National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS
EDUCATION FOUNDATION, INC.
STANDARDS FOR CERTIFYING PROVIDERS OF
CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION
Introduction
Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) consists of educational
activities, offered by certified institutions and organizations,
which maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and
professional performance that an automotive service technician
uses to serve clients, the public, and the automotive industry.
The content of CASE is that body of knowledge and skills generally
recognized and accepted as within the curriculum of certified
programs of automotive service technology, as well as new knowledge
required to service emerging automotive technologies.
The National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
and its educational foundation, the National Automotive Technicians
Education Foundation, Inc. (NATEF), conduct a voluntary certification
program for institutions and organizations providing continuing
automotive service education. By evaluating and certifying an
institution or organization whose program of continuing automotive
service education substantially complies with these Standards,
the ASE seeks to improve the quality of continuing education and
enable automotive service technicians to identify those continuing
education programs that are certified and thus meet these standards
of quality.
ASE is a non-profit organization, established in 1972 by the
automotive industry in response to the need to improve the competence
of automotive mechanics. ASE's mission is to improve the quality
of vehicle repair and service in the United States through the
voluntary testing and certification of automotive repair technicians.
NATEF is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit foundation within the ASE organization.
The primary mission of NATEF is to improve the quality of automotive
technician training programs nationwide by encouraging those programs
to seek voluntary certification.
ASE recognizes that it is important for automotive service technicians
to participate in continuing education throughout their careers.
Such education should be tailored to the learning needs of individual
technicians. Hence, providers of CASE should take into consideration
the needs and interests of potential participants in planning
their educational activities.
ASE has identified certain elements of organization, structure
and method which appear to contribute significantly to the development
of high quality continuing automotive service education. These
elements are presented here as the Standards for Certification
of Providers of Continuing Automotive Service Education. The
Standards are made up of those requirements which an institution
or organization must substantially meet to become certified as
a provider of continuing automotive service education (CASE).
The Standards should prove valuable as a resource for automotive
service technicians in planning their own continuing education
and for providers designing CASE activities.
ASE will review the Standards on a continuing basis and will
modify them as knowledge and experience dictate.
It is important to note that ASE does not certify individual
CASE activities. It does certify institutions and organizations
for their overall programs of CASE.
STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION OF PROVIDER OF CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE EDUCATION (CASE)
STANDARD 1.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL HAVE A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF ITS CONTINUING
AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION MISSION, FORMALLY APPROVED BY AN
APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY.
The Mission Statement shall:
1.1 Describe the goals of the overall program of CASE in a
concise manner
1.2 Indicate the scope of the content of the CASE effort
1.3 Identify the target audience
1.4 Describe the types of activities and services provided
1.5 Be made available to all CASE program staff and students
STANDARD 2.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL DEFINE AND USE SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFYING
AND ANALYZING THE CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION NEEDS
AND INTERESTS OF PROSPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS.
The Provider shall:
2.1 Describe the procedures used to identify continuing automotive
service education needs
2.2 Announce the needs identified by the above procedures
2.3 Indicate how needs assessment is used in planning each
educational activity
STANDARD 3.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL HAVE EXPLICIT OBJECTIVES FOR EACH CASE ACTIVITY.
The Provider shall:
3.1 Show that there is a link between the defined needs and
the stated objectives for each activity
3.2 Announce the audience for whom the activity is designed
and list any pretesting or other prerequisites for prospective
participants
3.3 State the expected learning outcomes in terms of knowledge,
skills, attitudes and/or behaviors
3.4 Make the objectives of learning activities known to prospective
participants and instructors
STANDARD 4.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL DESIGN, WHEN APPROPRIATE, AND IMPLEMENT EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES CONSISTENT IN CONTENT AND METHOD WITH THE STATED OBJECTIVES.
The Provider shall:
4.1 Design, when appropriate, and implement educational activities
responsive to the characteristics of prospective participants,
such as knowledge levels, work experience, and preferred learning
styles
4.2 Support educational activities with materials, supplies,
tools, equipment, and safety provisions sufficient to achieve
the defined objectives
4.3 Use sound instructional methods and competent instructors
4.4 Show examples of the use of systematic planning procedures
4.5 Make educational content, methods of activities, and character
of facilities known to prospective participants
4.6 Make available a catalog of the provider's continuing automotive
service education offerings
STANDARD 5.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS OVERALL
CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION PROGRAM AND OF ITS COMPONENT
ACTIVITIES AND USE THIS INFORMATION IN ITS CASE PLANNING.
The Provider shall:
5.1 Periodically review and record whether the provider's continuing
automotive service education mission is being achieved by its
overall program
5.2 Show that activity evaluations assess:
5.2.1 The extent to which educational objectives have been
met
5.2.2 The quality and effectiveness of the instructional process
5.2.3 Participants' and employers' perception of enhanced
work effectiveness
5.3 Use evaluation methods which are appropriate and consistent
in scope with the educational activity
5.4 Demonstrate that evaluation data are used in planning future
CASE activities
STANDARD 6.0
THE PROVIDER SHALL SHOW EVIDENCE THAT MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES AND
OTHER NECESSARY RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE AND USED EFFECTIVELY TO
FULFILL ITS CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION MISSION.
The Provider shall:
6.1 Have an organizational structure for the administration
of CASE, designating a committee, or a person with an advisory
committee, with the responsibility for continuing education,
and delineating its authority
6.2 Identify responsible individuals who will maintain continuity
of administration
6.3 Have an internal review and control procedure, including
budget control practices, to ensure effective use of resources
in fulfilling the continuing education mission
6.4 Provide appropriate facilities for continuing education
programs
6.5 Assure that commercial supporters of educational activities
are identified, and that commercially supported activities are
primarily educational, not promotional
6.6 Provide a mechanism to record, and when requested by the
participant or an appropriate authority, to verify participation
STANDARD 7.0
PROVIDERS THAT OFFER STAND-ALONE SELF STUDY MATERIALS MUST PLAN
AND DELIVER THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION
OF PROVIDERS OF CONTINUING AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EDUCATION.
The Provider shall:
7.1 Design and/or use stand-alone self study materials that
are within the scope of the provider's overall CASE Mission
Statement
7.2 Base stand-alone self study materials on identified continuing
education needs of target groups of participants
7.3 Develop explicit objectives for each item of self study
material and communicate them to prospective participants
7.4 Choose media or a combination of media that is consistent
in content and method with the stated objectives
7.5 Incorporate in each unit of self study an evaluation of
the participant's achievement of the objectives of the unit
7.6 Evaluate each unit of self study material at least once
every three years, or more frequently if indicated by new technical
developments. Demonstrate that findings from the evaluation
process are used to revise, update or plan future versions of
the self study materials
7.7 State for potential users of the stand alone self-study
material, information they need to decide whether or not to
use the material
7.8 Provide a mechanism to record, and when requested by the
participant or an appropriate authority, to verify participation
7.9 Document how CASE CEUs are calculated and monitored for
each training activity for which CASE CEUs will be granted
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