| |
Professional
Education Courses Available Online
By Andrea Flood ‘03
In an increasingly competitive job market, how can employees
seek ways to advance their occupational opportunities? Furthermore, how
can these individuals find the time to develop these new skills in the
midst of already demanding career schedules?
Villanova’s Office of Continuing Studies seems to have found a solution
to this pervasive concern through its online certificate programs. With
courses exploring the various facets of project management, these programs
serve the diverse needs of today’s students. Instead of attending
regularly scheduled classes, enrolled students can log on and complete
the course work whenever they choose.
The courses are comprised of streaming video lectures and certified professor-led
programs that the student can access based upon their own schedule. The
programs also feature professor and student e-mail, professor-led chat
sessions, bulletin boards and an online faculty support. These components
of the online certification courses offer students unparalleled training
opportunities without interfering with their current work or even family
schedule.
“This area has grown extensively because people may already have
a degree and are looking additional education to enhance that degree,
or maybe they are career-changers wanting to do something different and,
as a result, are looking for that extra experience that will allow them
to be able to advance in that new field,” explained Dr. Robert Stokes,
the associate dean for Part-Time Studies and University Outreach.
While there is a diverse spectrum of certificate courses offered through
Continuing Studies, Villanova’s online project management series
remains one of the most popular programs. This past year, the program
celebrated an enrollment of 4,500 students. Project management helps professionals
acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to excel as a manager of projects
in today’s competitive business world.
“This program offers a Villanova quality education to people throughout
the world in a time when many business people, particularly project managers,
are not able to travel or come to the Villanova University campus in person.
They are receiving the same kind of experience as someone who attends
one of our classes, but they do it on their own time and wherever they
are,” said Gary Bonas, director of Continuing Studies.
Villanova University is a Project Management Institute (PMI) Registered
Education Provider that works in collaboration with the International
Project Management Institute. Together they provide the necessary tools
that enhance strategic planning, minimize risk and increase quality results
while assisting organizations with developing empowered leaders and maximizing
profits.
“While students work at their own pace, through on-line class facilitation
and message boards, they experience the ‘give and take’ that
is normally associated with a traditional classroom. In addition, we have
literally hundreds of study guides, sample forms, procedures and techniques
that students have been willing to share with their classmates,”
explained Charles Arnao, Villanova’s project manager and lead developer.
Each program has an estimated completion time of 35 to 40 hours, with
15 hours of the streaming video lectures. Each certification program has
an eight week time limit within which the student must complete all work.
Throughout the course, there are a series of challenging examinations
which each student must answer online before receiving his or her certificate.
The online project management program is a Villanova University program
offered in conjunction with Bisk Education. Bisk has an extensive history
of providing training and education through online and correspondence
courses. Bisk helps handle the registration, billing, technology issues
and marketing of the program. For example, they videotape the Villanova
faculty member’s lectures for the program and then digitize them
for online use.
“What’s interesting about the online program is that Villanova
is responsible for the development and design of the content, so the quality
of the University is maintained. Bisk is a partner that allows this program
to be presented to people, have them become interested in it and have
a great educational experience,” said Stokes.
The individual certificate programs that are offered through the online
project management certificate program are: Essentials of Project Management,
Mastering Project Management, Project Management Professional Certification
Preparation and Advanced Strategic Project Management. After completing
three of the above courses a student will be granted a master certificate
in Applied Project Management.
“What’s so attractive about the program is that Villanova
has the capability of providing a timely curriculum, internationally,
that lives up to the University’s mark of excellence. Bisk, our
partner organization, is a firm that has excellent contacts with most
Fortune 500 companies as well as the military and the government, and
so through this program, Villanova is receiving the exposure that it might
not normally experience” said Stokes.
The program also offers students the ability to interact with a vast assortment
of individuals from different backgrounds and experiences. Arnao explained,
“In a typical class there is a wide diversity of students from varying
regions of the country as well as international participants. A wide variety
of disciplines and organizational sizes are also represented.”
Currently, the Project Management Certificate programs are the only courses
available through online access, however the Office of Continuing Studies
is looking to develop additional online opportunities based on current
offerings.
For additional information about the program, you can access the web site
www.villanovau.com.
|
|
