Does the current professor program benefit ....

[P_A]

.... the players, the league, the store (if a league store has multiple profs does it benefit them), POP themselves, (since they also have to devote time and money administering the program) or the individual? In it's current form - taking the test (in some cases taking it many times in an attempt to pass) - is it really worth it? Does the bragging factor add to the worth of being a professor? Do you think POP gets their money's worth from the efforts of most of those professors?

Personally I enjoyed getting some of the things from the professor store - like the Jacket, the polo, notepad, and hats, but is that enough? Have you taken the test just for the perks of the professor store?

What keeps you coming back to write the test year after year? Do you still think you get more than the effort you expend in this program?

If you had some say in what types of things you could "buy" in the professor store - different than what is there now, what would you suggest? Do you have any other comments on the professor program?

 

[Shadow Zangoose]

...I forgot to re-take the test. >__>

Really, what brings me back isn't the freebies in the professor store, however cool they might be. What keeps me running events is the younger kids and getting to see the people I've met in the game. That's pretty much what keeps me playing too. That's the way it should be, IMO.

But since you're asking what I, the poster think they should put in the professor store... I think those sleeves from the Professor Cup this year would be a good start. Foil energy would go over really well too. The prof. energy are alright... but the little logo just doesn't have the flair or appeal of a foil energy. Totebags would be a good idea too.

 

[The Gorn]

.... the players, the league, the store (if a league store has multiple profs does it benefit them), POP themselves, (since they also have to devote time and money administering the program) or the individual? In it's current form - taking the test (in some cases taking it many times in an attempt to pass) - is it really worth it? Does the bragging factor add to the worth of being a professor? Do you think POP gets their money's worth from the efforts of most of those professors?

Personally I enjoyed getting some of the things from the professor store - like the Jacket, the polo, notepad, and hats, but is that enough? Have you taken the test just for the perks of the professor store?

What keeps you coming back to write the test year after year? Do you still think you get more than the effort you expend in this program?

If you had some say in what types of things you could "buy" in the professor store - different than what is there now, what would you suggest? Do you have any other comments on the professor program?

I stopped being a professor a few years ago.

I had no real interest in playing in the Professor Cup. I'm not active in judging and running tournaments, so I wouldn't acquire professor points. (Although I would like to think that I contribute to the game in my own way.)

So for me, there was no real benefit to being a Professor.

(But I love the fact that they have the professor tournament for those people who help run things.)

 

[Lucario EX]

Great thread!

No, I don't think it's worth POP's time to keep the program going the way it is now. I don't think all the random people taking the test repeatedly when they don't plan to staff events should be doing so. As for whether it benefits the players, I think that depends completely on that individual Professor.

They would most likely be assumed to be correct more often than an average judge or LL, so if said Professor knew what they were doing, it would be slightly beneficial (less time wasted confirming rulings), but otherwise it would be more significantly detrimental (how many times have people posted 'I heard from a local Professor that *insert absurd statement here*?)

Also, the Professor Program provides an obvious and easy qualification for judges. Doubtless many PTOs simply decide to only allow Professors to judge, because it's so much easier than actually observing whether or not a possible judge knew the rulings, was good with children, could listen to authority, etc.
Clearly the latter would be preferable, but it's human nature to do things in the fastest and easiest way possible.

So, this creates another situation where the program is detrimental. Incompetent Professors might be chosen to staff events, simply because they passed the exam after possibly years of failing, while better judges might be overlooked, because of bad test-taking skills, age, etc.

In addition, with all due respect, POP's Professor Forum is stupid. Why have judging discussions that not all judges can even read, let alone comment on? Why is the forum confidential at all? Furthermore, POP is encouraging the idea that all Professors are qualified judges/LLs/TOs, and that all qualified judges, LLs, and TOs are Professors.

Just my slightly biased 2c. Sorry to rant.

 

[SlimeyGrimey]

has there ever been some kind of system put in place to keep people from cheating on the test? The test is pointless if you can just view the compendium etc. while you're taking it.

