ISA Webpage

[macrocarpa]

Has anyone else had problems with the ISA webpage recently? I’ve been trying to knock out a bunch of CEU quizzes and the webpage is a dysfunctional inaccurate mess. It seems like ever since they moved headquarters to Georgia the customer/member service has been hit or miss at best.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s really worth maintaining the certifications.

 

[ATH]

They do have the new credentialing portal...that transition probably hasn't been great. I do know that new portal stops counting hours when you hit your required number for your credential. But if you look at what is required to sit for the BCMA test you need 8 "points". You can get 1 of those points by having more hours than you need for your CA renewal....but they stop counting at 30. Just one problem they created with the change.

But, yes... customer service AND responsiveness to the state chapters has gone downhill since the move.

 

[oldoakman]

Their web page has ALWAYS been a mess. It is worse now though. It is not intuitive at all.

 

[evo]

That and you can no longer get a CEU report! So you cannot check to see if your CEU’s have processed or what you have done over the years.
Oddly I downloaded mine a few years ago, but I’m sure some are missing.

A few cert cycles I found I was missing about 12 CEU’s! Didn’t have enough to recert and had to put some pressure on to get it sorted out.

 

[macrocarpa]

That and you can no longer get a CEU report! So you cannot check to see if your CEU’s have processed or what you have done over the years.
Oddly I downloaded mine a few years ago, but I’m sure some are missing.

A few cert cycles I found I was missing about 12 CEU’s! Didn’t have enough to recert and had to put some pressure on to get it sorted out.

If they can’t even create a functional webpage for their members and Cert holders that are paying a pretty penny, what else are they doing with all the money we send them thats dysfunctional?

 

[Boomslang]

If they can’t even create a functional webpage for their members and Cert holders that are paying a pretty penny, what else are they doing with all the money we send them thats dysfunctional?

You don't want to know

 

[Maplegeddon213]

I emailed them expressing my frustrations with the website, very annoying when you're trying to recertify.

 

[southsoundtree]

There was some wacky pnwisa stuff happening locally from what I heard. I don't what it was, nor if it settled.


When I couldn't get my last ceu at the last minute on a tablet, instead of computer, my CA lapsed a long while ago. I didn't have time to sort it out at that time.


Some there are a ton of CA start ups, I'm reconsidering, especially with the proctored testing.

 

[Muggs]

The ISA is a racket. I let mine expire years ago and I don't miss it.

 

[Analog]

Just here to say that I agree that the site is garbage and I wrote to them as well to express my frustrations. I certainly want to see the CEU report so I can make sure that everything is accounted for.

I like the ISA but don't really like the direction it has gone. It seems like it's too easy to become a CA and BCMA. I find it laughable that a person could have a PHD in a "related field", bang out a bunch of CEUs, be a certified arborist for a year or two and then, bam! Master Arborist.

 

[Phil]

but they stop counting at 30.

1. Go to https://credentialing.isa-arbor.com
2. Click on Go To Checklist
3. Click on Go To Requirement

You should be able to see the total number of accepted CEU hours for the current certification period. This will also show the CEU report for the current cert period as well. Our point person at work had to send us these instructions because it is not intuitive to get there.

 

[evo]

1. Go to https://credentialing.isa-arbor.com
2. Click on Go To Checklist
3. Click on Go To Requirement

You should be able to see the total number of accepted CEU hours for the current certification period. This will also show the CEU report for the current cert period as well. Our point person at work had to send us these instructions because it is not intuitive to get there.

Well that is clear as mud! Thanks a bunch, but it’s limited to current certification cycle and doesn’t contain a downloadable spreadsheet or historical ceu’s

 

[ATH]

Well that is clear as mud! Thanks a bunch, but it’s limited to current certification cycle and doesn’t contain a downloadable spreadsheet or historical ceu’s

Right....that's my problem with it. I'd like to have an ongoing record of continuing education. I was good having that record in ISA site as it's been for 20 years. Now it's all gone. Wish I would have known before so I could download the record.

