Certification Department Travels to Savannah, GA and Shares Insights from 2022 I.C.E. Exchange
The AACE Certification Program Staff recently attended the 2022 Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.) Exchange in Savannah, Georgia on October 16th-20th.
I.C.E. is a professional membership association that provides education, networking, and other resources for organizations and individuals who work in and serve the credentialing industry. I.C.E. is a leading developer of standards for both certification and certificate programs and it is both a provider of and a clearing house for information on trends in certification, test development and delivery, assessment-based certificate programs, and other information relevant to the credentialing community.
The Annual Exchange is a gathering for the credentialing community to exchange ideas on industry trends and best practices, connect with each other, and participate in high quality education. This year’s Exchange offered 75 sessions broken down into seven distinct tracks:
- Beyond Traditional Credentials
- Business of Certification
- Credentialing Innovations
- Marketing and Communications
- Security, Records, and Data Management
- Standards and Accreditation
- Test Development and Administration
Each Certification staff member has provided a summary of their experience and highlighted at least one take-away of something that challenged, intrigued, or excited them.
Sara Peters, Credentialing Analyst
“First, I must express my sincere gratitude to AACE for providing the opportunity to be one of 693 in-person attendees at the 2022 ICE Exchange. Professional development investments are not only beneficial to AACE employees, but also to our constituents and programs!
Each session was very informative and led by industry experts. Sessions covered a variety of topics including DEI principles, globalizing certification, assessment development and delivery strategies, candidate experience, and industry best practices and trends.
Another benefit of attending was networking with peers and meeting different vendors. During break-out sessions, downtime between sessions, daily receptions, and even while feverishly catching the ferry in the morning, we met some wonderful professionals from a variety of backgrounds who shared insights on their experience and organizations.
I look forward to applying what we’ve learned to our own program as we continue to evolve and grow. Together, we are on the path to positive change and countless opportunities!”
Valerie Smith, Senior Credentialing Analyst
“I was ecstatic when I was approved to attend the I.C.E. Exchange this year. Having never attended a conference before, I was really looking forward to this opportunity. I am grateful to AACE for seeing the benefit of investing in me by allowing me to attend.
I had grand ideas of how this conference would be. Based on the name of the conference, I believed it literally would be an exchange of ideas in the credentialing community – a place where I could learn more about what other organizations are doing with their programs and learn about what is new and upcoming.
The I.C.E. Exchange did not disappoint. I gained more insight into industry best practices that would help me support the program and the Certification Board. I also learned about innovations other organizations are implementing which gave me ideas about the direction we could potentially take our certification program in the future. The session options were robust, and it was difficult to decide on what to attend. The great thing is, I.C.E. will provide recordings to us so we can go back to watch the sessions we missed.
Now that the conference is over, I feel invigorated about the future of AACE’s Certification program and feel that I have more confidence and knowledge to support ideas I share with the department and Certification Board. The AACE certification program is great, but we are going to do even greater things!”
Penny Whoolery, ICE-CCP, Manager: Certification & Membership
“I.C.E. has a great reputation for putting together a top-notch conference. Since I was not able to attend for the past several years, it was incredibly exciting to return this year with both Valerie and Sara, who were first timers. I am grateful to AACE for seeing the value in professional development and for supporting our membership and participation in I.C.E.
There were plenty of interesting sessions, but the one that stuck with me the most was Simplifying Security: Deciphering Data Forensics into Accessible Actions.
The knowledgeable SMEs leading the session demonstrated how to identify anomalous testing behavior through data forensic and statistical analyses and how to interpret those findings in a useful way. The key takeaway was that keeping examinations secure requires prevention, mitigation, detection, and enforcement.
I.C.E.’s Exchange provided me a much-needed refresher of credentialing basics and a host of new information and inspiration to strengthen our certification program.”
Next year’s conference will be held in Colorado Springs, CO on October 24-27, 2023. To learn more about I.C.E., check out their website by clicking here.