 

[P_A]

This is exactly the reason why I haven't renewed my professorship yet - since I didn't see how I could possibly be benefitted. I run a league and own 2 more, I have a hand in all events series, many of which I run multiples. I have been a (in my opinion) decent judge, including being head judge at Nationals for 3 years, and this year I was put in charge of Masters at Nats though I wasn't specifically the head judge. I guarantee I get many more points than I could possibly use personally in the store, and with the current level (if it is indeed only 6 items), it's hardly worth it. However I'm not in it for the points - otherwise I would mourn the loss of close to 200 points I've lost by being involved with organized play since I let my professorship lapse. I'm not into pokemon for the money either, since I'm sure I could make a lot more substantial money elsewhere. I certainly know the rules (though I have been wrong before, just like any other professor out there), and I don't need a test to tell me that I can be a judge, since I already know my limits there. I don't particularly need to be a professor since I'm a PTO, and have judges to handle rules situations in my events. I live too far away to conveniently travel to join in the professor cup. So I guess what I'm asking is is there any other reasons why I would be benefited by being a professor? Does my not being a professor otherwise inconvenience POP, or maybe even this site that I'm a global moderator at? Am I setting a bad example by not being one? Or conversely, do I set a good example IF I became one again? Sure, if the professor items were added to I could probably be convinced to join up again, but otherwise am I benefited? And with the current level of work and money involved to administer the POP professor program, is POP really benefited either? What kinds of items in the professor store would it take to make you reconsider becoming a professor again, if you were in my shoes?

 

[P_A]

Would honorary professor titles for contribution to the game be appropriate for The Gorn, since we can all attest to that contribution? How about other's contribution? Do we take the professor program seriously.... or perhaps too seriously? Does it mean anything? How would you like it to change? Would high score bonuses on the professor test be appropriate?

 

[Lawman]

The prof test is just a starter for POP to recognize those that they can for contributions to the game, leagues, etc. It is by no means the end all, be all for judging requirements. Any PTO that states they will only use Profs as judges does not understand that some folks under 18 are darn smart and good judges to boot! Now, if we get a tier system in place for Profs, that would assist PTOs in "finding" add'l judges. Have Nat'l level judges observe the local judges while they judge CCs, BRs, PRs, etc and give feedback to grade these folks. Once you have been OK'd by a registered Nat'l level judge, maybe going up to Prof level 2 or somthing would show more than just passing a test.

IMO, if a Prof takes the test and does NOTHING for the next year, they shouldn't be allowed to retest at the end of their year. Why take the test if you are helping to run a league, assist with card articles, judge at events, etc???

Keith

 

[kwisdumb]

I'm not, nor have I ever been a Professor, so a lot of these questions don't apply to me, but this is something that's always stuck out in my mind...

I think there needs to be some consolidation of the titles. TO, PTO, Professor, Judge, etc. I think this system can get pretty confusing at times, especially when most other games that I can think of have a single title that can both run and organize tournaments, as well as judge them.

Ultimately I'd like to see TO, PTO, and Professor be combined into one title, and that title could be the only one that is allowed to run and organize tournaments. I think this would help a lot of confusion that I've seen in some younger players, and I guess players in general really.

Just a suggestion. Interesting thread for sure.

 

[meganium45]

PA

The professor Program is like any other, you get out of it what you put into it.

Frankly,the Professor Program is the ONLY reward league leaders receive on a month-in and month-out basis (except for my league leaders )

There are levels of participation in this game that need be defined:

TPCi (also referred to as POP, or PUI from time to time) - Stands for The Pokemon Company International - These are the corporate employees who run organized play. Dav, Pete, Dan, Angela and others who post on here from time to time.

Rules Team - BDS, Pop, and others...those that assist with official rulings that need to be made, coordinating (in my understanding) with Japan, and TPCi. Great people, all.

PTO - Premiere Tournament Organizer - These are the people who run the major events around the country....Prereleases, States, Regionals, and most cities and battle Roads. Not many of us around, but every region should have a few of us flopping around.

TO - Tournament Organizer - People authorized to run local tournaments, leagues, and some Cities and Battle Roads. Every PTO is a TO, but not every TO is a PTO. Some TOs aspire to rise to the PTO rank, and some are happy playing their support role in the system.

LL - League Leader - Those that run Pokemon League week in and week out. Backbone of the program. We love these underpaid people, and most all of them love their jobs, and take great pride in their jobs.

Judges - Those selected by TOs and PTOs to officiate tournaments. Professor Program membership is not required. No age requirement. Hoping to see a formal judging program moving forward. Some TOs and PTOs are very serious about developing judges.

Professors - Those that have passed the Professor Test put forward by TPCi. Allows you to earn cool stuff for service.

What is missing here? Certified Judges, Head Judges, Lead Judges, and other titles that are still being developed. 6 years in, this is still a work in progress. Working well, but always we strive to improve.

Vince

 

[P_A]

PA

The professor Program is like any other, you get out of it what you put into it. How true that is! However, as this thread illustrates, I'm wondering if what we put into it (including TPCi's, and my own involvement) is really worth it. Don't worry, I didn't take offense, but I would hope you could see that my involvement in the game is certainly not insubstantial.

