August 2000 Actuarial Review - EC Implementing Recommendations of Education Task Force

EC Implementing Recommendations of Education Task Force
CAS to Hire Education Consultant
The Executive Council is now working with the admissions committees to begin implementing some of the recommendations of the Task Force on the Review of Education and Examination Process and Procedures, including the hiring of an education consultant. The decision to hire an outside education consultant is a significant result of discussions of the task force report. This professional would assist with the following:

Development of educationally sound learning objectives and a blueprint based on the learning objectives for each examination,
Training of Examination Committee members to write good "thinking" questions, and
Construction of objective measures of examination length and difficulty.

The transition to the 2000 examination structure brought the educational process to the forefront of CAS activities in the last three years. Members and candidates debated the benefits and possible weaknesses of the new examination configuration announced in June 1997, as well as the detailed changes that were announced over the subsequent two years. CAS leadership took the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with members and candidates about the specifics of the new program and the larger concept of how the CAS educates actuaries for the future. Hearing repeated concerns and misunderstandings about the examination process led the Board of Directors to appoint the task force, and work began in December 1998 to assess strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations to improve the process and, as a result, the education and skills of the CAS members.
The task force sought feedback from the widest possible audience, soliciting comments on the CAS Web Site and in the newsletters Future Fellows and The Actuarial Review. Academics, teachers of examination review seminars, and members of the CAS admissions committees were consulted. Feedback was used to identify the most significant issues that needed to be addressed. A guiding principle in constructing the recommendations was to add value to the current educational process by continuing emphasis to test concepts and understanding by using "thinking" questions rather than questions that merely require rote memorization and by considering the use of personal computers on examinations.
Chairperson John J. Kollar presented the task force's final report to the Board in November 1999. Board members actively discussed the 31 recommendations during the first half of this year. President Alice H. Gannon placed the report and a summary of the Executive Council's discussion on the CAS Web Site in June. Members can comment on the report and the EC's actions directly on the CAS Web Site.
The task force report offers numerous other suggestions to strengthen the existing process and procedures; other recommendations are not new initiatives but are identified to emphasize their continued importance. As one outcome, the admissions committees will continue to communicate the "behind the scenes" work of the examination process to help demystify it for candidates.
Another result is the increased emphasis on improving syllabus material using study notes. The task force made three recommendations. First, the task force recommended that the Syllabus Committee goals should include identifying and prioritizing subjects or readings that could be substantially improved by substituting study notes. Second, the Syllabus Committee should recruit additional resources (either as Part Specialists or as members of a subcommittee) to oversee the development and update of study notes. Third, the Board should establish funding for commissioned study notes to be used as necessary by the Syllabus Committee.
It will take a few years for the full impact to be felt from the new education structure and from the recommendations of this task force. To continue the never-ending quest for improving exam quality, a final task force recommendation is to have such a review conducted periodically, perhaps every ten years.
Members of the task force are: John J. Kollar, chairperson, Robert M. Beuerlein, Robert L. Brown, Richard W. Gorvett, Gustave A. Krause, Howard C. Mahler, Donna S. Munt, William F. Murphy, and Gail M. Ross.