Measures of technical competence (Keynote Address)

The topic addressed is the (alleged) measures of professional/technical competence and what ACM and the field are and are not doing. It should be noted first that professional and technical competence are different. Professional competence involves general knowledge, background, and some analytic ability, whereas technical competence implies specific detailed knowledge of particular issues. There are four common (or possible) measures of competence - courses, self-assessment tests, certification and licensing. Issues to be considered with regard to each of them involve (a) who creates the measure, (b) who judges the results, and (c) what type of dissemination of the results occurs