were provided many names and contact
information of Adobe Certified Associate Instructors with whom we could contact
to receive information. A good number of these names and contact emails we
unusable and bounced back. In our survey to instructors, 56 percent of instructors
said they received updates and information through Adobe emails. We conclude that
the majority of instructors receive information through email, and our group sees
value in having an up-to-date email list in order to better communicate with your
instructors.
Certiport has a weakness in its social media presence and communication with its
instructors. Although the Certiport Facebook page is active with content, the does
not seem to be active with its users. Creating a stronger social media presence
would be an asset to Certiport. By encouraging instructors to like or follow your
pages, Certiport can receive feedback from instructors and collaborate with its
community to improve the Adobe Certified Associate program. Certiport can also
notify instructors of changes or updates through social media too. This is a great
opportunity for Certiport to connect with consumers, and specifically instructors.
Our research proved very helpful in understanding the instructors opinions and
needs from Certiport, but we did encounter a few possible issues. As mentioned
previously, due to the limited number of instructors in Utah we only conducted
personal in-depth interviews. These interviews, although helpful in providing the
language and individual attitudes of instructors, may not accurately represent

the entire population. There is the possibility that there is a response bias based
on who was willing to speak with us. However we feel we surveyed a range of
different individuals throughout the class so our collective findings should still
provide valuable information. One issue we had with the survey was that we did not
receive enough responses to make claims that findings were statistically significant,
however our sample size was large enough to show trends and attitudes that may be
common. The timing of the Holidays and end of year, a limited time frame, and an
antiquated database may have limited the number of available respondents.
By connecting with instructors through tactics like emails and social media, Certiport
can reach out to its instructor community and improve the certification program.
Much of the information provided can also be used to market the certification
program to potential new certification instructors by making them aware of the
programs benefit and relevance, as well as the improvements that can be made to
the program. Moving forward we propose the following suggestions for Certiport:
Continuing conducting in-depth interviews on a regular basis to keep up with
the ever-changing technological world in which digital media is reliant on.
By constantly gaining feedback from instructors, it will be easier to make the
necessary improvements and tweaks in the strategic communications plan.
A survey, conducted with an updated database, more time, and at a better time
of year with less interruptions and holidays, could yield more responses and
allow for greater accuracy in results.
As changes are made, research should be updated and redone to see if future
steps/campaigns were effective in achieving desired results.
Interview Transcripts
Interview #1
Interviewer: Collin Pace- Communications 318 Student at Brigham Young University
Interviewee: Interview with Tyrone Buchanan Proctor of Testing Center at Philadelphia Community
College
(Interviewers questions bolded throughout)
Hey there Tyrone, why dont we start out by telling me a little bit about yourself, your background,
your career, you age, etc?
I grew up in Chicago, I went to University of Pennsylvania. That how I ended up here in Philadelphia.
Can you tell me a little bit about your profession?
Im a college administrator, so I run our testing center where we end up doing certification exams so
I do that. Also, we have a department called Corporate Solutions that deals with setting up contracts
with corporations for training, so thats what I do.
Okay great, so how long have you been in this role that you are currently in?
Oh its been like about 16 years.
How did you get involved with this? What was the transition?
So when I was at the university of Pennsylvania one of my friends father was the dean and he was
looking at someone to help out with work-studies programs there and so I started working there and
then I kind of transitioned into it once I graduated.
Okay great, and what did you study when you were at the University of Pennsylvania?
I studied English Literature and Economics.
And did you graduate?
Yes
I guess I was just curious what you like to do in your spare time? What are some of your hobbies?
Im a big tennis player. Traveling, stuff like that, reading. I do teach tennis. I play and I teach. Tennis
takes up a lot of my free time.
What sort of social media do you use?
I use Facebook, regular email. I dont really use twitter. I mainly use Facebook and email?
Are you on LinkedIn?
No I dont I started to put stuff on it, but I just havent felt a need to. Im a little older too so a lot of this
stuff it just kind of over my head, you know. I dont feel a big need to do it.
How old are you?

Im fifty.
Are you married?
No, but Ive had the same girlfriend for ten years now, so I might as well be married. But honestly youll
probably be married before I ever get married.
Do you have any children?
No I dont but she was married before so she has some kids. And heres another thing that you
probably dont know. Im a military vet. Im an army vet. I dont know if thats helpful.
Okay yeah that is helpful, so did you attend the University on some sort of scholarship?
Well yes partially, I mean it is a very expensive school, a private school so I uh went to the army first
and then I attended the University. I worked one more year and then went to the University. So I got a
lot of loans and grants and stuff like that you know?
And sorry what is your race/ethnicity?
African-American.
What is the benefit of ACA in your opinion? Maybe you can help explain me what your relationship
and impressions have been with ACA?
I mean the way its been like 5 years and my impression has been that the people that I deal with are
coming to me more with technical problems, but I see people using these programs and I think they are
fairy satisfied with it. I havent really heard a lot of talk around about people complaining about it. Its a
good relationship I guess
Do you feel like programs like ACA are important or helpful?
Well I think that people really use these certifications to advance and get promotions. The more
certifications you have the more employable you look and so .
How long do you plan on continuing in your current career role?
I dont really have any time frames you know but Im always thinking about different things. Its funny
you should ask that because Im actually now thinking about going to law school. Id probably continue
here and then go to law school at night you know?
In your interaction with students what brings you the greatest satisfaction?
I mean watching them actually passing their exams and happy by it thats contagious. I mean or people
I recognize as not passing and then returning and actually passing that brings me a lot of joy. On a
professional level thats what I enjoy.
Can you describe to me the process of getting certified in something such as ACA?
As a certified proctor or when people get here actual certifications?
For people to receive certifications themselves?
I mean what they normally do is they have classes at the school. SO oftentimes theyll take some
courses or do independent study. Sometimes they do pass it and sometimes they dont and then theyll
go over additional information and then come back. SO basically theyll study and then take the exam.
What was the process for you becoming an ACA proctor?

