National Associates Committee

My IDP experience was fairly neutral. In persuing my professional interests with vigor I was able to complete the program within 3 years.

My IDP experience would have been better if I felt it had a direct consequence on my licensure. IDP remains a hoop to jump through, but is not used as a means to quantify a ARE's candidate's capabilities. The exam remains a task to see who can memorize the most information and follow the directions best.

If I were in charge and could make any changes, I would begin an evolution of IDP into a means in which to GRANT licensure. Standardized tests cannot evaluate the performance and skills of an architect in the 21st Century. Extend IDP to a 5 year program, intensify the tracking of hours WITH ACCOUNTABILITY. Develop the mentoring component as an unbiased means to evaluate the individual's qualifications for licensure. Then eliminate the ARE.

My IDP experience was good for the most part. I kept myself on top of units and hours and made sure I was getting the experience I needed in each category. I was able to get through IDP in 2.5 years. It would have been nice if someone was constantly asking me if I was where I needed to be, though.

My IDP experience would have been better if I could have taken the ARE concurrent with IDP. I know this is now in process and I am happy it is set up this way. Reporting would have been nice if could have been online.

If I were in charge and could make changes, I would eliminate the multiple choice exams and replace them with more drawing based exams. The multiple choice portions of the ARE test a persons ablility to memorize and guess at wrong answers vs. challenging them on what they know. Some canidates go in and don't study at all for the test (guessing at the questions) and pass, while others study for the exam and don't pass because they are not good test takers. There needs to be more of a comprehensive exam that challenges what you know based off of what you memorized and forget after you take the exam. I agree with the posted comment above about expanding IDP and develop a mentoring based internship and eliminate portions of the ARE. I believe the multiple choice tests are based on luck and not actually knowledge one has.

My IDP experience is satisfactory so far. It's difficult to find the time in a day-to-day work schedule to stay on top of recording and reporting units.

My IDP experience would be better if my firm was more involved in the process and culture of internship. I give them some credit for the overall firm culture, but there is room for improvement with regard to principals' and managers' knowledge about the process and it's importance.

If I were in charge and could make any changes, I would require that firms must have a comprehensive IDP/internship plan in place (similar to how businesses must have comprehensive safety plans) in order to maintain their firm registration. I would also require that the local and/or AIA chapters audit the IDP supervisors and mentors overseeing an intern.

I agree with JZ.
My IDP experience was too easy. I was able to creatively complete all my units rather than actually learn the material. In my own experiences I am almost done with my exams and getting my butt kicked by the extra responsibility I am expected to handle at work.
My IDP experience would have been better if I had realized that I needed way more experience and I should have taken my IDP more seriously as well as have my supervisor's and mentor's truely question my experience. Now taking my tests I realize the importance of training units I finished 2 years ago, so in favor of ARE timing a direct correlation could be made.
If I were in charge and could make any changes, I would say that the IDP process needs to be of a better quality where both the intern and the supervisor are able to make the experience as qualitative and quantitative as possible to make sure the intern is REALLY knowledgable enough and prepared to be an ARCHITECT. Especially with ARE timing that even though I am in favor of it, I do see a negative backlash of being able to produce less experienced architects. Therefore it is even more important that they actually learned something during their internship rather than just get by.

My IDP experience was frustrating, due to a lack of information available to graduates of architecture school programs. Not to mention the fact that NCARB lost, yes lost my complete file. (Luckily for them, and me, they found it.)
My IDP experience would have been better if my college had made IDP information more available to students. It also would have been better had there been a “database” of mentors, so that I wouldn’t have to call around trying to find one. And of course the obvious, it would have been better had NCARB not lost my file, due to what I perceived to be, lack of staff.
If I were in charge and could make any change I wanted, it would be to get NCARB, the AIA and architectural schools to work more closely together to provide graduates with the information and resources they need.
They come out school all fired up about starting their professional life only to get beat down by the lack of information and a stubborn bureaucracy (NCARB).

My IDP experience is going ok (slow) so far. I am way over in some categories, while don't have any hours racked up in others.

My IDP experience would have been better if… my firm was more receptive and knowledgable about the process. They don't really seem to care, or are too busy to mentor me properly. I feel as if I'll have to switch jobs to complete the process. Everyone in college was gung-ho about IDP, now in the real world it seems like a hassle and a big waste of time. Also, several clerical errors have been made on my account to further complicate things (They questioned the fact that I had a masters degree from an accredited university, tried to make me pay a maintenece fee when I still had 2 years left, and I once put 2009 instead of 2008 when it was obivous what I meant and that complicated things terribly.)

If I were in charge and could make any changes, I would… eliminate IDP and create a better system to provide experience to interns. I am jealous of my dentist and lawyer friends who went through just as much schooling as I did, have already taken their required exams, and make about twice as much right out of school, and don't have to label themselves as just an Intern. I feel like I am a high school student when I say I am an intern.

Considering that this topic was posted in January and to date there are only 6 responses, 7 counting this one, it makes you wonder where all the positive and wonderful experiences are.

My IDP experience was… and still is terribly frustrating. Firms only want and only need interns and graduates to do drafting production

My IDP experience would have been better if…there was accountability for firms to provide the required activities but there isn't any. NCARB nor State A.R.B.'s provide oversight or accountability of firms and no "complaint" department that one can go to.

If I were in charge and could make any changes, I would…set up a mandatory apprenticeship program that is a part of graduation requirements and is monitored by the school a person is goiing to. I would also provide a means by which anyone with a 2 year degree and 6 years of experience could also take part in apprenticeship/IDP and also be afforded mentoring and appropriate experiences to meet those program requirements.

Firms MUST be held accountable when working with anyone enrolled in the NCARB IDP/Apprenticeship program. They MUST provide Time and Experiences as part of NATIONAL certification IN NCARB or lose their NCARB Certification.

There must be appropriate salary/work/IDP ratios for firms to be certified by NCARB.

If a firm wants NCARB Certification they must meet IDP/Apprenticeship requirements.

NCARB is worthless unless it steps up the the plate to make firms and individuals EARN the certification with part of that Certification process being a mentoring aspect to Interns enrolled in the IDP/Apprenticeship Program.

In my experience the majority of firms are not embracing IDP as a critical operational responsibility but rather as an elective extraneous and voluntary duty. Less than effective.

I'm a Registered Architect in MN and have been for 18 years, I do not have an accredited degree, I have technical training from a vo-tech and was able to become liscensed under MN grandfather rule. But I can not get NCARB certified. They said the following - "You will be unable to apply for the NCARB
certificate if you do not have an NAAB degree. An alternative to the
certificate is the Broadly Experienced Architect( BEA) program" So as I sit here unemployed at the age of 50, what good does this do me right now, If i move and want to become liscensed in another state their rules vary and it appears that BEA is not accepted and I would have to pay IDP to document the past 26 years exp. for what and after another year none of it will count. STUPID Folks, there are very talanted folks out there, IDP and NCARB is to geared to the young architects to be, what about the old timers that know their stuff, where will we be.

I am interested in putting together a grant proposal concerning the current status and possible revamp of NCARB's involvement and process to becoming a licensed architect. If you would be interested in participating please email me @ breta.bishop@gmail.com