A New Era of Education: Rethinking the Role of Accreditation in the Modern World
When we started InceptionU in 2018, many members of our first cohort asked the same questions - “Will I get a certificate? How will I prove my skills? What if a potential employer asks to see proof?”
They’re all great questions, and we answered them the same way - certificates prove nothing; show potential employers what you can do!
During the 6-month program, they built software projects, participated in team collaboration and stand-up meetings and added their lines of code to their GITHub site (a website where developers store their code). Eventually, they got hired after sharing that digital portfolio with potential employers.
With every cohort, we still get the question, albeit, much less frequently. We’re always very upfront with our learners that InceptionU is an unaccredited institution, by choice.
Why is InceptionU unaccredited?
Accredited learning refers to educational programs or institutions that have undergone a rigorous evaluation process conducted by accrediting agencies, like the provincial government. Upon meeting predetermined standards, the institution or program is granted accreditation. This is the standard approach to institutionalized education and there is a lot of it available. InceptionU was conceived to offer an alternative path - one that is at least as rigorous and committed to strong principles of effectiveness - but works in a more interdependent and responsive way with the evolving future.
As we know, technology is evolving at a rapid pace and staying on top of programming languages, the evolution of AI and machine learning, digital trade, e-commerce, fin tech, cyber security and blockchain means our curriculum must stay flexible and adaptable. And technology is just one segment of broader challenges we face in a world that has grown increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. It requires a different approach.
A lengthy accreditation process would limit our ability to keep our curriculum current and reflective of what’s being used in industry. Making changes to the program wouldn't be possible without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. By the time the changes got approved, they may very well be out of date. And the people managing the changes would be doing that instead of making sure our learning stays responsive to learner and community requirements.
Other benefits of unaccredited programs like ours, include greater affordability and access - InceptionU offers funded seats to eligible applicants. In addition, there’s more flexibility in terms of course offerings, schedule, and learning formats, which can be beneficial for working professionals or non-traditional learners.
We are not seeking accreditation because it potentially interferes with the ability to keep the learning responsive and agile while ultimately not representing any significant value to our learners or the companies who will hire them.
Does a certificate represent understanding?
Seth Godin in his blog, says university has become a credentialing business, exchanging money for a piece of paper. It begs the question - do we value learning or do we value the credential instead?
There is a belief that accredited degrees often carry more weight with employers as they signal the graduate has undergone a recognized educational program. But does it mean they understand or are competent in what they’ve studied?
Traditional learning environments thrive on test scores and exams. It is often more focused on sorting learners by grades instead of making sure we build understanding. You remember what that felt like - a professor at the front of the room pouring out information that you scribbled down on a piece of paper and then regurgitated when it came time for the test or exam. How much of that do we really remember?
At InceptionU, we don’t test or grade our learners because we don’t see that as the best way to demonstrate understanding. Our learning approach is different - project-based learning is a “learn by doing” type of endeavor. It’s not linear, sometimes it’s messy and it definitely is challenging, but we know that it works. It's an ideal learning design for software development, marketing, sales and design careers. At the end of the program, learners have a digital portfolio of their project work and most often, that’s the only thing employers ask to see.
We asked learners who recently found employment, what their experience was when job hunting. Here’s what some of our learners had to say:
“I didn't receive any pushback about not having certification, I believe that my portfolio/github was sufficient enough to get interviews. Then my knowledge was backed up by tech assessments - I was never asked for any certification as proof.” - Abbie
“I wasn’t ever asked for a certificate in any of the interviews I had, even by those who offered me jobs.” - Danielle
Credentials are important in certain industries
Let’s face it - credentials serve a purpose. If I’m having surgery, of course, I want to know that a certified medical doctor is performing the procedure. Or, that a Professional Engineer is designing a bridge. I think most of us can agree that credentials are extremely important in healthcare, legal and transportation professions. Even here, the credential is one of competence through a board certification process that exists outside of schooling.
Also - ultimately - credentials are a shortcut for presumed competence. That's why we like them, it reduces the energy required to actually determine competence.
But in many other industries, a degree and certification are not necessary. Too often it seems more like an expensive transactional relationship (pay tuition, get a diploma or degree) which ultimately may not help you find the career you want.
Technology companies have learned that people with big credentials can't do the work. So they are forced to follow a more difficult path of evaluating talent.
Forget credentials, focus on mindset
You can have all the credentials you want, it doesn't mean you’re going to find the career you want. Employers in our network tell us, first and foremost, they are looking for competence and mindset.
Our program responds to both of those skillsets building competence through project work and evolving mindset through a focus on essential skills.
It’s at the core of everything we do. Whether it’s our Tech Adjacent program or our Full Stack Developer program, we ensure a meaningful learning experience that is enhanced through purpose-driven team collaboration and fueled by the power of critical thinking, systems thinking, creative thinking, and computational thinking.
The World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report ranks the Top 10 skills needed for the future of work. Here are the Top 5:
Analytical thinking
Creative thinking
Resilience, flexibility and agility
Motivation and self-awareness
Curiosity and lifelong learning
By and large, there are no credentials for mastering these skills, though some online platforms will try to sell you one. These skills are so valuable because they allow companies to respond to change and are resistant to automation. Believe us when we say this is actually what employers are (and should!) be looking for. There is no certificate that proves you are future fit. InceptionU gives learners a frame to put their future in.
A word about course completion: On occasion our learners do require proof of completion if applying for awards, completing taxes, etc. We are happy to provide that on a case-by-case basis.
- Margo and Greg
