Abstract

Computer industry certification, as a part of a business education program, has been recommended at the national and state level. This study was designed to determine the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service business educators toward industry certification. Pre-service business educators were surveyed to determine how they perceived the benefits of industry certification, their attitude toward industry certification, confidence to teach related skills; and their recommendations for requiring industry certification for pre-service business educators, in-service business educators, and teachers in other academic areas. All pre-service business educators indicated that having industry certification is beneficial and that industry certification will increase job opportunities. Most respondents indicated that teachers with industry certification enhance the reputation of business educators and business education programs. Having industry certification increased the teaching confidence level of most pre-service business educators.

Introduction

In 2003, the Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education (PCBEE) issued Policy Statement No. 72, “This We Believe About Industry Certification.” According to the statement, “Industry Certification is one approach to assessing and demonstrating the technical competence demanded by employers.” Industry certification can be defined as the passage of a standardized exam to validate industry-aligned standards.

Industry certification, as a part of a business education program, offers benefits to employers, students, business educators, and academic institutions. Employers who hire industry certified employees have documentation of specific competencies and may, therefore, realize a reduction in new employee training hours. Students who participate in a business education program offering industry certification often receive reduced certification exam costs, increased work-based learning, and improved job opportunities. Industry certification, as a part of a business education program, can improve consumer respect not only for business educators but also for business education programs. Although numerous industry certification exams are available, this study will explore the perceptions of pre-service business educators toward the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Internet Computing Core (IC3) certifications.

Statement of the Problem

Computer industry certification, as a part of a business education program, has been recommended at the national and state level. The Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education, in Policy Statement No. 72, stated “We believe that industry certification, when a part of a comprehensive business program, has significant value for various stakeholders.” The research problem of this study was to determine the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service business educators toward specific aspects of industry certification. Results from this study will be used to better understand the perspectives of pre-service business educators and improve the implementation of industry certification into business education curriculum.

Research Questions

  1. To what extent do pre-service business educators perceive that industry certification (MOS, IC3) is beneficial?
  2. Is there a significant difference between pre-service business educators who pass an industry certification exam and those who do not pass in their confidence level to teach specific computer skills?
  3. What is the attitude of pre-service business educators toward selected elements of industry certification testing?
  4. What are the recommended computer industry certification requirements by pre-service business educators who have completed industry certification testing for the following groups: (a) pre-service business educators, (b) in-service business educators, and (c) other educators?

Review of Literature

Industry–based certification is endorsed as a method to validate specific skills for Career and Technical Education students (Mahlman, Austin, & Jeong, 2002; Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education [PCBEE], 2003; National Business Education Association, 2001). Industry certification offers benefits to stakeholders. Stakeholders include students, employers, academic institutions, and government agencies. Students may benefit by having increased marketability, increased job opportunities, greater self-confidence, and more opportunity for advancement. In addition, employers may be able to reduce training time for new employees, therefore, reducing training cost. Furthermore, academic programs may achieve greater program credibility by demonstrating an impressive industry certification pass rate.

Prior to implementing the integration of industry certification in a Career and Technical Education program, the following should be addressed: Do the certification standards align with current state and national standards? Can the certification assessment program be used for state and/or national accountability purposes or program improvement? Can the certification program be used to enhance the marketability of the program or the graduates of the program? (Mahlman, Austin, & Jeong, 2002). In developing a program that integrates industry certification, a management system should also be developed to collect and analyze student results.

Validation of skills as a means of accessing program effectiveness and student learning has been well documented. (Goals 2000, 1996; School-to-Work Act, 1996; PCBEE, 1996). The National Business Education Standards were developed as the result of the business world reporting that students were not adequately prepared for the workplace (National Standards for Business Education, 1995, 2001). In 1990, American businesses were given the opportunity to communicate to educators what students need to know in order to be successful in the workplace. Titled the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), this report was organized by the United States Department of Labor. The report asserts that student learning must take place in an environment that resembles the workplace. According to the report, students must make the connection between skills and technologies. The commission determined that in order to compete in the labor market certain computer competencies are necessary. These competencies include selecting computer systems, using computers to process information, and solving problems with computer technology. Before the computer can be used as decision-making tool, a thorough understanding of the capabilities of the software is necessary. Industry certification is a method by which the student’s understanding and application of specific software capabilities is tested and validated.

Denning (1996) suggests that university customers (students, parents, and employers) are demanding a new university design. According to Denning, “Educational organizations will establish programs for working professionals that promise, deliver, and certify specified competencies. Professional people will prefer to market themselves with portfolios of certificates in addition to formal degrees” (p. 4). These certificates will validate specific competence and skills.

