Tom Mason, a senior information technology education specialist, said if he was a student again he would want to have basic computer software skills before taking technology-intensive classes.
“I would already have exposure to the content, I would already have exposure to the tools,” said Mason, who works for University Information Technology Services. “It would be less work.”
Last summer, UITS began offering online IT training courses teaching basic technology skills.
“It’s a way to get our training in the hands of more people,” Mason said.
As of now, the IT Training Certification has five series teaching basic knowledge of Excel, Access, web creation, media design and programs in Microsoft Office.
Each online series constitutes four to six courses. Courses are free for IU students, staff and faculty and cost $9.99 for others.
Once a series is completed, participants receive an online certificate available in the IU Expand student dashboard, according to the UITS website.
While these courses are not for credit, Mason said students can cite the training courses as additional skills on their résumés.
“When people get jobs, their employers might need to know that they have experience working with these applications,” Mason said.
Don Dyar, a project coordinator for the Walter Center for Career Achievement, said the certificates can show students went above and beyond in their education. The degree to which employers will appreciate these skills depends on the type of job, Dyar said.
“To some companies they may mean the world, to others they may be worthless,” Dyar said.
Dyar said he suggests making an appointment with a career coach to discuss what to include on a résumé, but he said any of the certificates can help in some capacity.
“There’s no way they can hurt,” Dyar said.
A 2017 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers states 59.8 percent of employers surveyed seek technical skills and 48.7 percent seek computer skills on students' résumés.
Mason said a lot of the material covered in the online courses overlap with material in academic classes for credit throughout the University, but they have different purposes.
The UITS Excel Essentials Series covers content similar to K201: The Computer in Business, Mason said, but the business class teaches the material through the eyes of business employers, while the UITS courses give general application of the software.
Other UITS courses, such as the web design and media design series, overlap with classes taught in the School of Art, Architecture + Design and the School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.
“What’s your goal? Do you want credit, or do you want to learn the skills?” Mason asked.
UITS previously offered these trainings in person, but Mason said they started moving content online in summer 2017 to increase enrollment.
“The online classes are a way to reach people where they are,” Mason said. “It’s a matter of flexibility.”
In a class of 30 people, with varying skill levels, Mason said one course would take three to four hours to teach. Online, people might take one to three hours depending on their previous experience.
“That’s the beauty of the online format,” Mason said. “You can take however long you want.”
The transition reflects an increase in online courses offered throughout the University. Nearly a third of all IU students takes at least one online course, according to the Office of Online Education’s website.
IU currently offers 116 online degree programs and 2,197 online classes. The board of trustees recently approved three online master's programs.
While UITS no longer schedules in-person classes, groups of 10 or more students can request sessions to learn specific topics.
Mason said UITS is currently working on additional content to offer online.
“What’s out there now is not the final offering,” Mason said.
