September, 2011

I've been toying around with the idea of making some changes to the score reports because the results from our Exam Satisfaction Survey (yes, I look at this data very carefully and use your feedback to make decisions about how to improve the quality of content and exam experience, so you really should be completing it when you get the email from comScore asking you to do so!) consistently show low levels of satisfaction with the usefulness of the score reports. Honestly, this is a common result for most certification programs. After all, what is likely to be the most helpful--seeing the specific items that you missed--is something that few, if any, certification programs will ever provide. But, I do have some ideas on how I might be able...

I had a fun chat this morning with a few hundred Microsoft Learning Partners to see how much interest there was in offering a Free Virtualization exam to all their current and former ITPro students...not only were they interested, but almost 90 Learning Partners jumped in already today on behalf of their customers. You won't see a public announcement about this special opportunity to take exam 70-659 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization until after Oct 1st so keep a look out on Microsoft Virtualization Training & Certification for more details. Forgive me for taking a little more space, but I thought I would give you the early locations in case you're interested. If you've ever been a student at any of the following...

FAST University would like to thank all of you who attended our September 21 st free technical webcast on FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Service Pack 1 Improvements. This webcast explored major improvements and fixes included in the Service Pack 1 including: More flexible custom property extractors Improved title extraction for Word documents and PowerPoint presentations Modifications to default schema to improve relevancy The webcast also described how to obtain the Service Pack, as well as the migration steps for custom extractors. For your convenience, the recording of the webcast is now available online at the following locations: For customers and partners: Click Here   For employees: Click Here For more details on Enterprise...

As you may or may not be aware, FAST University offers a live virtual option for all of our traditional instructor-led courses. If live virtual is the correct option for you, there are some things you will need to do in order to prepare to attend a live virtual class. First, we will discuss the System Requirements. They are as follows: Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, 2003 R2, Vista or Windows 7 Administrative privileges to install software on your PC Internet access with broadband speed Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher (Active X enabled) or Firefox 1.5 or higher (Java installed) Turn off pop-up blockers and firewall settings as needed (contact your IT department) Headset with microphone for VoIP Next, we will discuss the classroom delivery...

Hi - I'm Mark Protus and want to introduce myself to the community. I'm a Lead Customer Marketing Manager at Microsoft Learning and have previously worked with professionals in both the Developer and IT Pro communities. In my new role, I'll be orchestrating customer and readiness materials for courseware, exams, and related tools and campaigns. The first campaigns I'll be leading will revolve around the launch of SQL "Denali" and Windows 8. Rather than push schedules and readiness information outward, I'd really like to hear from you to create a dialog. In addition to campaign and program details, I'd like to know about the information you need and want. I'm open to ideas we can share to help Microsoft...

If you’re a long-timer reader of this blog, you probably know that we often post about great opportunities and benefits available to our Microsoft Certified Trainers. If you’ve ever thought about joining our premier technical/instructional community, there’s a fantastic opportunity coming up next month in San Francisco! Head on over to MCT Christopher Harrison’s blog to learn about the upcoming MCT Summit and Train-the-Trainer event—hope we can welcome you to the MCT community in person next month!

Synonyms are a list of words attached to a keyword. Keywords are words or phrases that you have identified as typical terms within your organization. Keywords provide definitions for common terms that are used within your organization. Each keyword entry can also be associated with synonyms. If a term in a search query is defined with synonyms, the synonymous terms will be added to the query. Synonyms are generally defined in order to accomplish a specific business purpose, such as: force users to locate a certain product when they search for the product type perform acronym expansion locate documents containing synonymous terms Keywords can only be used within the site collection where they are defined. Keywords are used manually to improve...

We're looking for volunteers to help us with the development of a new Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA)* exam covering HTML5/CSS fundamentals. If you've taught introductory HTML5 or CSS courses in a high school, community college, or other learning environment, we want you! Candidates for this exam are seeking to prove core HTML web development skills. MTA is the first Microsoft certification targeted specifically at students who are new to IT. The exams validate the foundational knowledge needed to begin building a career using Microsoft technologies. We recommend that candidates have some hands-on technology experience prior to taking these exams. MTA provides an ideal stepping stone to our MCTS certifications and to a career...