When I first did I passed an interview with someone at Certiport and then I had some sort of online
training. And then I had to pass the test at a certain level and then they grant the title of proctor.
Did that come through the institution you work through or was that on your own?
Actually we had a director who was setting up different relationships with different testing centers.
They said this is our requirement for administering certain tests and I was given this specific test.
Okay so did you become a proctor through Certiport for ACA and I imagine you are also a registered
proctor for Microsoft?
We have a contract with Pearson and So Pearson Vue does the Microsoft exams. So Ive been with
them longer than Certiport. So Pearson Vue will have you go through certification every 18 months to
maintain your certification. So you have to go through certain levels. Then they require that you have a
certain level of expertise, so if you dont cant pass the exams you can go through different ways to get
to be a Pearson proctor such as trainings and such.
For Certiport, how long ago did you receive that approval to be a proctor?
I think the last time I did anything was 3 years ago, maybe two years ago. They still send me things like
telling me I need to update my certification. I think it was two years ago.
Was that the second time?
That was the second time I believe.
Have you seen an uptick in people taking these exams?
Yes, we have a small center so I cant talk at large. But people are always coming in to take ACA exams.
When you think about ACA certification what is the first thing that comes to mind?
I think about people that are qualified. People that have a certain level of training.
When you think of an ACA proctor what do you picture them being like?
I think about being knowledgeable of the proctor responsibly and being over professional.
Can you describe ACA certification in your own words?
It is a certification that means a person has a certain level of training and is able to implement what
they then thought about and have a certain level of a skill set to contribute to others.
When is the ideal time in your opinion to take an ACA exam?
You mean like in terms of a certain time in school a certain time in life?
I guess just you think it would be beneficial to take in their career or education? I guess also when
the best time during the day it is best to take the exam?
Like morning, afternoon, evening?
Yes when do you think is best?
I think the best time to take it is the morning because Im a morning person, but I think all people are
different.
Okay so the other question again, when is the best time in a persons career or education to take the
exam?
Its very interesting because most of the people that pass it is very education based so I think that
coming right out of school is best because your way of thinking is different,. Whereas if youre in a
career it is more difficult to think in that way I think. Your education allows you to get the job and then
your certifications can help you immensely
Can you describe in your own words what the benefits of being ACA certified are?
I think it allows you like a college degree to say that you completed a certain level of training and
competence and that you have a certain skill set. That way an employer doesnt just have to take a
person on their word. It means you are capable ultimately of just doing.
Are there any challenges or pain points that surround your experience with the ACA test?
It depends on certain people, I mean I think it can probably be difficult to pass. So I think thats the
number one complaint.
Have you seen the ACA test change at all and have you seen any reactions to that?
Not really. I think most of the time they know some things are going to be different in the tests if they
dont pass it the first time. But the basic content is the same and I dont think anyone is too angry
about that aspect.
Are students paying out of pocket for this or are there programs set up that you bill? How does that
process work? Are there subsidies or credits youre receiving?
I know that some university programs pay for these tests. There are some people though that do pay
out of pocket.
Are you involved in that process?
I mean I receive the checks from other groups, but thats about where it stops.
Do you think there is anything lacking in the ACA test?
No not really. I mean you take what you put into it. I think the test is pretty professional and official
though so it fulfills its purposes.
So I know you said you are looking into law school? Have you ever sought out to learn and take some
of these test yourself?
I mean I have trained on excel, I think thats most effective for my line of work.
Do you use adobe products?
One person in our office deals with that graphic design stuff, but I dont use it as much as she does.
Do you visit any websites or blogs in relation to your career?
I mean I go to different websites but mostly for my personal development. SO it really depends. I mean
then Im always looking and reviewing sites like Pearson Vue to get their updates and such.
Would you say most of the information you receive is through email, browsing, or direct mail?
I would say email. I receive the email and then I follow the link and then kind of go from there.
Where do you receive most of the information? Certiport, school administration, or social media?
I would say directly from Certiport itself.
What percentage of those emails are actually useful or important?
I would say about 75 percent of it to be honest.
Great thank you so much for your time Tyrone.
My pleasure.
Interview #2
Interviewer: Daniel Allen- Communications 318 Student at Brigham Young University
Interviewee: Interview with Linda Greenwood, Davis High School, Utah.
How long have you been an Adobe Certified Associate?
Ive taught Adobe when it was Photoshop 5. I didnt certify until 2003. I dont know if I certified in every
version. I certified when there were version updates and when it was free.
Why did you become certified? What value does it provide?
It was a matter of what my students would have to know. I wasnt offering the certified exams. Weve
only offered tests within the last year. My kids really got into it. I had some students pass 5 different
programs. I have required them to pass 3 tests and keep trying until they pass 3. I did the certification
because I needed to know whether I knew what to teach. Where was I? Do I know enough about this?
When I started teaching, we didnt have Adobe. Our district signed an agreement with Adobe and we
obtained licenses to give us the programs. That was probably in 2002 or 2003. Otherwise we wouldnt
have Adobe products because we couldnt afford them. Adobe now has education pricing that we
get through the state. But for me, how did I know what to focus on in digital media? We didnt have a
curriculum. I worked with Allen Communications that was one of the first companies that specialized
in teaching digital media. They brought me on as a teacher consultant for teaching it in a secondary
classroom. Working with them is how I came up with what we needed to focus on. It helped me see
what was being requested by the real-world industries. That way I was able to see what students
needed to know and be able to do in order to perform in a career in this area. I was on a state-board
and we were wishing we had a product that had similarities across the different software...that had
the same interface. Thats when we approached Adobe and requested a trial for a good price so that
we could get it into the schools digital media classes. The hindrance has always been money. Our
students have the money to go out and take expensive tests and parents dont yet understand how
helpful certifications can be for their kids careers. Ive had a lot of input from different companies that
tell me that they need people who can do this or that so that I can teach my kids what the industry
needs. Ive even gotten to the point where Ive taught the students to use only their left hands on the
keyboards so that they can be ready for real-world experience. The testing itself was just the next step.
We finally got a grant that gave us so many attempts that allowed my students to go in and take the
tests. We had about 580 attempts and only 98 tests passed but they had to learn.
What do you do in your free time outside of teaching?
In the summer, when Im not teaching, I dont even touch a computer because Im so burned out from
doing things over and over again. My hobbies are not this. These last ten years, the summers are my
times to take a rest. Digital media would have been a hobby, but I gave everything to my students, even
sacrificing time with my own children. It got to the point where I wouldnt want to spend time doing it
as a hobby.
I think it covers appropriate material. The problems I have had personally taking the exam is, as with all
the Adobe software there are four or five ways to do the same thing, and the exam only accepts one of
