The Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in the College of Education is launching three new online Graduate Certificate (CERT) programs.

Graduate Certificates are for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree but are not yet enrolled in a graduate degree program. Certificate credits can be stacked into a master’s program.

The three Graduate Certificate programs are:

• Instructional System Design Management and Leadership (ISDML)
• International Education Administration and Leadership (IEAL)
• Learning Design and Leadership (LDL)

Instructional System Design Management and Leadership
“The ISDML certificate equips students in foundational knowledge and competencies in instructional system design and learning technology integration for practical application purposes in workplace settings,” says Associate Professor Eunjung Grace Oh, program co-lead. “In addition, the coursework will help learners develop skills in various topical areas—for example, in project management, program evaluation, and consulting with organizations.” “The certificate aims to develop capable instructional designers who can lead the efforts to meet many increasing needs of workplaces and workforce development to expand learning and development modalities from face-to-face to virtual settings, in response to changing organizational needs as well as major systemic changes,” adds Professor Wenhao David Huang, program co-lead and co-director of Graduate Studies.

This certificate is designed for:

• those who aspire to manage teams of training and development professionals, including instructional designers and learning system designers, in the workplace;
• instructional designers and learning system designers who want to expand their career horizon for managerial roles in the workplace; and
• learning, design, and technology professionals who want to design and develop technology-enriched and -enabled learning systems for broadly defined learning and performance goals in workplace contexts.

International Education Administration and Leadership
“The University of Illinois has a long history of training international education specialists through Global Studies in Education and other related programs,” says Professor Allison Witt, program lead and director of the Office of International Programs. “Indeed, we’re renowned for our international education programming and lead the world in innovation in this field. Students in this certificate may collaborate with practitioners from across campus and with global campus partners around the world.”

This certificate is designed for:

• professionals who want to lead, develop, implement, and evaluate international programming and internationalization activities in business, industry, and education sectors, including postsecondary settings;
• people who want to develop and document specific international education expertise through participation in skill-building and practitioner-focused coursework; and
• students who aspire to specialize in particular facets of internationalization by selecting a global education abroad program and/or an internship to develop expertise in a specific region or skillset.

Learning Design and Leadership
“This certificate is for people who are interested in tackling challenging questions in the science and practice of learning, and in creating more effective, innovative, and indeed transformative learning environments,” says Professor William Cope, program lead. “It covers the foundational question of coming-to-know, not just for children and adults in traditional education institutions, but also in informal community, civic, and workplace settings. Students will be equipped with a pedagogical repertoire of learning and teaching strategies to support the design and delivery of their subject matter and learning goals.”

This certificate is designed for:

• learning and development professionals including instructional designers, e-learning specialists, training coordinators, curriculum designers, and learning leaders who want to learn and apply the theories and practices of learning in the context of digital media and learner diversity;
• K-12 educators, professional development designers, technology specialists, and administrators looking for career advancement;
• higher education instructors, course designers, program advisors, administrators, and communities of practice managers who are seeking strategies to support the design and delivery of their subject matter and learning goals;
• anyone with a personal or professional interest in the future of education and learning and development.

For more information about these new certificates, visit https://education.illinois.edu/online.