Evaluation Process for Curriculum Equivalency for Associate Professional Ergonomist (APE) Certification
The Certifying Board of Professional Ergonomists (CBEST), hereinafter referred to as the CBEST Board, accepts applications from educational institutions for curriculum equivalency for programmes that teach ergonomics-related knowledge. The information submitted will support the Board’s consideration of graduates from your institution for Associate Professional Ergonomist (APE) certification in three areas: (1) Physical Ergonomics: APEP, (2) Cognitive Ergonomics: APEC, and (3) Macro Ergonomics: APEM.
Institutions may apply for curriculum equivalency in a single area or all three areas. The CBEST Board will evaluate two components: Basic Knowledge and Specific Knowledge in each area. The curriculum equivalency procedure is as follows:
1. The programme representative (the academic staff member responsible for the programme or a person designated by the programme chair) must enter the required information in the online system. The Curriculum Equivalency application comprises two parts:
Part 1: Curriculum Equivalency for Basic Knowledge (Click to access the online data entry system)
Part 2: Curriculum Equivalency for Specific Knowledge covering the following three areas:
APEP: Curriculum Equivalency for Specific Knowledge in Physical Ergonomics (Click to access the online data entry system)
APEC: Curriculum Equivalency for Specific Knowledge in Cognitive Ergonomics (Click to access the online data entry system)
APEM: Curriculum Equivalency for Specific Knowledge in Macro Ergonomics (Click to access the online data entry system)
Educational institutions applying for curriculum equivalency must enter programme information for both parts outlined above: Part 1, Basic Knowledge, and Part 2, Specific Knowledge. For Part 2, institutions may apply for curriculum equivalency in a single area or all three areas.
2. The Chair and Secretary of the Certifying Board of Professional Ergonomists (CBEST) select three representatives from the CBEST Board to evaluate the curriculum submitted for equivalency. These representatives must have no vested interest, conflict of interest or involvement with the curriculum under review.
The three representatives comprise:
One lead reviewer with expertise in the area of ergonomics for which certification is sought, who works in a faculty or academic discipline relevant to your programme.
Two co-reviewers with expertise in the area of ergonomics for which certification is sought, at least one of whom must be from a different faculty or academic discipline from the lead reviewer.
3. The CBEST Board’s Evaluation Criteria for Curriculum Equivalency
3.1 The evaluation will follow the detailed core competencies requirements for Associate Professional Ergonomists (APE) established by the CBEST Board.
3.2 The evaluation will cover both Basic Knowledge and Specific Knowledge in the area for which certification is sought.
The evaluation will assess the topics, content and teaching hours against the requirements set out in the competency document for Associate Professional Ergonomists. The evaluation will take no more than 90 days after data entry is completed.
Note: Documents Required for Data Entry
1. A PDF copy of the complete programme curriculum document approved by the University Council, bearing the official stamp.
2. PDF copies of weekly teaching plans or TQF 3 course specifications containing detailed teaching plans, covering only the courses cited in the curriculum equivalency application.
3. If the person entering the information is not the academic staff member responsible for the programme, a letter of endorsement from the programme chair must be provided in PDF format.