them. So if it asks you, say for instance, how to change a color picture to black and white or to do gray
scale, the exam is looking for one specific way to do it. Well if you know three or four other ways, but
you dont know the one specific way to do it, you miss the question.
You said that you started certifying over the past years?
Only just this last year. We just got that grant and so we were only just able to get started. We learned
a lot from this first year of testing. It took the kids awhile to get used to the setup because there are
three or four ways to do the same thing, but the tests required that they do it one specific way. They
had to remind themselves that there were other ways to do things.
Do parents and staff members take certification seriously?
They dont. School staff doesnt either. Its just like all the core curriculum teachers that believe that
their classes are everything and that our CTE classes are nothing. We tell them that they are actually
applying the things they learn in their classes in our classes. At least we apply it!
What added value has there been for students since theyve started certifying as opposed to previous
years in your classes when certification wasnt available?
Its big for the kids because the average saved about 180 bucks for free because most of them had to
re-take tests. They also didnt have to go anywhere to take the tests so it was easy to take the tests.
Next time, Im going to use it as the final in their classes.
How important is it for students to take their certifications into their college and professional
careers?
That is to be seen. Where theyve just gotten them this past year, well have to see how successful
theyll be.
But from my personal experience, employers have to go off of something when theyre hiring. If its
an industry certification nationwide, that holds a lot more weight than someone passing classes. My
daughter took a lot of these certifications and has gotten her last two jobs because she can do those
things. I had a student in 2003 that had a lot of networking certifications and he got an 80,000 job right
out of high school because he had his networking certifications. As for my current students, seeing as
we just started certifying last year, Im not sure, but Ive told them how important certifications will
be. Its important because they need to educate their parents that these certifications will help them.
I wont be able to tell you specifically until my students have moved on. I can speak for myself because
my certifications have really helped me in my jobs and in my teaching. I cant imagine a digital media
teacher that wouldnt get certified, just to better understand what is required for the students. Im not
just going to take someones word for it on what I should teach. I did certification for me so that I could
know what I should be teaching.
Do you receive information about certifications? Are there newsletters? How do you find out about
what is going on?
Its mostly through my association with other teachers throughout the state and talking with them
and finding out what theyre up to. We were kind of the leaders with Adobe in the state and many of
them saw what we were doing and wanted to join. Because I was on the board for digital media, I liked
the certification idea because I got so tired with trying to marry what the state thought was important
and what the industry thought was important. When we had the testing coming from Adobe and the
industry, we finally had a direction on how to teach the programs. Industry certification is more than
just using programs; its about being able to apply principles using the tools. Because that was my
focus, industry testing was always something I wanted. I discussed these things with other teachers
through state-run tri-annual statewide group. We meet and discuss whats most important in these
meetings.
It seems like youve been a pioneer for moving digital media teaching along. Where have you gone to
learn these things? Websites? Blogs? Etc.
I just have these ideas of how to improve the teaching and I pursue them and find out what I dont
know. Part of it is that I owned my own business and learned what kids would need to know in the
industry. That also taught me to be thinking ahead to know what would be coming down the pipeline.
Sometimes, Ill also have students come back to me after years of having left to tell me what I need to
be teaching. Lastly, Ill talk to these other teachers bounce ideas off each other. A teacher in this very
competitive field cannot be the expert at every single thing and still keep students moving. Sometimes,
its important to help students find out how to find out what they need.
Certiport values the teachers because obviously theyre the ones that are going to prepare students
to take these tests. Teachers who dont yet offer certifications are the target market. If you wanted
to be contacted with some sort of discounts or promotions or information by Certiport, how would it
be?
It was because of the grant that we were even able to do the certification. Part of the battle is making
it easy for us teachers by letting us proctor the tests and making it easy to distribute. Things have to be
smooth and easily applied. I had a technology assistant who came and helped me set up the test and
that really helped me so that I didnt have to worry about setting up the test. Cost, easy access, and
why should the teacher give it...these are the things Certiport needs to focus on.
How would you like to be contacted?
It took 3/4 of a year for me to respond. In February I finally setup the test because I felt bad that we
had a grant and that I wasnt using it. After that, it took off. Everyone wanted to do it. Certiport emailed
me and then my district emailed me millions of times to get me to do it. A Certiport representative
called me to ask how she could help me and thats when I was able to get started. She helped me get
started and it was easy to go from there. Email is now junk mail. Most teachers dont have time to
go through everything and often, theyll just skip it. Also, if its not coming from inside of the school,
its disregarded. Our pressure comes first from inside the school so if Certiport can leverage pressure
coming from inside schools, theyll do it. We first heard all about this at a summer conference but
we werent, for some reason, able to set it all up from there...we were required to go home and try
and do it. If it were possible to set up the testing right there at the conference, it would make it much
easier. It would be great to have training right there in a time frame thats already set-aside for these
teachers. You should contact Carl Lyman (state IT representative) and Laura Deshazio (state business
and marketing) and theyre in charge of these conferences. Call them and ask them to be a part of
summer conferences. I would also tell them to give certifications to teachers for free. If Certiport needs
a contact, give them my name. Id love to help them make it easier for teachers. Teachers want to do it,
its just an overwhelming set up and its hard to take the time.
Interview #3
Interviewer: Sam Gale- Communications 318 Student at Brigham Young University
Interviewee: Florence Lynn Copeland Olympian High School, Sweet Water Union High School District,
San Diego, California
Can you tell me specifically what you do regarding your career?
Im a teacher and currently the software that I am using from Adobe is Premier Pro, and Photoshop and
then I also teach Flash.
What grade level do you currently teach?
Ninth through twelfth.
Is that in a public high school?
Yes.
What led you to choose to become a teacher?
I needed and job and that was the only one offered to me at the time.
Have you been working with Adobe Products for long?
No. For the past seven years that I have been teaching I have been doing it constantly. Prior to that, I
had not used them that much.
Did you receive a lot of on the job training then?
Yeah.
Have you only taught for those seven years, or did you begin teaching before that?
No, I have just been teaching seven years.
Do you use the Adobe Products outside of the classroom where you teach?
Its mostly for teaching, but I use them sometimes outside of work.
What type of projects would you use them for outside of work?
I am a musician, so projects vary. A project that I might do using the adobe software would be editing
photos using Photoshop, after a photo shoot for a CD cover or something like that. Ive used flash to
create animations and then done the soundtracks for the animation. So Ill do a simple animation and
do a soundtrack for it in another program. Those type things.
Can you tell me a little more about your involvement with music?
It varies. Im a musician. Im also an audio engineer. I also write and produce. So it depends on what
Im hired for.
Thats impressive. I would love to learn more about that.

