Certificates and degrees are awarded in recognition of advances in professional learning and demonstrated proficiency in a field of study. Within our educational network, you will participate in professional thought, discussion, exploration, and inquiry in your field of study. This is an evolving, interactive and cooperative endeavor that requires your full and meaningful participation which will demonstrate excellence in scholarship.
You are committed to professional learning which requires the following:
Undertaking new learning building upon knowledge and skills brought from previous academic and professional experience.
Demonstrating competence through comprehensive knowledge of the history and present definition of your chosen field.
Presenting evidence of the competency to formulate research questions, develop hypotheses, gather data, analyze and weigh evidence.
Demonstrating competency through written and oral presentations that display logic, consistency, proper evidence and citations and your own unique perspective.
Demonstrating technological proficiency and savvy by using digital platforms, tools, and communication programs to manage your program.
Excellence in Scholarship
Excellence in scholarship is recognized by engaging in:
The range of information sources that provide substantive knowledge for a field including history, theory, and philosophies of knowledge that inform theoretical formation.
Inquiry that is intellectually sophisticated—meaning critical and in-depth using appropriate analytical modes, diverse and competing viewpoints, acknowledging multiple perspectives and sensitivity to current issues or debates in the field, with sound methodologies for investigation.
Communicating clearly and persuasively to an expert audience demonstrating competency using general and specialized lexicons of the relevant field—including effective writing, coherent argumentation, proficient use of evidence, appropriate referencing and fluency in the discourse of the field.
Integration of Theory and Practice
Our partner institutions expect a balance of theory and practice within each program. This will stem from the personal and professional life experiences of the learner. As such, questions professional learners address will originate from challenges experienced from personal and professional actions, rather than solely from formal academic discourse. The resulting practical applications and implications will help realize and ground theoretical speculations.
Self-Directed Learning in the Network
Professional learners are geographically dispersed with a cross-section of academic background and professional disciplines. Because of this, self-directed learning occurs when you—not the institution—take responsibility and control the learning objectives and means of learning. This is the reason we encourage interaction and mutual support between every professional learner, faculty and alumni of the scholarly network.
The commitment to self-learning within a community is reflected throughout our program structure.