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Certificates
My institution has just approved an undergraduate minor called Digital Media and Game Design. Because we are the only public university in central/northern New Hampshire, our mission includes providing educational opportunities for the regional community, primarily adult learners. Our community education office just asked my department whether we would be willing to package our minor into a certificate program. In other words, people from the regional community who are not matriculated as students would be able to come to the University, take the 16 credits that comprise the minor and leave with a certificate in Digital Media and Game Design. There are lots of logistical questions to be answered before we agree to offer this certification and I personally feel a bit mixed about it. But I was wondering whether others have experience with such programs or have opinions about the value of such programs. What kinds of questions should we be asking ourselves as we determine whether to offer the certification?
I forgot to sign this--Cathie LeBlanc, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
I forgot to sign this--Cathie LeBlanc, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
3 Comments:
I'm curious as to what types of certifications you are considering (or is that still in the research phase?). My school just announced we are getting into certifications too. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Flash, Maya, that sort of thing. What else is out there?
Our certification would be more generic than what you're talking about (at least the way the director of continuing ed described it). It would be a certificate in Digital Media and Game Design. It would have that name because that's what our minor has as a name. I guess one of my main questions is "what does it mean when someone says they have a certificate in something?"
Oh, that kind of certificate has to develop value over time. You are certifying that the students met the requirements set forth in this collection of courses. They did more than take a class and less than earn a degree. Only over time will the industry decide if a certificate from your program (or anyone else's) is meaningful.
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