Well its kind of hard now because most people have project studios or home studios, which I do too.
Its just from playing, because I use to tour professionally, I guess I just know a lot of people in the
music industry which makes it easier. Teaching in my main thing now, so I dont do projects that often.
What instruments do you play?
Mostly bass, but also keys and guitar.
In regards to the Adobe Certified Associate program, how familiar are you with that program in
general and the testing?
I am familiar with it from the ACA standpoint because I give the ACA exam for Photoshop. I believe
Premier may also do the ACA exam, but Im not sure. Photoshop and Flash I do the ACA instruction
for, well Adobe has a text that has ACA on it, and it covers Photoshop and Flash in that text, along with
Dreamweaver, but the actual certification for Flash I believe is a visual something certification. And
then, Premier I havent started testing for yet, this is the first year that I am teaching Premier and I got
certified for it over the summer, however I havent found very many texts for Premier and I havent
found anything that Adobe has put out for it.
You mentioned that you recently became certified for Premier this summer, what other certifications
do you currently have?
Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, and Illustrator.
Do you feel that your personal certifications have opened any doors for you?
I guess it has been a nice thing to add to my educational resume as far as opportunities teaching, but
outside of that, because I dont use it that often, it really hasnt.
Do you feel it has opened doors for any of your students that have become certified?
I dont know. I would like to say that it has, but we dont do that follow up in the school district that I
am at, so I have no way of knowing.
In regards to the certifications, what is your greatest challenge helping students to become certified?
I would say the greatest challenge is the school district Im with would like us to do the certification
exam twice each semester, first in December, then again in June. The problem with that is there is
so much information that needs to be taught in order for students to pass the certification that we
really dont get that far the first semester. I dont know if its the same with all school districts, but
in the school district that I am at my classes are 9-12 grade and a lot of the students dont have any
computer experience, so for the first couple of months I am teaching very basic things, like how to turn
the computer on, how to log in, how to save files, how to name your files, how to search for a file, you
know, all that stuff. And still, at the end of the first semester, I will still get kids telling me that, Well,
I saved the file, and it disappeared. No, it doesnt work that way. But I think the challenge for me has
been, one, particularly for me this year is that the last Adobe text the school district purchased was
for CS5, and I am teaching CS6. So trying to get them to learn the concepts for the certification exam
through CS5, but then be ready for the CS6 exam has been quite weird for me.
Who is it that makes the decisions on which texts are purchased?
The teachers vote on it, but ultimately, because I am a Career Technical Education instructor, the final
say is up to Career Technical Education.
Has that been a common problem, where you dont have the correct materials to teach from?
Yes, it has happened quite often.
Regarding teaching in general, what are you greatest challenges?
I think that is the greatest challenge for me, teaching in general. At least for me, because, as I said, I am
a Career Technical Education teacher, the teachers that deal with more core curriculum, like English,
mathematics, or science, things that the state tests students on, their curriculum, their lesson plans,
their materials and all that are provided by the state at the beginning of the year. As Career Technical
Education Teachers, we dont get that. So we, pretty much all of us, have to do research on the Internet,
make phone calls, and find our way through. At best we get a five column that gives us objectives for
the course that were teaching. Or we get whats called a Pacing Guide that has suggestions for what
we should teach and for how long we should spend on that individual thing. But you know, we still are
responsible for finding our own way to teach it.
Where have you successfully found information to help you teach from?
I get a lot of things from Cengage, the publisher. They carry some Adobe books. I dont know if they
carry a lot of them. But, there is a particular series, its called the Revealed Series, which seems to work
really well for my classes and for me. Rather than, lets say, Classroom in a Book, the difference being
that the Revealed Series has very short exercises so you can focus on one or two skills and then you can
provide supplementary things to get the students to repeat those one or two skills over and over until
they get it. While Classroom in a Book may have an exercise that is thirty minutes to an hour long and
cover ten to fifteen different skills. So by the time the student finishes that, they dont know what the
first skill was anymore.
Have you found many opportunities to work with other teachers to find information, or collaborating
on the issues together in general?
Not a lot. In Career Technical Education, because we are all spread out at various schools, every
once and a while well come together. But the District that Im at has been going through a lot of
administration changes, so we havent been getting together as much as we usually do. And generally,
on whatever campus were at, were the only teacher that teaches what we teach. So its not like we
can share with other teachers and have that sort of peer feedback.
Are there any blogs or social media channels you have found particularly helpful?
No, I havent found any. I havent actively looked for any blogs or social media, either. I have recently
started using Lynda.com, which is good for reinforcing skills. After I have taught skills I can log on and
show the student a video from there so they can have someone else instruct them in the same skill,
other than me, because another persons approach may be different. So thats been working well.
Are you a member of any professional associations or groups?
No, because I have never worked in the graphics or video fields professionally.
Are you familiar with Certiport, the company that administers the ACA exams?
Yes I am. And I have had a lot of issues with Certiport. (laughing) No not Certiport themselves, but I
dont really feel the administration of the exam is designed for a classroom atmosphere. Its more one
on one. For instance, my average class size is 32 students, the average class time is 57 minutes, which
means I really cant administer the exam to everyone in the class at the same time. By the time I go
around and log everyone on, the last ten to fifteen students are not going to have time to complete the
exam. I have been looking for alternate ways to give the exam. I have been talking to the principal, she
said I could come in on Saturdays and give the exam, but trying to get high school students to show up
on a Saturday for an exam, when it is not mandatory, Im not sure how well thats going to work.
I can see how that would be challenging. Im actually not too familiar with the actual process for
administering the exam. Could you walk me through the process briefly?
Well, the administration of the exam, because it is proctored, requires that I go to Certiport and
download a link locally to all of the students computers, and I have to do that. So I have to log on to
one computer at a time, and it takes a days work. I have to do that, and the students have to set up
an account with Certiport, and then use that link that I have downloaded, the shortcut that I have
downloaded to access the exam. Once they access the exam and fill out information they are asked
for verification before they take the exam. I have to go over and verify they are who they say they are
by logging in and answering, Yes, I certify this person is who they say they are. And all that has to be
done before the exam can be started. Then the problem that I run into is that a lot of times the exams
freeze. I dont know if thats a Certiport problem, or if its a problem with our Network locally, or at the
district level. But sometimes the program will freeze while the student is taking the exam, and then
they cant get out of it. There is no escape. I have to shut the computer down, do a hard boot, and
when they log back in, if they try to start the exam again, they cant just pick up where they left off and
they cant log in and start taking it again because they get a message saying that this exam is already in
progress, so I have to then call Certiport and have them reset the exam, which takes up a whole lot of
class time.
Do you receive communication from Certiport?
Not really.
If they were to have information to communicate that would help you or your students with exams,
what would be the best way to communicate that to you?
Through the district email.
If not from Certiport, is there any other source that you find information regarding the exams?
No, the information I have is from Certiport.
To clarify, is it that youve have to find the information yourself?
Yes.
In regards to your certification, is that something you were instructed to do by the district, or by
choice?
They encourage us to do it. They cant demand of course, but they encourage because without the
certification, we cannot become proctors, so we cant administer the exam to the students.
Do you currently feel the exam covers appropriate material, or is there anything lacking or that it
goes into too much depth on?
I feel that it covers appropriate material.
How have you been able to identify that one specific way and help your students to prepare for that?
Take the practice exams over and over and over. (Laughing)
Does the material you have currently help with that?