Microsoft technologies are evolving more quickly than ever. In order to maintain the value of your certifications, we need to ensure that Microsoft certifications keep pace with changing technologies and remain a meaningful indicator of a candidate’s continued competence. In late July, we invited you to participate in a survey to gather customer and hiring manager feedback about implementing a recertification requirement for advanced level Microsoft certifications. I was very pleased that over 900 of you participated. Respondents included individuals who have work experience on every Microsoft technology area, and individuals holding every type of certification we have ever offered. We also heard from Microsoft Certified Trainers...

Microsoft Learning is hosting a brand new class in the popular “Jump Start” series. Because we received such rave reviews from the “ Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals ” Jump Start delivered earlier this year, our latest course is sure to be another smash. Here are the details: Course: Exam 70-659: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization Jump Start Instructors: Microsoft Technical Evangelist, Symon Perriman & Microsoft Technical Instructor, Philip Helsel Cost: $99 (includes an exam voucher valued at USD $150) Dates: 10/06/2011; 11/02/2011; 12/01/2011; 01/11/2012; 02/15/2012; 02/23/2012 NEW DATES ADDED! Wednesday, March 7, 2012 12pm - 8pm Pacific Time Thursday, April 12. 2012 10pm...

A few years ago, Scott Campbell was laid off from his job as a debt collector in Sacramento. As a former high school dropout with only a GED – he found himself faced with limited career prospects. Scott fell back on his amateur experience with computers and eventually found his way into some short-term IT support roles. However, he was forced to move from contract to contract and was unable to break through the glass ceiling for those who do not hold a degree. That’s when Scott decided to take control of his future. Last month, Scott sent an email titled “I owe you a huge thanks!” to the woman who unknowingly helped him to change his life. The email was signed, “Scott Campbell - Microsoft Support Engineer...

Microsoft Learning’s FAST University would like to invite our Enterprise Search customers and partners to join us on Wednesday, September 21, 11 AM – 12 PM EDT (GMT-5) , for a free technical webcast on FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Service Pack 1 Improvements. This webcast will explore major improvements and fixes included in the Service Pack 1 including: More flexible custom property extractors Improved title extraction for Word documents and PowerPoint presentations Modifications to default schema to improve relevancy The webcast will also describe how to obtain the Service Pack, as well as the migration steps for custom extractors. To join the webcast, please click on the link below and follow the provided instructions: Free Technical...

With the start of school, we're reminded that reading, writing, and arithmetic are the foundations of basic skills-orientated education programs. But in the 21st century, there is a fourth component: information technology and digital literacy. And it's technology education that is at the center of the IT Academy Program and what makes today's announcement so exciting. Washington State Rolls Out Nation’s Largest Microsoft IT Academy Program "Today, Microsoft and the State of Washington Office of Superintendent and Public Instruction (OSPI) announced that the Microsoft IT Academy will be available to all staff and students in public high schools, skills centers and tribal schools across Washington state. This deployment...

When implementing search, it is not always necessary to provide continuous feeding around the clock. In many cases off hours feeding can be used. The advantages of off hours feeding include: Increased document processing throughput by allocating additional document processing services when necessary Increased query performance by eliminating document processing during peak search usage Reduced hardware costs are achieved by using the same machines for Query and Result Servers (QR Server) during peak query times and document process services during feeding. Reduced stress on content sources, such as databases by feeding during off peak times. Improved network throughput by feeding when network traffic is otherwise low. Scenario Contoso Electronic...

After talking to customers, New Horizons found that many customers get busy in the days and weeks right after taking their training classes, and by the time they are free to go sit for a certification exam, they are worried that have forgotten much of the information they need to pass the exam. To help remedy this, New Horizons is working with Microsoft to provide free mentoring sessions to any student (does not matter if they took their training from New Horizons) to refresh their knowledge before taking the certification exams. What it is: Delivered by Microsoft Certified Trainers Sessions are delivered as webcasts Reviews the top technical issues that correspond to the questions that are most often missed...

By any standard, Andrew Bettany is an IT professional at the very top of his game. Andrew manages the IT Academy at the University of York , is a respected IT consultant and is an in-demand freelance trainer. Since 2005, he has been a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) with a burgeoning list of specialties. However, Andrew’s greatest pride lies not in his personal successes but in helping others to learn and achieve. Case in point, he recently volunteered his time at a certification bootcamp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Rather than just certifying Haitian IT professionals in Microsoft technologies, he helped teach them to become Microsoft Certified Trainers themselves. Born to Learn caught up with Andrew (on the road in South Africa...