Q: Does LERN have a document that defines the following terms:
*Designation
*Certificate
*Bundle
A: Thank you for your inquiry about offering certificates through continuing education. As the Learning Resources Network (LERN) is the largest continuing education association in the world, we have researched this issue at colleges throughout the country and am pleased to provide you with some benchmarks and recommendations.
Certificates offered through continuing education units are increasing. They meet a need for employers, who want their employees and future employees to have demonstrated their knowledge skills to a third party (Miami Dade). And they are popular with employees for the same reasons. So the majority of continuing education units in colleges offer non credit certificates, and we would recommend continuing education at Miami Dade grow your portfolio of noncredit certificates as well. Noncredit certificates serve a fundamental economic need right now in the workplace, and thus is well within the mission of Miami Dade and its service to your community.
With respect to differentiating your certificates from those offered by academic departments within the college, this is also an issue that we have seen on other campuses. What we recommend is that the non credit certificates offered by your continuing education unit be called “Professional Certificates” to distinguish them from the credit certificates offered by academic departments in the college. The term “professional” connotes the fact that your certificates are for people already in the workforce needing professional continuing education to enhance their knowledge skills.
In this way, you are able to serve the need for both employers and employees for professional continuing education.
Original question: What is the definition of "designation, certificate, and bundle."
The term “designation” in education most commonly refers to certification, whether voluntary or mandatory, accompanied by initials. The initials are using three and start with a ‘C’ for Certified XXXX, although certainly there are designations that do not start with the letter ‘C.’
With a designation and certification, there is some recognition and approval of behavior, experience or competency in addition to knowledge skills. There is also an exam.
Designations are commonly offered by associations, and by licensing or regulatory agencies.
The term “certificate” refers to a curriculum regarding a specific knowledge skill set. A certificate is either a more extended or longer course, or more commonly 2-5 courses that compose the certificate. The certificate is gained by completing the course requirements, whatever those course requirements are.
A certificate is different from certification in three ways: a) there is often no exam; and b) there is no behavior, experience or competency component; and c) there are no initials.
Higher education institutions almost exclusively offer certificates, and not certification.
Bundling courses together is common, usually increases registrations for all the courses, and is also very profitable. The term “bundling” is an in-house term that continuing educators use, but is not generally used in marketing to the public.
What you describe below is very common with these exceptions. 1) Most programs offer CEUs in addition to the certificate. 2) Most do not offer a designation. 3) Almost no one offers a designation and certificate, it is either/or. What is the designation you offer for the certificate you describe below?
To us, a bundle is a grouping of courses for which we might offer a 15% discount. Bookkeeping one and two and Excel would be a three course bundle. When the student completes all three, they earn a designation and get a certificate. Because this is non-credit, he says they receive no CEU’s. Randy is wondering if this is how other non-credit U/CC’s function or if there is different verbiage out there for this situation.