Not really, because, as I said, we are using text for CS5, Certiport has the exams for CS6, we are using
the software for CS6, but Adobe is actually on the Creative Cloud version. And there are enough
differences between CS5 and CS6 that it is hard to, well for me, to get the students to understand, well
this is the way it is done in CS5, but they dont have the CS5 software, they have CS6 software. So to
go over something and say well, this is the way it is done in CS5, however, this is the way its done now
in CS6. So to be stuck using the old text books is rather hard. When you are dealing with students that
arent familiar with computers, possibly, number one, in some cases the students are scared of the
computers. They dont want to touch them, because they are afraid they might do something wrong
or whatever. So its already hard enough to get them to work on the computer, then to tell them, well
yeah, I know what the book says but we have to do it this way, it opens the door to confusion that
doesnt need to be there to me.
Can you describe in your own words the benefits of ACA certification?
From what I understand, if you have any of the Adobe software certifications and youre going into the
field, then it is beneficial to have the certification, because then the potential employer knows that,
for one, you have a professional certification, and two that you have spent a certain amount of hours
concentrating on using this particular program in order to be at a level to get the certification.
In your school district, do students or the school district pay for their certification?
No, the school district always pays for it.
Do student have multiple opportunities to take the exam?
It varies per instructor. As instructors, we each do it differently. Some instructors dont teach the entire
curriculum that the state requests to be taught in the particular classes. Some of them just focus on the
Adobe stuff. So they give their students a lot of practice exams through Certiport. And they also do a lot
of written practice exams with the students and so forth. They test more often than I do. But Im trying
to get the Adobe stuff done, as well as the stuff that the state wants us to cover.
In your courses, do you teach a broad range of software? Do you teach one application per semester?
How does that work?
Specifically, in my class, for instance in Multimedia, what the state would like us to do is teach
Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Flash. We have two 18-week semesters, which would mean we
spent nine weeks on each piece of software. Thats really not enough time for a student to get the
certification. So for me personally, I teach one piece of software each semester. Semester one I do
Photoshop. In the second semester I do Flash. Then, I may do projects where they, say, take an image
and upload it to Photoshop, edit it, and then go into InDesign and use that image to create a brochure
or something like that. But I dont go into all four of the programs in any depth or try to get them to
certification level in all four of them.
How long have you found you require to prepare a student adequately for certification?
It depends on how much background the student comes in with. I actually have a couple of students
this year that are already certified, but are retaking the class and while they know a lot, there is still
a lot they are missing. There are still a lot of gaps in their knowledge of the software. If they come
in knowing something already, then I think that can be ready in a semester, if they come in knowing
nothing, or only how to use a computer to get on the internet and play games, then it takes about a
year.
What is the value of Career Technical Education?