Frankly,the Professor Program is the ONLY reward league leaders receive on a month-in and month-out basis (except for my league leaders )
Perhaps you and I should collaborate, since we seem to have the same idea.

There are levels of participation ......

Judges - Those selected by TOs and PTOs to officiate tournaments. Professor Program membership is not required. No age requirement. Hoping to see a formal judging program moving forward. Some TOs and PTOs are very serious about developing judges. I hope a judging program will move forward as well, but I expect it may be hard to implement in places other than the US. I try to develop judging talent as well, and try to be better than fair with my support, since I know where I came from.

Professors - Those that have passed the Professor Test put forward by TPCi. Allows you to earn cool stuff for service.

What is missing here? Certified Judges, Head Judges, Lead Judges, and other titles that are still being developed. 6 years in, this is still a work in progress. Working well, but always we strive to improve.

Vince

.... posted part of my reply in red above ....

Yep, I agree. It is a work in progress, and we're progressing nicely, but what can we use to get even better? Can we evolve the professor program to better fit the needs of everyone (TPCi, owners, leagues, players, and yes, the individual professors themselves)? What would you change if you could?

 

[ShadowCard]

oh my, here we go...

In it's current form - taking the test (in some cases taking it many times in an attempt to pass) - is it really worth it?

YES!
Taking the test, repeatedly if necessary, it shows you have conviction to know the rules of the game.
Passing the test means you are knowledge on atleast the more advanced rules of the game. Think about how many people come onto Pokegym and say "I've taken the test X times and still haven't passed!" By passing the test, even if you do not plan to staff any events, you will be a better player because you will know the rules better.

Personally I enjoyed getting some of the things from the professor store - like the Jacket, the polo, notepad, and hats, but is that enough? Have you taken the test just for the perks of the professor store?

I'd be lying if I said "no." However, the answer is a little less black-and-white.
In the league store are items useful at league, such as the notebook and stopwatch. By being a professor, I have access to supplies I can use at league. Sure, I could go out and buy a notebook from CVS, but having that "professor-logo" item, that I earned, is a nice icing on the cake. And I do get comments from players and parents about how the paper I use is has the professor logo on it. It's a bit more classy than the CVS brand paper I'd otherwise use

If you had some say in what types of things you could "buy" in the professor store - different than what is there now, what would you suggest? Do you have any other comments on the professor program?

The professor store's main purpose appears to be rewards for professors. I do like that--professor-logo stamped items are a nice icing on the cake.
However, I would like to see items in the store to help with running league: rulebooks, damage counters, playmats.

 

[kwisdumb]

@Meganium: Great breakdown!

Also, I'd love if some of the league-oriented stuff were available to league leaders/owners, even to buy.

 

[ShadowCard]

In addition, with all due respect, POP's Professor Forum is stupid. Why have judging discussions that not all judges can even read, let alone comment on? Why is the forum confidential at all?

To be fair, many judges who currently have the ability to read that forum do not anyway
As for why it is confidential, there is a lot of stuff that gets said which is not final product. Take the "no drawing on cards" rule. That is still in draft form and maybe subject to change. By releasing it to everyone, POP stands to greatly confuse the players if that, or other topics, change. We wouldn't want someone to take something said there, in a draft or undeveloped form, and interpret it as final. POP made this mistake with the foreign language card rule change and got burned on it.

has there ever been some kind of system put in place to keep people from cheating on the test? The test is pointless if you can just view the compendium etc. while you're taking it.

There is a time limit on how long you can take the test as well as a time limit on how long the browser can be inactive. If you take too long reading the compendium, the test times out. So, instead of reading the compendium question for question, actually knowing the answers will get you through the test before that time out.

 

[afstandopleren]

oh my, here we go...


YES!
Taking the test, repeatedly if necessary, it shows you have conviction to know the rules of the game.
Passing the test means you are knowledge on atleast the more advanced rules of the game. Think about how many people come onto Pokegym and say "I've taken the test X times and still haven't passed!" By passing the test, even if you do not plan to staff any events, you will be a better player because you will know the rules better.

So okay, you know the rules better....from the Unlimited format, not the tournament format. IMHO, if you are judging, most of the questions asked in the test regarding cards just seem...somewhat unnecessary. But atleast it's useful for League Play where any old card can be played but even then, it's rather situational. It gives me the feeling that the test atm isn't very adequate or clear. I know from my own experience that it's very confusing when unlimited questions are being asked when you are focused on the limited format. Maybe it's an idea to be able to choose in what part you want to be a prof in?

