Fiber Optic School And Instructor Resource Page
Resources
Complete School & Instructor Procedures
Curriculum
requirements For Training Program Approval
Complete School & Instructor Procedures
FOA Instructor Code of
Conduct
Schools can print this form to apply for course approval
Secure Site For School/Instructor Downloads
- The FOA Has An Email Newsletter Just For Instructors and Schools. Sign Up Now To Receive Our Monthly Newsletter and Job Postings By Email.
Update for 2012
A new year is here, so it's time for some action on your part:
1) It's time to update your profile for the new year. If you have not done it yet, it takes only a few minutes to do it online at http://foa-approved.org/update_school.php.
- Note: Instructor certification now renews each year
in June. More on that in the new year.
2) Curriculum materials are being updated. You should download the curriculum for the certifications you now teach classes for and use them immediately. As usual, changes are made to update the material to represent the changes in technologies and practices.
3) New CFOT and CPCT certification exams have been posted for downloads. On the CFOT exam, loss budgets will be the subject of several new questions. Now is the time to add a short lecture and example of loss budgets to your CFOT classes. More on loss budgets is here: http://www.thefoa.org/tech/lossbudg.htm. You should take the new exams ASAP to see the changes!
4) The CFOS/I Instructor Certification exam has been updated to include new operational information and exclude most technical questions. Online study guides and online testing will simplify the process for all new instructors.
- 5) The Instructor download site has a
new password soon. You need to contact the FOA for
the new password and we will confirm you have
provided us with the updated information on your
school before we give it to you. See #1 above!
- We encourage you to do more online or electronically.
You can get a self-study/homework version of the FOA
Reference Guide to Fiber Optics textbook for $10 from Apple
as an iOS app that has some neat interactive bits that could
easily be incorporated into a class if everybody has a iPad
or MAC. We have also added a loss budget app for the
iPad/iPhone.
- RENEW YOUR SCHOOL FOR 2012? Do you have changes in personnel, adresses, web sites, etc.?
- You can now renew your school online or update our records for any changes in personnel or contact information. Go to http://foa-approved.org/update_school.php to send us your new information.
- New Reference Books for FOA Certifications
We have three FOA books to be used in training for FOA certifications and as reference books for contractors, installers and end users of fiber optics.
These books have full curriculum support, including free curriculum materials for teaching FOA certification courses.
Because we are self-publishing these books using more modern "publish on demand" technology, they are easier to keep up to date, easier to buy and much, MUCH cheaper!
Details on the new book each of the new books are at the book pages linked to the photos above.
FOA schools can purchase the new books at a big 40% discount - from the already low prices! Go here for more information on ordering books.
Download the new curriculum using the new reference guide textbooks from the FOA School Download Site using your login/password.
Expand Your Markets For Training - Add Specialist Courses
FOA offers more certifications that expand a school's potential market. For example, we now have 3 first level certifications, the basic CFOT, the outside plant CFospT and the premises cabling CPCT. If you have been teaching only for the CFOT, consider adding a couple of days to your CFOT course to also offer students a CPCT or CFospT. Or use those days for specialist training in Design, Splicing, Termination or Testing.
Some FOA Approved schools are already offering splicing termination and testing courses. Testing focuses on OTDRs or CD/PMD/SA for long distance. Termination can cover prepolished/splice connectors or singlemode termination. Splicing usually includes single fiber and ribbon fusion splicing.
Offering more certifications allows you to bring students back for more training. And if you need help in starting the course, FOA offers curriculum to get you started and many manufacturers are willing to help too!
Instructor Certification - Reminder- Here is information on FOA Instructor Certification.
You Must Get That CFOS/I And Certs You Teach
Since our founding in 1995, our stated goal is to promote professionalism in the field of fiber optics. To this end, We constantly updating our certification exams and have created new certifications. At the same time we have created a website rich with fiber optic information including a complete online textbook and have published brand new up-to-date textbooks.
As are result, we are now recognized around the world as a leader in the field of fiber optics, we are now growing our family of FOA Approved Schools. As we grow, it is clear that our fiber optic instructors are one of the most important “links in the chain”. Each one represents the FOA in their school and community and brings many new certified students to the FOA each year.
We have made it simple for instructors to take this exam and we will be contacting you if you have not taken your CFOS/I yet. Remember, there is no charge and you take it online at your convenience.- Here is a link to more details: http://www.thefoa.org/TTT/index.html
Send an email to info@thefoa when you are ready to take the exam
- Do You Have The Certifications You Are Teaching?
Our second requirement is that instructors must take the exam for each certification that you are giving, ie: AFOT, CFxT, etc. You must take this exam online from the FOA. We are going to start checking to make sure that the instructor are certified in each speciality they teach and non-compliance can hold up the processing of your student applications.
You must take the online version of the exam directly from the FOA. Here is the link to the application to send in the the FOA when you are ready to take the online version of the exam you plan to give to your students:
- Here is information on FOA Instructor Certification.
Instructors teaching CFOT or other FOA certification classes must be CFOT certified before teaching the course and COFS/I certified within 12 months.
- Pay Your Student Fees
Online
The FOA now has an eCommerce site set up to allow CFOTs to renew their certifications. We have added to the eCommerce site the option for schools to pay their student certification fees online with a credit card and send us the applications by email, fax or mail. Detailed instructions are at http://www.thefoa.org/schpayonline.html
Instructor Certification
Instructors teaching CFOT or other FOA certification classes must be CFOT certified before teaching the course and COFS/I certified within 12 months. Here is information on FOA Instructor Certification.
- Updated Complete School & Instructor Procedures
- We've updated the school procedures to include changes in how we distribute our materials to FOA-Approved schools. It's all done online. Please read this and make certain all instructors and school administrators working with the FOA understand the procedures!
- What Is This Page All About?
- The FOA has started this web page just for FOA-Approved schools and fiber optic instructors, providing a focal point for the exchange of news and information.
- Our charter at the FOA is to promote fiber optics through education, certification, standards, and any other appropriate means. And we're a non-profit educational organization, so we can focus on those issues without worrying about making money.That's why we have developed many free resources for our schools, instructors and CFOTs, like this website with all the technical papers, introductory presentations, and monthly newsletter with fiber optic technology and industry news.
- This page is our focal point for instructors - sort of an instructors' newsletter. We'll send emails and PR out when we add something new, so you can come here to get the details. Bookmark this page - we think you will find it useful.
- Check out the resources in the column to the left. The Online Reference Guide and Tech Topics are a great source of technical information that is always expanding with new information, like the section just added on how fiber is manufactured. You should always read our online monthly newsletter where we focus on more general issues of interest to everyone in fiber optics. All our recent newsletters are archived so you can go back and read them too. The newsletter is where you should send your students too, since it has lots of useful information.
- The FOA Has An Email Newsletter Just For Instructors and Schools. Sign Up Now To Receive Our Monthly Newsletter and Job Postings By Email.
- We'd like to make this web page interactive - giving you a voice for your comments, allowing you to share your experiences and ideas - as well as being a conduit from us to you.
- Send us your comments - email them to info@thefoa.org.
- The FOA Has An Email Newsletter Just For Instructors and Schools. Sign Up Now To Receive Our Monthly Newsletter By Email.