Information technology students’ beliefs on industry certifications

[EN] The common challenge of Information Technology (IT) educators all over the world is to design a curriculum that is relevant to the evolving needs of the industry and society in general. One method many universities have started to use is to embed industry certifications to their curriculums. In this paper IT students´ beliefs on these certifications are analysed. The aim of the study is based on the following research question: How taking part on the certification training and exams changes students´ beliefs on industry certificates, do students value the industry certification similarly today than earlier and do students see that the industry certificates are more important in some job roles than in others. The results of the study suggest that students have realistic idea what industry certificates are and where they are needed. Although the ever-increasing popularity of industry certificates have maybe somewhat decreased their value, students still believe that they are valuable especially when entering the labour markets. Therefore, the results of the study suggest that industry certifications should have a role in higher education curriculums also in the future.Koivisto, M. (2015). Information technology students’ beliefs on industry certifications. En 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION ADVANCES (HEAD' 15). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 451-457. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.38245145

Advanced IT education for the vision impaired via e-learning

Lack of accessibility in the design of e-learning courses continues to hinder students with vision impairment. E-learning materials are predominantly vision-centric, incorporating images, animation, and interactive media, and as a result students with acute vision impairment do not have equal opportunity to gain tertiary qualifications or skills relevant to the marketplace and their disability. Due to its logical, rather than physical, nature IT help desk and network administration roles are ideal for people who are blind. This paper describes the development of a fully accessible e-learning environment to deliver advanced IT network curriculum to adults with acute vision disabilities. The components include a virtual classroom, accessible learning materials, a remote computer laboratory, and delivery of the learning materials by vision impaired instructors. Industry standard courses in advanced IT were redeveloped, and the accessible on-line learning environment was developed to deliver the courses. Vision impaired students who excelled in the pilot project were trained as instructors, gaining industry-standard instructor certifications. These instructors were used to assist with the design of accessible methods and delivered the materials to the vision impaired students.The project has been operational for four years with a pilot project being conducted over a two year period, followed by the delivery of the courses both local and remote vision impaired students across the globe using this accessible e-learning environment for the past two years. Evaluation results indicate that vision impaired students situated both locally and remotely gained equivalent grades to their sighted counterparts given additional time to comprehend and experiment via the virtual classroom and remote computer laboratory. In addition, the use of vision impaired instructors has resulted in more innovative approaches to accessible teaching methods and delivery of the curriculum

IT Certification: Demand, Characteristics and Integration into Traditional University MIS Curriculum

The value of IT certification is a subject of debate. IT magazines suggest that certifications can provide opportunities for new positions, promotions or salary increases to existing employees. Research suggests that IT certification can boost a fresh graduate’s profile to garner the attention of a hiring manager. Research also suggests that certification, education and experience are complimentary factors in the future job prospects of a candidate. For years, educators have been suggesting to include IT certifications in the traditional computing curricula of colleges and universities. However, due to a dearth of knowledge and commitment, faculty members have been reluctant to follow the suggested route. In this paper, we report the steps of integrating several IT certifications in the graduate MIS curriculum of a U.S. university over a period of six years. Certifications from the leading vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco were integrated into the programming, database, and networking courses. A Survey of past and present students suggests that almost all believe that IT certification can help them build a better career and they were prepared well for the certification exams. We recommend that educationists who have been faced with the dilemma of whether or not to adapt IT certifications in their computing curricula, should take the steps and do so. That will bring IT departments up to the par with IT industry standards

Using the Work System Method with Freshman Information System Students

To date, the use of the work system method in information systems curricula has demonstrated that postgraduate students can benefit from this approach when examining a business situation involving an information system. To contrast the experiences of post-graduate students with work experiences, in this paper we report on use of a simplified version of the Work System Method in a freshman Information Systems course and study how students without work or technical knowl-edge performed when analyzing IT-reliant work systems in business settings. We reflect on an introductory information systems course that included a work system analysis assignment, and we examine the reports produced by students as well as the learning outcomes and challenges

Information Technology Worker Recruitment: An Empirical Examination of Entry-Level IT Job Seekers’ Labor Market

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Valor percibido de las certificaciones de tecnologías de la información y su relación con el comportamiento planeado.

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Examining Employability as Associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA Certifications

Forrier and Sels (2003) define employability as “an individual’s chance of a job on the internal and/or external labor market” (p. 106) and is important (Wittekind, Raeder, & Grote, 2010). Possessing an industry certification may be considered an example of human capital skill. The human capital theory suggests qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experience of individuals may lead to increased earnings or productivity (Becker, 1993; Rosen, 1987; Schultz, 1971). As such, the human capital theory provides a framework for studying perceived employability (Wittekind, Raeder, & Grote, 2010; Verhaar & Smulders, 1999) as associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA industry certifications. Randall and Zirkle (2005) suggested that entry-level certification is promoted as a “vehicle to provide students with viable skills needed by the workforce, to satisfy state skill standards, and to prepare students for postsecondary studies” (p. 287). Beyond intrinsic pride in one’s accomplishment and praise received from classroom teachers, there is a need to make the connection for how industry certification relates to employability. Therefore, gaining a better understanding of how achieving industry certification relates to employability opportunities in Arkansas will provide certification candidates with more concrete answers to possible essential questions such as “why should I be certified” and “how am I going to use this certification.” The purpose of this study was to investigate how achieving IC3, MOS, and ACA industry certification relates to employability opportunities in Arkansas as perceived by human resource (HR) and information technology (IT) professionals. To narrow the gap in the knowledge regarding employability implications for certification holders in the state of Arkansas, a convenience sample of HR and IT professionals was used. Participation was voluntary. Instrumentation was based upon CompTIA’s (2011) Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification. CompTIA is the Computing Technology Industry Association; a non-profit trade association. Research questions addressed familiarity with IC3, MOS, and ACA certifications, perceptions regarding preference for candidates possessing certification, compensation for certification credentials, and value placed upon certification credentials

Perceptions Measurement of Professional Certifications to Augment Buffalo State College Baccalaureate Technology Programs, as a Representative American Postsecondary Educational Institution

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