Making computer certification work in an undergraduate program

Independent third-party computer certification is becoming more and more important to students and to prospective employers. Incorporating these certifications into an academic program is both challenging and rewarding. It provides students additional verification that they are indeed learning what is expected in the workplace as well as enhancing their resumes. It also provides additional ways to measure course success rates and to validate educational outcomes. Certification information is entered into a tracking database along with course information. The tracking database has many uses, including: partial automation of the scheduling and advising processes, correlation of student success rates with course performance (which in turn allows courses to be enhanced / improved based upon that correlation), and management of certification examination voucher inventory.