Well the value of career technical education would be the objective of career technical education.
For the students to have a marketable skill when the finish high school. If they need to work during
college, or if they are not going directly into college, the goal is to have them to graduate high school
with a skill that can get a job in, other than just a minimum paying skill at McDonalds or somewhere.
The goal is to have enough skill where they can go into the job market and get a job where they can
take care of themselves until they do go to college or if they are opting out of college, to have a path
they can start their career with.
Wow, what a great opportunity. I worked as a janitor most of my college career.
Well so did I, that and a librarian.
Is there any additional feedback you have regarding the ACA program?
I think it would be nice, and I dont know how cost effective it would be, but I think it would be nice
if Adobe had representatives that were more hands on with the teaching community. Possibly even
visits to the classrooms to answer the students questions, because I know as teachers, a lot of times
we dont have the information when a student asks a questions, so then we have to go look it up, and
there is that lag time. But it would be nice if Adobe could just come in and do presentations like they
might do for colleges. Just come in, do a presentation, and explain what the advantages of having the
certifications are and different ways that their certifications can be used.
You mentioned presentations and trainings in the classroom, but are there other ways you would
want to be able to reach out to those individuals?
Even if we just had an Adobe Rep we could email questions to or concerns or things like that without
having to go through the contact of, you know, for instance, Certiport. I dont know if they do it
district wide, or if they do it school wide, but I have a representative a Certiport that I can call or email
whenever something comes up and that person gets back to me usually within 24 hours. I havent
found anything like that with Adobe.
Has Certiport been able to resolve some of those questions or do you feel there is additional
expertise you are hoping to find?
Well, with Certiport, I usually ask them questions about their software. So its not so much about the
Adobe testing or the Adobe curriculum they have for the test, its getting the Certiport software to
work so I can administer the test.
How long do you plan to continue teaching for?
I dont know, well see how it goes.
Interview #4
Interviewer: Savannah Bassett- Communications 318 Student at Brigham Young University
Interviewee: Fabrizio Lafaro
So I just have a couple questions about your personal background. What inspired you to become an
ACA Instructor?
Right now Im not an instructor, I was an instructor before for the ACA. Right now Im a coordinator
for Valley ROP for all of our arts and media classes. So I coordinate all these courses for our institution
and because I was an ACA instructor before I wanted to bring that to our organization, so thats why
I started to do this with all our other teachers in our school-we have about nine teachers that do
that- and I wanted to become an ACA instructor to validate the skills that I have with Adobe outside
the classroom. I wanted our students to have that validation outside of class so they could go to an
employer to prove that they have those skills without saying well I took these classes. Well stating a
class doesnt validate that you have the skills but the ACA test does.
Yeah thats perfect.
Its more to help validate their skills outside the classroom when they are going to look for employment
with a private institution or private organization, because our classes competitive and are accredited
with local colleges, but that doesnt validate that fact that student has the skills of the class.
Yeah I get that. So you said that you were a teacher at an institution right?
Correct. Well Im an administrator now.
What age group is taught at your institution?
High school students.
Okay. So how did you get involved in being an administrator for this institution?
I got involved with that because they actually asked me if I was interested in the position and to do
more of the administrative part of it so I was excited about doing it because I could bring my experience
of what I had in my class and I could affect more students that way, rather than just doing my class.
What was your profession before you became an administrator?
I was a high school teacher.
Okay so a high school teacher. So just a couple more personal questions. Generally what social media
channels do you participate in professionally and personally?
For Valley ROP we have social media with Twitter; we are @ValleyROP. So I use it for a variety of
communication with people who follow us. We have a website, we dont have a Facebook- Twitter is
the one we use the most.
And personally do you connect through Facebook, do you connect with Twitter, other social media
channel in your personal life?
I dont. No I used to and I could do Twitter, but no Facebook or Tumblr or those.
Oh okay. Outside of school what are kind of your hobbies, or what do you do in your free time?
I do more swimming, skiing, I used to be a photography teacher so a lot of photography. That mostly all.
Okay so lets move on to more the professional background. So how long were you an ACA instructor
or how long did you teach ACA certification?
I did it for three years.
Has being ACA certified open doors for you in your profession and academic career? Has it benefited
you?
Yes it has. It has benefited me and it has benefited the students because it has validated my classes
since I was teacher vocational classes, or what is known as career-technical classes and they are not
your mainstream courses like English, math etc. It validated what I was doing in the class. So I validated
my skills too, so when I was looking or when I needed to look for a job, if I wanted to go and apply for a
teaching position somewhere else, I didnt just have my credentials, I also had the ACA certification.
And was there a specific reason that you stopped teaching ACA certification?
Just my administrative position. I couldnt do both.
That makes sense. Okay the next question I have is- In interacting with students, what brings you the
greatest satisfaction? What do you get the most satisfaction out of in your job?
Now or when I was a teacher?
Both I guess.
Okay well when I was a teacher, there are several things but I would say when the first students would
starting passing the ACA test, then it just clicked to the whole class that hey, so-and-so passed the test;
I can do it. And so that was the most satisfying point because at that point it wasnt just me telling
them that you can do this, apply yourself, go through the practice test etc. it was actually my peers are
doing it and passing the test, I can do it too. It was like a snowball-everyone wanted to compete and
do it. And so thats what was so satisfying because my job, I wasnt just selling the product anymore,
I was telling them and they could see the results of why it was important to them. And the other part
is basically when the students clicked and started becoming their own photographer, they are starting
their own little businesses and they went out and started doing their own projects and get their own
clients. I was trying to be a good role model for them and I was trying to bring that real life experience
of what I used to do in life besides teaching, outside of class and showing them that they could do it on
their own and then see them do it for a year or two in my class. That was satisfying to kind of see.
Thats good to hear. Okay, so what was the process of getting certified as an Adobe instructor?
I just went and took the ACA test I submitted my credentials and my work experience to, ah I dont
remember who I submitted it to. I just had to show that I had so many years work experience in the
field. I got a certification also as an ACE so the combination of the experience and the ACE test gave me
the instructor certification.
Would you say that was fairly simple?
Ah, I think so yeah. The information wasnt as clear as just the student test but it wasnt too hard.
Do you think ACA certification is just as important now as it was five years ago? Do you think its kept
the value of it?
I think so, you know its an introduction to (tradition?), but for a high school student it gives them
recognition, its gives them something that they can put on their resume so from that stand point thats
just as valuable. Students are getting the skills now earlier and earlier because their getting lessons in
Photoshop, theyre getting familiar with those products a lot younger, they are being exposed to them
younger now but I think its just as valuable.
What point in your career did you get certified? How many years ago did you get certified?
Three years ago. When I started teach that. I taught photography for 15 years but I didnt get to the
ACA until the last three years or so.
Do you associate with other ACA instructors very much?
Yeah! Yeah, I collaborate with the other instructors that are in our institution so yes I do.
So is that just through personal contact and stuff?
Sometimes personal contact, sometimes with meetings to see how the classes are going and looking at
curriculum and that.
Okay, then these are just some general questions about the ACA program. What do you think about
the ACA certification program, what first comes to mind?
When I think about the ACA certification? Ahhh, relevant, I think of something that is measurable,
opportunities for the student.
When you think of an ACA instructor what do you picture them as being like? If you had to generalize
ACA instructors.
I think about them being competent, knowledgeable. I think about them being confident about what
they are teaching because if they are certified then I know that they are going to be confident about
teaching the curriculum in the class.
Perfect. So what is your ideal time to teach the ACA program? Are there times that work best for you
and your students? I guess for a high school it would just be normal school hours?
Correct, yeah. Whatever times those fall in to.
So which subject of the ACA program do you find most beneficial to your students?
It all depends on which class they are in. It just depends what subject they are in so they can take the
test that most applies to them. The most popular are usually Photoshop and Premier- those are the
two most popular ones.
So the last sections I have the current challenges with the ACA program. Do you think there are
any challenges or pain-points that exist around the ACA program that kind of hinder your students
progress or hider your ability to teach the program?
Yeah, they challenge is when you teach a task, sometimes the teacher might teach it a certain way
which is what he or she knows how to teach it or maybe there is a shortcut that is quicker, but instead
when the ACA tests that there is a certain why they want you to perform that task so if the students not
familiar with that, even though it might be the correct way to do that, its just a different way of doing
it, and it might be taking points away from them when they are taking the test. So it shows that they
are not performing the test correctly when indeed they are, just because they are doing it a different