Certain industries and associations have required industry certification for years. Examples of government-granted certifications are Accounting, Teacher Education, and Nursing. These programs have long had preparation for certification exams as an integral part of their academic programs (Schlichting & Mason, 2004). Few students would enroll in programs in these areas if they did not prepare them to pass their related certification exam. Examples of association granted certifications include CISCO Networking, Microsoft Certifications, and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Schlichting and Mason (2004) in a study of the dichotomy between the academic world and the real world on the subject of certification training, found even though three-quarters of the academic department surveyed agreed that industry certification would make their graduates more employable, only one-quarter agreed that preparation for industry certification exams should be a part of their curriculum. Although, industry certification as a part of an academic program appears to be desired by students and has the potential to increase employability, research does not indicate that there is wide-spread implementation. Certification adds immeasurably to a student’s employment prospects and should be a part of computer academic programs. Implementing industry certification into academic programs may increase enrollment in Career Tech Programs, which in recent years have had declining enrollment.

According to Nelson & Rice (2001), employers are looking for industry certifications; training agencies are pushing industry certification; and many educational institutions are considering the integration of industry certification into their programs. Students graduating with a combination of education, certification, and experience offer additional benefits to the potential employer and may have an advantage over other applicants.

In order for industry certification to be integrated successfully into a business education programs, business educators must support and sell the concept to students. In a study conducted in Alabama (Skinner & White, 2004), only 9.8% of business educators held any type of industry certification, even though industry certification is recommended for career tech educators by the Alabama State Department of Education. The researchers recommended that a plan be developed to administer industry certification exams to Alabama pre-service and in-service business educators. The current research was conducted to determine the attitude and perceptions of pre-service business educators toward industry certification.

Methods and Procedures

Based on the purpose of the study and the related literature, a survey was designed by the researcher. The population of this study consisted of pre-service business educators who have taken an industry certification exam (N = 220) from 2001-2005. Data were collected through an electronic researcher-designed survey instrument. After one follow-up reminder 192 surveys were returned resulting in a 87% return rate. The survey included the following components: (a) demographic data; (b) certification exam information; (c) perceived benefits of computer certification; (d) attitude toward computer certification; (e) requirements of recommended computer certification for pre-service business educators, in-service business educators, and all educators; and (f) confidence level of teaching. The demographic data consisted of information regarding program enrollment, work experience, teaching experience, age, and gender. In the computer certification exam information section, respondents indicated whether specific computer industry certification exams had been taken and passed. This study evaluated student perceptions of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exams for Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and the IC3 certification exam. Respondents used a four-point Likert-type scale to rank the degree to which they agreed with statements related to the benefits of computer certification and statements regarding attitude about taking computer certification exams. The rankings were (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) disagree, and (4) strongly disagree. Respondents identified their suggested computer certification requirements for the following groups: (1) business education pre-service teachers, (2) business education teachers to renew teaching certificate, and (3) teachers in all academic areas. Respondents ranked their level of confidence to teach computer skills. The skills ranked are skills validated by the MOS and IC3 exams.

Reliability, usability, and content validity of the survey were determined through a pilot study. A group of professional business educators was asked to review the survey instrument for clarity of directions, concepts, and definitions to determine content validity. Based on the recommendations from the pilot study, minor modifications were made to the survey instrument. Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated to determine the reliability of the statements regarding benefits and attitude about industry certification with a resulting alpha coefficient of .857.

Statistical treatment of the data included the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used to organize, summarize, and describe the collected data.

Findings and Results

Of the 192 respondents, 131 (58.9%) were undergraduate students, and 79 (41.1%) were graduate students. The majority of the respondents were female (81.3%). Only 47.4 % of the respondents reported having teaching experience; whereas, 77.1% reported having business work experience.

Research question 1: To what extent do pre-service business educators perceive that industry certification ( MOS, IC3) is beneficial?

As reported in Table 1, pre-service business educators indicate that earning industry certification ( MOS, IC3) is beneficial. The benefit ranked the highest is increased confidence when working with computers (M = 3.66). All respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that computer industry certification will increase job opportunities. Most pre-service business educators believe that teachers with industry certification enhance respect for business educators and business education programs. Of the respondents, 22.4% do not believe that industry certification gives a business educator a better idea of the business world. However, all benefits are reported with a mean at either strongly agree or agree.

Research question 2: Is there a significant difference between pre-service business educators who pass an industry certification exam and those who do not pass in their confidence level to teach specific computer skills?

Data were filtered to gather information from respondents who passed each of the specific certification exams: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and IC3. For example, only results from the respondents who took the Microsoft Word exam are reported for that particular exam. A Likert-type scale was used to determine the confidence level to teach skills associated with each of the exams. Table 2 reflects the number of respondents passing each exam and the confident level to teach related computer skills.

