Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problem of determining the factors that influence the students in information technology to pursue IT certification along with their academic degree and thereby increase their chances of gaining employment and earning higher entry-level salaries. This study was conducted by faculty and undergraduate student researchers. Participants were full-time students from undergraduate Information Technology Services (ITS), Business Information Systems (BIS), Interdisciplinary Studies (IS), and Philosophy programs, enrolling technology courses at a Southern university in spring semester, 2018. Research data was collected using a survey instrument that included twenty seven five-point Likert scale items and was analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and correlations. Overall, students indicated that they have the competencies to pass the certification exam. However, not a significant number of graduates are taking the exam to receive certification. In addition, funding for education is a big concern for college students. Costs of these exams are an additional burden to them. The findings of this study served as a foundation for educators and administrators when they reinforce the importance of becoming certified before students enter the workforce.

Citation

Yu, W.W., Haney, B., Lin, C.F.C., Okojie, M.C. & Yu, C. (2018). Getting Certified: Factors Influencing the Pursuit of IT Certifications. In Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 372-377). Las Vegas, NV, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved October 23, 2019 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/185309/.

© 2018 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)