Career relevance
Workplaces and work roles increasingly involve media-rich and technology-enhanced forms of learning, professional practice and personal development, often summarised in the term ‘elearning’. Accordingly the experience of achieving this certificate has proved vocationally relevant across a wide range of occupations and locations, from managers in business organisations, teachers of languages, consultants, trainers and teachers at any level of the education sector.
Each module in the Postgraduate Certificate in Online and Distance Education requires study using a range of tools and learning environments. Consequently you will improve your personal skills in using these tools and this makes a positive impact on your own practice. You will experience the implications of learning technology choices made across a wide range of contexts and organisations, both formal and informal. You will advance not only your skills of selection and design of technology, but also your understanding of how technologies engage learners and how they can be evaluated and developed on a continuing basis.
Depending on your choice of module study, the qualification will enable you to demonstrate in addition, expertise in particular areas:
- Designing, implementing and critiquing technology-enhanced learning, if you study Technology-enhanced learning: foundations and futures (H880)
- Research and evaluation of educational technology, including research design and planning, and critical review of research reports, if you have included The critical researcher: Educational technologies in practice (H819)
The vocational relevance of a qualification in Online and Distance Education goes well beyond the obvious category of teacher and trainer, and previous alumni have included librarians, media professionals, project managers, consultants, entrepreneurs, practice educators in nursing, web developers and other professionals in commerce.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.