way than they actual test wants them to do it. So its almost like in Microsoft Word when you want to
copy something, theres five different ways of copying something. So you can do it with shortcuts, you
can go through a menu, you can do it multiple ways so its not right or wrong its just different ways.
Sometimes thats not really clear. But the vocabulary part is pretty good because everybody has to
know the same vocab of just the task basics.
Do you think that having an outlined curriculum or something would help?
Yeah, they have things like that but they have it mostly for the vocabulary and for the parts of the
curriculum, but they dont actually have it for the task-based test, so that would be helpful
So where do you get your curriculum from then?
We bought it from Pearson, so we use their books for that.
Okay, so you get it from Pearson. And is there a lot of flexibility to that and do you collaborate with
other sources or is it strictly the Pearson text you use?
We follow the Pearson curriculum and then because Pearson has curriculum that goes with the ACA
and with Certiport, and then the teachers they just supplement with anything else that they can find.
So sometimes its YouTube tutorials, sometimes its other books that they have, or online tutorials or
anything like that.
Okay, and then as far as your own personal certification was that something that you decided to do
or were you asked to do that by somebody?
No I decided to do that. And then when I became an administrator, we offered it to all our teachers.
How did you find out about becoming ACA certified?
Just online from reading some blogs and reading some other stuff about Adobe.
So this applies specifically to your school, but do your students have to pay out-of-pocket, or are
there grants or scholarships they receive for taking these kinds of classes?
For the ACA certification? No we pay for them. We pay for the entire certification and we have the
students. Actually I take that back, we pay for the certification for the students that cant afford it.
We ask the students to pay, I believe its $10. And if they can pay $10, they can take as many tests as
they want. So they can take one test and if they pass it, and they are in another class, then they can
take another test and pass it. We just wanted them to have some sort of buy-in, and not have it be
completely free; to put a value to it, so we ask the students just to pay a $10 fee. The tests cost us
about $40-$50 for each test. So its minimal, but it gives that buy-in for the students.
As an instructor of Adobe Certification, what have you found is the greatest challenge that you face
with your students?
Well we are just starting with our new students right now; the greatest challenge I think is going to
be is how they perceive this test to be. The teaches have to do a good job making sure the students
understand that this isnt just another assignment they are doing, that this is something worth
spending their time on because they are going to be spending a lot of time doing it. Its not so much the
students but the instructors have the key role in that. They are the ones motivating and selling it to the
students. Thats the biggest challenge.
Is there anything lacking from the ACA certification test?
I dont know. Thats a good question. Something thats not very clear is how many points our students
need to pass the test. Its not very clear in any of the tests. And Im sure that there are other things, I
dont have them right now. Thats something I will probably know at the end of the school year.
In terms of updates and curriculum, how do you get those most of the time?
Thats a challenge, especially with Adobe and the new updates in software all the time, we try to keep
up-to-date with that, but they have their CC software now, and that changes all the time and we have
to keep up with that and keep up with the books. And thats a challenge because its very expensive,
especially for a high school institution, we dont get as much money as say a college or a junior college,
so its hard to keep up. Otherwise what we do is we collaborate with our junior college and they usually
are the ones who drive the curriculum for us, because we want to make sure our curriculum for the
school is as close as possible if not the same as the junior colleges. So we collaborate with them a lot
to drive that. And then we have our advisory committee, and the advisory committee for each course;
each teacher has an advisory committee who are professionals who work in that field and they meet
regularly, a couple times a year, and they go through the curriculum and if there are any changes or an
additions, or anything that the students need to learn then they make suggestions to add that to the
curriculum.
Are any of your instructors connected through groups on Facebook, or chartrooms or blogs and stuff
that help them with their updates about the ACA program or resources or things like that.
Yeah, we are trying to get our teachers to connect with schoology, its a classroom management site.
Im trying to start this hopefully by the end of the year, so once they have their classes on schoology
then they can share everything and connect with each other.
Awesome. Well I think that should be all. Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
Interview #5
Interviewer: Sarah Davies - Communications 318 Student at Brigham Young University
Interviewee: Marvin H. Glass II, 12th grade Digital Media Instructor, Perspectives High School of
Technology
My objective in this interview is to act in behalf of our client Certiport, are you familiar with them at
all?
Yes we use Certiport but Im not sure how much we use them. I dont know how much we will use
them this year but we did use them last year.
Great, Certiport wants to gain more perspective on who their ACA instructors are as to better target
and communicate with them. That will be my objective here today.
Id like to ask you a few questions in regards to your participation as an ACA instructor. You are
certified correct?
Yes I am.
I will start with questions about your personal background, how did you get involved in this
profession?
Well, as soon as I retired at Perspective School of Technology I was hired on to teach the premiere class.
The first thing that we started off doing was talking about how students were taking premiere and
getting certified. The first year I was hired was the first time our school undertook the certification.
What social media channels do you participate in both personally and professionally?
I will occasionally get on Facebook for personal matters but never professionally. Would you consider
YouTube a social media channel because I definitely use YouTube. I dont use most of the normal ones
like Twitter and Instagram but I do use YouTube both personally and professionally. I use it to pull up
instruction videos in the classroom. I am on Linkedin but I never really get on it. I think my wife created
my profile.
How has being an ACA instructor opened doors for you in your professional or academic career?
That is yet to be seen. Last year was the first year that I used it. There were no doors open that year. I
became an instructor just last year. I think that doors will be opened in the future. I think it looks very
good on a resume.
Do you feel personally that being ACA certified is important? Why or why not?
Well I definitely feel it is important if it is something that I am going to be teaching to my students.
I have confidence in my class. I would always want to be honest with my class so they would know I
have been through the process I am teaching about. Because our school only has a limited number of
licenses not all of our teachers are currently certified but I think they would all like to be. The lack of
licenses is holding people back.
How long do you plan to teach the ACA certification?
I would plan to teach it for a long time coming. I have no plans of stopping anytime in the near future.
I would definitely say I plan on teaching for at least the next five- ten years given the change in the
technology and economy if something better than adobe comes along I maybe consider changing.
What is the process of getting ACA certified?
Each class is different but last year I reached my goal in getting 30% of my seniors certified. This year
we are pushing for 50% of our seniors to get certified. Our school teamed up with a resource called
My Graphics Lab. This is a source closely related to the certification process. I taught strictly from My
Graphics Lab. It was a very good resource for teaching. It came with quizzes and power points. It didnt
align as much as I would have liked it to with the actual text. It does align but there is tons of material
that is irrelevant to the certification test. Like shortcuts for different functions, we studied those very
hard and those didnt even end up being on the test.
What are some other challenges that you face as an ACA instructor?
My classes are all different but one of the obstacles I am running into is that I want students to be
creative and not just have to be a robot or machine that is learning the ins and outs of an application.
I want them to learn and understand Adobe but I dont want it to stifle their creativity. I think it is
difficult in this program to cover all your bases and still leave room for creativity. It is hard to try and
encompass all that we have to teach and all that we feel we should teach.
Where do you get your curriculum? Do you have any flexibility in what you teach?
We have the main role in developing the curriculum as teachers. Our leaders direct us but it is up to us
to pull resources. I tried to persuade my leader to cut the funding for the application My Graphics Lab
because even though it is a good application, it is not good enough to be paying thousands of dollars a
year for. Once you use something else like Geometrics or Certiport training you can pull resources from
different places. I also visit the Adobe Exchange like worksheets and power points and different lesson
plans. I also like collaborating with other ACA instructors and see what they are doing in there classes.
Does your school pay for students to get their ACA Certification to get done or are students paying
out of pocket?
The school pays for the test 100%. We also allow them to take retests on our dime. Our school is happy
to take care of all of that.
In your own opinion how important is being certified in securing future job endeavors?
I think it is very important. We are located on the south side of Chicago. Its very low income. Many
havent ever seen success. Especially in their own families. Their view on life and their knowledge
of different occupations that even exist is very minimal. We try to move and create opportunities
to highlight different careers and skills. I tell them at the end of the day, you know, Ive got kids that
want to be doctors and lawyers and teachers and I tell them that being ACA certified will ALWAYS look
good. Some students have bought into that and some havent. Last time I checked about 60% of our
students have bought into it. Even just on the premise that it is a resume builder. I do think that more
information needs to be provided to them about what they can do with these skills and what kind of
doors it can open.
You are teaching these classes during regular school hours?
Yeah we are just a regular high school class.
In your own words, describe the benefits of ACA.