Respondents who passed the Microsoft Word certification exam (M = 2.59) did not report being more confident to teach Microsoft Word skills than the respondents who did not pass the Microsoft Word certification exam (M = 2.65). However, respondents passing the Microsoft Access (M = 2.73), Microsoft PowerPoint (M = 2.73), and the IC3 (M = 2.83) certification exams reported being more confident to teach the corresponding computer skills than the respondents not passing (Access M = 2.46; PowerPoint M = 2.46; IC3 M = 2.45). The difference was tested using an independent sample t test and was shown to be significant, (Access t(54) = 2.732, p = .008; PowerPoint t(54) = 2.732, p = .008; IC3 t(64) = 5.08, p = .001). All respondents taking the Excel certification exam passed the exam; therefore the difference could not be determined.

Research question 3: What is the attitude of pre-service business educators toward selected elements of industry certification testing?

Table 3 indicates the attitude of pre-service business educators toward selected elements of computer industry testing. Respondents indicated that they were more excited about getting a computer certification after taking the exam than before taking the exam. All respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they were glad they took the certification exam. Most (78%) of the respondents indicated they would require their students to get certified. All of the respondents reported being glad they had taken the certification exam, and all but 4 % reported that it was worth spending the money to take the exam.

Research question 4: What are the recommended computer industry certification requirements by pre-service business educators who have completed industry certification testing for the following groups: (a) pre-service business educators, (b) in-service business educators, and (c) other educators?

Respondents were asked which industry certifications should be required for pre-service business educators, in-service business educators in order to renew teaching certificate, and all other educators. As reflected in Table 4, the highest recommended certification is Microsoft Word: pre-service business educators (96.4%), business educators in order to renew their teaching certificates (66.7%), and teachers in all fields (51%). Over half of the respondents recommend industry certification for teachers seeking certification renewal. Most (91.1%) of the respondents indicated that Microsoft Access should not be required for teachers in areas other that business education. PowerPoint, however, was highly recommended for all groups.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The following conclusions were based on the findings of the study:

  1. Integrating industry certification into a business education program helps to prepare most business educators with more confidence when teaching specific computer skills. As indicated in Table 2, passing industry certification exams for Microsoft Access, PowerPoint, and IC3 increased pre-service business educators’ confidence level to teach the corresponding competencies.
  2. Although this study found the confidence level in teaching Microsoft Word competencies is not influenced by passing the Microsoft Word industry certification exam, Microsoft Word is the most recommended industry certification by pre-service business educators for the all of the following groups: (1) pre-service business educators, (2) in-service business educators to renew teaching certificate, and (3) all other educators. For highly utilized software such as Microsoft Word, having industry certification may not increase the level of confidence to teach the software application.
  3. Industry certification can be beneficial in many ways for pre-service business educators (Table 1). Industry certification can be used to improve the image of business education.
  4. Teachers with Industry certification have more confidence when teaching computer skills; therefore, can concentrate on teaching the application of the software rather than just the specific “click” skills.
  5. All of the respondents in this study are enrolled in a business education teacher education program that supports and requires industry certification; therefore, this type of program fosters a positive attitude toward industry certification.
  6. This study lays the foundation for the importance of industry certification in addition to teacher certification for business educators.

Based on the conclusions, the following recommendations are made:

  1. Business education teacher education programs should develop a program to “sell” both pre-service and in-service business educators on the benefits of industry certification. As indicated in this study, the respondents supported industry certification and reported many benefits. All of the respondents in this study are enrolled in a business education teacher education program that supports and requires industry certification; therefore, this type of program fosters a positive attitude toward industry certification.
  2. Passing an industry certification gives business educators more confidence to teach specific computer competencies; therefore, business education teacher education programs should consider integrating and requiring industry certification.
  3. Industry certification can be beneficial for pre-service business educators and in-service educators; therefore, state departments of education should consider offering grants to fund the exams.
  4. A study should be conducted to determine the attitude of in-service business educators toward industry certification.

References

Denning, P.J. (1996). Business designs for the new university. ACM Computing Surveys. Educom Review 31,6, 20-30.

Mahlman, R. A., Austin, J., & Jeong, S. (2002). Industry-based certification: Policy implications for career-technical educators. The Ohio State University, Center on Education and Training for Employment.

National Business Education Association. (1995). National Standards for Business Education.

National Business Education Association. (2001). National Standards for Business Education.

Nelson, M.L. & Rice, D. (2001). Integrating third party certification with traditional computer education. Consortium for Computing in Small Colleges.

Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education. (1996). This we believe about assessing student achievement in business education. (Policy Statement No. 59)

Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education. (2003). This we believe about industry certification. (Policy Statement No. 72).

Schlivhting, C. & Mason, J. (2004). Certification training and the academy. Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges.

Skinner, L. B., & White, B.J. (2004). Information Technology Implementation in Business Education Courses Compared to National Standards. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 46, 3, 169-83.

U.S. Governemnt (1994). School to Work Opportunity Act of 1994. Retrieved October 24, 2005 at http://www.fessler.com/SBE/act.htm.

U.S. Government (1996). Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Retrieved on October 24, 2005 at http://www.ed.gov/legislation/GOALS2000/ TheAct/index.html

Leane B. Skinner is an Assistant Professor of Business Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.