Federation of Dining Room Professionals

www.fdrp.com

The Federation of Dining Room Professionals (FDRP) publishes books and training materials to support their programs to certify dining room professionals in 10 countries and all 50 states. Through partnerships with the preeminent culinary schools in America, their programs currently reach hundreds of students annually. Because "certification is only as valuable as the organization that promotes it," Bernard says maintaining impeccable testing standards is critical.

Online testing allows greater expansion

FDRP sells their materials in bookstores, culinary colleges and universities across the country. Online, their materials are available around the world in two languages. Because the FDRP doesn't have contact with every student taking their certification examination, they needed a way to offer access without pre-registration.

Bernard searched for a way to administrate the exam without contacting each student and most of the testing programs available didn't offer the right solution. However, Hostedware was able to generate access codes specific to each certification level so that the system can generate a test according to the student's progress.

Tests are automatically constructed from a random selection of questions. The system knows how many questions to select and from which categories based on the access code entered by the student.

Another benefit of this system is that the access codes don't expire. Because tests are generated randomly, students can re-take the test as many times as necessary without needing a new code.

The code is valid until the student passes the test, which was important to Bernard. "This program guarantees certification as long as you use it--you can take and retake tests until you pass--there's no need to buy a new access code," he says.

Question bank prevents cheating

So often, professors have to go to the work of randomizing their own tests or creating multiple tests for their classes. But the FDRP's tests are automatically randomized.

The test bank currently has 500 questions available. Each question is categorized by chapter so that the computer can automatically compile tests.

This also makes it easier for students to retake the test without the administration headaches of checking test versions.

Bank structure takes tests beyond the classroom

The question bank is also ideal for large restaurant organizations that need a way to ensure each employee is held to high standards. Bernard offers these companies customized tests to meet their specific needs.

Using the current test bank, restaurants are able to test applicant and employee knowledge of fundamental areas such as dietary restrictions and serving procedures.

This streamlines the hiring and promotion process by standardizing interview requirements. Bernard believes that the blind nature of the tests will also offer restaurants some protection from discrimination lawsuits.

Reporting functions provide instant feedback

Currently, test results are automatically emailed to the test-taker, the professor, and, at the choice of the school/corporation, the dean or upper management.

This enables professors and managers to easily report grades and compare scores throughout entire classes. By considering the questions most students missed, professors and trainers can evaluate the quality of their lectures.

Automatically sending the reports to upper management or the school's dean also ensures a standard level of performance throughout the program and enables the test administrator to see each professor/trainer's strong and weak areas.

Bernard credits Hostedware for these automatic functions and with the FDRP's impressive penetration into the academic world.

Because some of the features the FDRP needed weren't originally available from Hostedware, he's had a first-hand look at Hostedware's ability to quickly add new features and respond to customer needs. He says, "I've never, never, NEVER had a problem that wasn't fixed within 24 hours of my call."

The partnership between the companies has ensured the FDRP is well situated for future expansion and that the testing parts of their certification process are held to the highest standards.