The main benefit is that it is a very good resume builder. It is just one more skill set that I have and
can use. I also feel a need to talk to my students about the difference between working for someone
and working for yourself. All these certifications you can make money freelance on your own. It is
empowering.
You mentioned at the beginning that your school used Certiport last year but you didnt know if you
would still be using them this year. Why is that?
Last year we used the Certiport website to do practice tests to get students ready for the real test. This
year we are not using Certiport for the practice test we are using geometrics. They have been a really
good resource for us this year. This is how we are tracking whether or not the students are prepared.
They have a test 1 training, a test 2 training. All practice tests are very helpful. The best thing about
the training is that it provides correct answers if they get it wrong. It also will give you bullet points
and walk you back through the problem. If you get it wrong it shows a short video clip of how to get
the answer. Certiport offers the practice tests but only offers one and no training. That is the biggest
difference. They can take up to 3 different practice tests. That is what has left us unsatisfied with
Certiport.
Copy Of Survey:
#1 Are you currently an Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) Instructor?

Yes, No, No, but I have been in the past, No but I plan to be in the future, other_______
#2 How long have you been teaching digital media/Adobe products?

Under 1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-8 years, 10+ years
#3 How long have you had your ACA certification?

Im not ACA certified, under 1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-9 years, 10+ years
#5 How long have you had your Adobe Certified Instructor certification?

I dont have it, under 1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-9 years, 10+ years
#4 How long have you been an ACA instructor?

Under 1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-9 years, 10+ years
#6 Who decided to offer an ACA class in your school? (check all that apply)

Principal, You, Another Teacher, School Board, State, Other___________
#7 Who in your organization makes decisions on digital media certification exam funding?
You
Principal
District Administrator
State Department of Education
Other, (Fill it in)
#8 Why did you decide to prepare your students to take ACA certification exams?
To prepare students for future career opportunities
To prepare students for college
To supplement your income
State, district, or school requires it
Personal interest
For the love of teaching
Other___________
#9 In which school(s) do you teach ACA? (Check all that apply)
Public school
Magnet school
Charter school
Technical school
Vocational school
Community colleges
Polytechnic colleges
4-year universities
Other___________
#10 How do you stay up-to-date with Adobe products?

Adobe emails
Adobe website
Conferences
Classes
Magazine subscription
Lynda.com
Youtube
Other___________
#11 How often do you prefer to be contacted by the certification exam providers?

I dont want to be contacted, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly
#12 What type of information would be useful to receive about ACA certifications? Briefly describe.
#13 Choose your preferred method of being contacted by ranking the following list in order of
preference (1-8, with 1 being your first choice and 8 being your last choice).
Postal mail
Work Email
Personal Email
Work Phone
Home Phone
Cell Phone
Text Message
Social Media
#14 Check the top three social media channels that you use most
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
Google plus
Pinterest
Tumbler
MySpace
Other __________

# Rank these top three media channels in order of importance to you.
#15 How many students do you teach per semester per class?

1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21 or more

#16 On average, how many of those students take the ACA certification exam?

1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21 or more
#17 On average, how many of those students pass the ACA certification exam?

1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21 or more
#18 Do you feel you have benefited from your ACA certification? If so briefly describe how.
No, (Fill in)
Yes, (Fill in)
I dont have an ACA certification
#19 Where do you find your teaching curriculum?
I create my own
School or district curriculum
Adobe Tutorials
Lynda.com
YouTube
Textbooks
Certification exam providers
Other, (fill it in)
#20 Please identify the Adobe programs that you teach as part of your ACA instruction?
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Flash Pro
Adobe Dreamweaver
#21 Which Adobe programs do you use outside of teaching? (Check all that apply.)
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Flash Pro
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Acrobat Professional
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Audition
Adobe Bridge
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Edge
Adobe Flash
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Muse
#22 What is your gender?

Male
Female
Prefer not to answer
#23 What is your age?

18-20, 21-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50, 51-55, 56-60, 61-65, 65+ or prefer not to answer.
#24 What is your Ethnicity origin (or Race)?

White or Caucasian
Hispanic or Latino
Black or African American
Native American or American Indian
Asian
Pacific Islander
Mixed Race
Other
Prefer not to answer
#25 What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest
degree received.
Some high school, no diploma
High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
Some college credit, no degree
Trade/technical/vocational training
Associate degree
Bachelors degree
Masters degree
Professional degree
Doctorate degree
Survey Results
REFERENCES
2012 Utah Presidential Results. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.politico.
com/2012-election/results/president/utah/
American FactFinder - Community Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://factfinder2.
census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#none
Certiport Portal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.certiport.com/
Fast Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28
Free Skills Tests. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.highlander.co.uk/free-skillstests
Frequently Asked Questions about Pearson VUE. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://
support.sas.com/certify/pearson.html
Pearson plc. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PSO
Prometric vouchers and exams. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://certification.comptia.
org/Help/exam-requirements-planning/prometric-vouchers-and-exams.aspx
PSO. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=PSO
Transition communications. (2014, December 15). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.
pearsonvue.com/microsoft/ms_pvue_transition_faqs.pdf
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/
qfd/states/49000.html

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Research Report

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Market Share - Current Trends

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Motivation and Self Interests

The motivation of these teachers is to provide their students with substantial

Current Relationship With The Product and Client

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Certiport is a Pearson Company

Certiports media coverage is limited to coverage of events and competition

A competitive job market forces employees to obtain certification

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Description In-Depth Interview

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Sample Questions Asked

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Analysis of Qualitative Data:

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QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH &

We asked respondents an open-ended question about what type of information they

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language and individual attitudes of instructors, may not accurately represent

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How old are you?

What was the process for you becoming an ACA proctor?

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Thats impressive. I would love to learn more about that.

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Does the material you have currently help with that?

What is the value of Career Technical Education?

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