AND, it stops counting at 30 (for a CA). You need enough points to sit for the BCMA test. One of those points comes from having 60 hours (IIRS) instead of 30 hours in a recertification cycle. But wait, they stop counting at 30???? Not my problem as I've already done that...but a pain for any aspiring BCMA candidates. Bad planning. I get the impression that i's being run by people who don't have knowledge of the profession. Doesn't need to be run by arborists...but by people seeking to understand who the represent.

 

[evo]

I lucked out and downloaded mine not too long ago before gaining my BCMA.
My new major gripe is the partition of required CEU’s, practice, management, science.. required to have 10 of each plus a general 30.
All that is fine, yet it’s nearly impossible to guess where they will apply CEU’s!
I took the wild fire risk reduction qualification, and imo that covered a lot of science, with fire behavior, etc..

 

[Matias]

Man, this is all such a bummer to hear. I understand that it's likely to be a lot of speculation, but does this reflect anyone's experience with the organization in general in recent years? Are the issues with the website reflective of changes in the administration and operations at the ISA? I know that in recent years, around here, the ISA credentials have grown to be highly recognized.

 

[evo]

Man, this is all such a bummer to hear. I understand that it's likely to be a lot of speculation, but does this reflect anyone's experience with the organization in general in recent years? Are the issues with the website reflective of changes in the administration and operations at the ISA? I know that in recent years, around here, the ISA credentials have grown to be highly recognized.

Personally I think they are spreading thin and going through growing pains. You can google their year end reports. Certifications have gone up substantially, so has gross and operational costs.

Some of it might be the old website sucked a bit before, and there has been brought to their attention. With the growth I’m sure it’s been outsourced and made to be more modern and pretty. Some of it is better for sure.

I’ve had pretty good experiences when actually connecting with a live individual. A while back had an issue with some CEU’s not being recorded and my cert lapsing. I was on it trying to take care of it on the last hour of the last day kinda thing and it worked out just fine! I’ve heard the same from others though and their stories are vastly different than mine. I do distinctly recall being told that tracking and auditing our CEU’s are our responsibility and not theirs. So this change is really a big deal.

 

[ATH]

I lucked out and downloaded mine not too long ago before gaining my BCMA.
My new major gripe is the partition of required CEU’s, practice, management, science.. required to have 10 of each plus a general 30.
All that is fine, yet it’s nearly impossible to guess where they will apply CEU’s!
I took the wild fire risk reduction qualification, and imo that covered a lot of science, with fire behavior, etc..

That is on the local chapters to communicate. There is a local certification representative that approves the hours and reports them to ISA. That is in the contract each component has with ISA to operate under their umbrella.

When Ohio Chapter hosts any events, it says in the program whether the CEUs are going to Practice, Management, or Science. The 10/10/10/30 is a lot better than previous requirement for 20/20/20. Not always easy to find as much practice and management.

 

[evo]

That is on the local chapters to communicate. There is a local certification representative that approves the hours and reports them to ISA. That is in the contract each component has with ISA to operate under their umbrella.

When Ohio Chapter hosts any events, it says in the program whether the CEUs are going to Practice, Management, or Science. The 10/10/10/30 is a lot better than previous requirement for 20/20/20. Not always easy to find as much practice and management.

In my case it was both mothership and chapter. I was to blame as well to some degree as I thought I was good and never submitted a chapter conference CEU sheet.
Regardless I should have been whole regardless. What was made crystal was that the onerous is on us to make sure they are being recorded correctly or not. This left a taste in my mouth, but it’s water under the bridge

 

[macrocarpa]

It used to be when doing the online CEU quizzes, it was recorded instantaneously and quite gratifying on winter days if I remember correctly. Now I have to email them and ask what’s going on weeks after completion asking if it will be recorded.

Also, they don’t have the CEU’s accurate for the urban forest professional cert. It just says the same thing it says for certified arborist. But I have to assume I still need 12 additional CEU’s like it used to be for the municipal specialist cert before the webpage was a disaster. (they recently changed the name from municipal specialist to urban Forest professional)

I agree with others above that I think they need to hire people that understand the profession to properly represent us.