Certificates and Diplomas

[High_Order1]

So...

I keep getting emails from Alison and other types of places now.


Does a certificate from a place like that or a 'diploma' hold any weight out there where you are? Some of the titles are very compelling, but I fear they are like the programs you could take from the back of magazines; I know those don't really hold much weight.

Just curious

[futuremrsmlb]

I am not sure about the reputation of them but I have a few Alison certs and the courses are free. So it was worth it to me

[bjcheung77]

Allison certificates are just for personal enrichment, the HR managers/employers won't even look at that.
They're basically the same as BrainBench certificates, it's only to get you interested in a topic and learn a bit about it.
If you're really into getting a Certificate that will help you in the long run, the Saylor Diploma's they have now are awesome...
There are several minors available as well, those would be weighted more similar to an actual college diploma...

[bluebooger]

never heard of Allison
but after looking at the website I'm guessing they're on the same level as udemy -- https://www.udemy.com/courses/
and coursera and edx

all 3 of those have interesting courses
but I doubt an employer would consider any of them as anything special

saying that, I will be doing the Linear Algebra course with edx on the 24th
https://www.edx.org/course/linear-algebr...-ut-5-04x#!
because
"MATLAB licenses will be made available to the participants free of charge for the duration of the course."

and I want to learn that

I have lots of experience with VBA, SQL and R so in my case I think putting another software package on my resume can help

I'm also thinking of doing a nanodegree at udacity -- https://www.udacity.com/nanodegree

right now they're on sale for 16% off
$199 discounted to $167 USD / MONTH
and if you finish in 12 months then its 50% off

so only $1002

won't get any credit (not even ACE) for it ( WGU gives credit for the nanodegree, but I'm pretty sure no one else will -- B.S. Data Management/Data Analytics )
and I know I could learn the same things for free on youtube and with a $150 with books from Amazon
but I'm still considering it

[High_Order1]

Yeah!
That's the other thing I keep seeing but don't understand.... nanodegree.

I am betting that has no impact in academia or their kind, does it?

Why is a Saylor's product more valuable than say udemy or Alison?

[cookderosa]

My sons and I have completed a lot of Alison certificate and diploma programs. Me for personal interest, them for high school credit (as a homeschool administrator, it's my call - just to be clear Alison doesn't issue high school credit)

Generally unless you can get CEUs or college credit, it may not be regarded with much weight. But, I have a small section on my resume where I have lumped together non-credit continuing education - that includes stuff like Alison but also stuff I've paid for. I think you just have to see if it fits in to the image you're trying to create on paper.

[cathgrl]

If you're really into getting a Certificate that will help you in the long run, the Saylor Diploma's they have now are awesome...
There are several minors available as well, those would be weighted more similar to an actual college diploma...

What are these Saylor diplomas you're talking about? I just see certificates for individual courses.

[sanantone]

What are these Saylor diplomas you're talking about? I just see certificates for individual courses.

Pathways | Saylor Academy

I wouldn't say that Saylor certificates have more value. The value of certificates of completion at any unaccredited institution is determined by the market. It is up to employers if they want to give any value to a MOOC. Many people have gotten jobs with their Udacity education, but Udacity has worked hard to form partnerships with major companies. Saylor and Alison aren't very well-known.

[Life Long Learning]

I think the cool factor is the FREE Australian/New Zealand version from their Universities::hurray:

https://www.open2study.com/courses

I have completed a few. You receive a two page Certificate. Page one is the certificate with University logo and page two is your transcript/grade.

•Emergency Management, Certificate of Achievement
Jon Mitchell, 16 Hours, Grade: 93%
Massey University, University of New Zealand, Wellington

•Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Andrew Heys, 16 Hours, Grade: 83%
Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM), Sydney, Australia

•Strategic Management, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Mo Kader, 16 Hours, Grade: 90%
Open Training Institute, Open Universities Australia (OUA), Melbourne, Australia

•Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (LEAD), Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Randal Tame, 16 Hours, Grade: 73%
Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM), Sydney, Australia

•Understanding the Origins of Crime, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Aaron Sell, 16 Hours, Grade: 90%
Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia

•Foundations of Psychology, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Andrew Francis, 16-Hours, Grade: 95%
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), Australia

•Astronomy: Discovering the Universe, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. John Morgan, 16-Hours, Grade: 100%
Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia

•The Human Body as a Machine, Certificate of Achievement
Dr. Colin Carati, 16-Hours, Grade: 95%
Flinders University of South Australia

•Marine and Antarctic Science, Certificate of Achievement
Professor Craig Johnson/Dr. Jess Melbourne-Thomas, 10 Nov 2015, 16 Hours, Grade: 95%
University of Tasmania, Australia

•Management for a Competitive Edge, Certificate of Achievement
Haldor Aamot, 16-Hours, Grade: 100%
The International College of Management Sydney (ICMS), Australia

•Agriculture and the World We Live In, Certificate of Achievement
Russ Tillman, 16-Hours, Grade: 93%
Massey University, University of New Zealand, Wellington

•Water in a Thirsty World (WITW), Certificate of Achievement
16-Hours, Grade: 78%
Open2Study (Academic) courses
Rima is a Planning Engineer for a major Western Australian water authority.

[sanantone]

Here's an interesting article on the value of Coursera certificates and rampant cheating in MOOCs.

Is getting a verified certificate on Coursera worth it? | MoocLab - Connecting People to Online Learning