 

[SteveP]

Good posts. Good replies.

My 2-cents:

Professorship "should" show one's commitment to knowing the rules and helping at events.

There are exceptions. For example, at the recent NA Prof Cup, I played a just-turned-18 professor. He was a professor who somehow earned 75 points in just 5 days. He was a very good player (made Top 8 in US Nats Masters). Did he "game the system?" Don't know for sure -- maybe he did something extra-ordinary in those short 5 days.

I think Vince (Meganium45) did a great job of listing/explaining the level-of-participants. Next to TPCi, PTOs and TOs are at the top of the dedication-to-OP list. Professors are "typically" near the bottom, just above where I'd place non-Professor volunteers.

The Professor Program IS worth it, IMO. It is where I sit.

 

[P_A]

....YES!
Taking the test, repeatedly if necessary, it shows you have conviction to know the rules of the game.
Passing the test means you are knowledge on atleast the more advanced rules of the game. Think about how many people come onto Pokegym and say "I've taken the test X times and still haven't passed!" By passing the test, even if you do not plan to staff any events, you will be a better player because you will know the rules better.

I'd be lying if I said "no." However, the answer is a little less black-and-white.
In the league store are items useful at league, such as the notebook and stopwatch. By being a professor, I have access to supplies I can use at league. Sure, I could go out and buy a notebook from CVS, but having that "professor-logo" item, that I earned, is a nice icing on the cake. And I do get comments from players and parents about how the paper I use is has the professor logo on it. It's a bit more classy than the CVS brand paper I'd otherwise use


The professor store's main purpose appears to be rewards for professors. I do like that--professor-logo stamped items are a nice icing on the cake.
However, I would like to see items in the store to help with running league: rulebooks, damage counters, playmats.

Good job. That's exactly the posts I'm looking for. Honestly, I have every intention of taking and passing the test shortly, but it's nice to see that someone can show real benefits to, and of the program as it stands at this moment. Change is good too. I've had less time to devote on things like I've had in the past, so a change of my status was interesting for a while as well. However, change in the program would be nice as well.

.... love if some of the league-oriented stuff were available to league leaders/owners, even to buy.

Yeah, that's an interesting idea as well.

Good posts. Good replies.

My 2-cents:

Professorship "should" show one's commitment to knowing the rules and helping at events.

There are exceptions. For example, at the recent NA Prof Cup, I played a just-turned-18 professor. He was a professor who somehow earned 75 points in just 5 days. He was a very good player (made Top 8 in US Nats Masters). Did he "game the system?" Don't know for sure -- maybe he did something extra-ordinary in those short 5 days.

I think Vince (Meganium45) did a great job of listing/explaining the level-of-participants. Next to TPCi, PTOs and TOs are at the top of the dedication-to-OP list. Professors are "typically" near the bottom, just above where I'd place non-Professor volunteers.

The Professor Program IS worth it, IMO. It is where I sit.

Yes, another good post. To make the professor program work for us, we need to work for it as well. Change in how we do things is good, and change in the program is good as well - since stagnation is the enemy of a healthy program in any case.

Keep it coming guys! Any more comments?

 

[The Fish King]

I am in the Professor Program out of love for the game, having activly played since Base Set. I prefer the role of leader and mentor than player. I enjoy being in the background making sure things run smoothly. I don't have aspirations of glory or fame. I enjoy my place. I judge tournaments about 5-10 times each year and am a league leader. The Professor Store is a nice plus but in no way the reason I am a professor. I would be a professor even without it.

When the Professor Program was first developed by WotC they had a prestige rank within the program call Gold Membership. It required active participation of the professor to gain any form of status. Perhaps if that was implemented again it would either weed out the one's who take the test but not do anything or motivate them to pull their weight.

 

[SteveP]

...When the Professor Program was first developed by WotC they had a prestige rank within the program call Gold Membership. It required active participation of the professor to gain any form of status. Perhaps if that was implemented again it would either weed out the one's who take the test but not do anything or motivate them to pull their weight.

Agreed. And, if you got the Gold Card, you were called Master Professor. Maybe we could have a Professor ranking system like (based on life-time points and time-in-service):

1. Professor
2. Master Professor
3. Grand Master Professor

Then, each year, we can have rotating titles like (based on end-of-season professor points):

1. Elite Professors (maybe Top 4 minus the Champion Professor)
2. Champion Professor (one person - top point-getter)

 

[rokman]

By keeping up to date with rulings, so that you can pass the test, you can really benefit as a player.