Have you been wondering about eCornell?

http://www.ecornell.com/catalog/certificates/


There have been a lot of questions regarding eCornell certificates and what exactly they are. Cornell University has been offering professional development workshops for about 30 years to the public however seeing the benefits of the internet, these workshops are now offered online through the eCornell subsidy. Upon completion the student will receive a certificate from Cornell University. At a glance:

1.) These courses are 2 weeks long.
2.) They do not count as college credit hours, though it is worth noting that some schools have granted credit for these certifications in the past.
3.) They are taught entirely by adjunct staff.
4.) The courses utilize real world scenarios in their problem solving.
5.) The courses consist of quizzes, assignments (papers) and discussion questions.
6.) The courses are to be taken in sequential format, you cannot take multiples at once.
7.) These courses do not qualify for federal aid, however they do have a payment plan through Sallie Mae.
8.) Grades are not assigned; you are given a “pass” or “fail” rating.
9.) These are not specifically “graduate” or “undergraduate” certificates since the coursework is an integration of the two. They are considered strictly professional development.
10.) There are no prerequisites for enrolling.
11.) You may log in and work 24/7 during your two week course. There are no scheduled times to log in.

I decided to go ahead and call eCornell and spoke with Mary Allen 866-326-7635 toll free ext: 283 (email) …mallen(AT)ecornell.com…Note: please replace the (AT) with the “@” symbol. She confirmed all the information given in the above and told me that I may post our conversation here if desired. For the sake of neatness I have condensed the conversation for the reading benefit of all concerned.

mary: Welcome
Don: Do you mind if I ask a couple of questions regarding your certifications?
mary: Please do
Don: I was wondering if you answer the following question: "Another question...Does anyone know how we will be assessed in these courses? Are there writing assignments, exams, problem sets? I'm fine with any of those methods, but I am just curious."
mary: We evaluate you in 3 ways
mary: Assignments, quizzes and your participation in the discussions
Don: okay...so the assignments may be research papers, writing assignments, etc.?
mary: The courses are pass fail and not for credit
mary: They are instructor lead
Don: so the grades on the transcript will read "pass" or "fail" and a GPA will not be assigned.
Don: Are these certifications considered post graduate study?
mary: Good questions...
Don: I try. ;-)
mary: they are a combination of both
mary: we teach from real world scenarios
mary: and the application of best practices
Don: is there any prerequisite for enrolling?
mary: No. Actually there are no prereqs for any of Cornell Professional Development certificates
mary: May I email you more info. and testimonials


Don: Yes you may email me. “Nunyabusiness”@gmail.com Edited to note: Nunyabusiness is not my real email address so feel free to contact me there anytime, just don’t expect a response.
Don: great...as for transcripts, would those be made available and if so through whom?
mary: Yes, we give you an academic history
mary: Many students apply these course towards a degree at their local University
mary: May I ask what program you are interested in?
Don: specifically we were looking into the Supervisory skills and the studies in Proactive Leadership
mary: Both are great programs........
Don: they look good. How would one go about obtaining a transcript once the coursework is completed?
mary: Both are great programs........The supervisory skills helps you manage.. people teams and yourself more effectively
mary: We can email you the transcript
mary: And we send you a copy with the certificate
Don: I see. So is eCornell a seperate division from Cornell University?
mary: We are a wholly owned subsidiary of the university
mary: We facility the online programs for the University
mary: Cornell offers no degree programs online
Don: right...would I be able to work on the assignments when convenient for me or would I be required to log on at certain times of day?
mary: Well Cornell approaches online learning....with two week long courses
mary: There are start dates and end dates
mary: You must complete the course work in that time frames
Don: okay...would I be required to say..log in at 8:00 AM on a Monday or something of the like? Or would I be able to work on my own time?
mary: in that 2 week period..you can log on 24/7 at your convenience to do the course work
mary: No set time to be online in the 2 week time frame
Don: that answers my questions. Thanks for your patience....one last question though...we were discussing this on a message board on www.degreeinfo.com...do you mind if I post our conversation there?
Don: it'll answer several other peoples questions as well.
mary: Wow...can I ask the powers that be?
mary: Wow...can I ask the powers that be? One sec
Don: sure
mary: They said yes!!!!!

Note to all readers, the conversation above has been edited for ease of reading, however no pertinent content was left out. I did not ask if these programs were ACE evaluated for credit buy my suspicion is no. Mary has agreed to field any questions you have regarding their programs if you would like to email or call her. I hope this helps.

Also I have been contacted by Tulane regarding their certs and will post my findings here.

 

"Don: I see. So is eCornell a seperate division from Cornell University?
mary: We are a wholly owned subsidiary of the university
mary: We facility the online programs for the University
mary: Cornell offers no degree programs online"

So when can use "Cornell University" on our resumes, right? I'm confused Thanks for getting that information though!

Rhonda

 

Yes. The certificate itself will say "Cornell University" just like anyone who takes their professional development courses on campus...I think, hang on. I'm asking now.

 

Hmm, so we can't use it then?

 

Aw nuts. I was answering FoF's thread starting question, and paying a compliment, and only confused things. Don't mind me.

 

Okay just got off the phone with Mary. It says "Cornell University" in bold on the certificate and at the bottom has an "eCornell" seal, which she says looks almost identical to the university seal.

She says that it is listed on her resume as "Cornell University certificate in whatever". I am sure that you could list it as "Cornell University certificate in Proactive Leadership" without feeling too badly about it.

 

Thanks for clearing things up...

Bad, Uncle Janko, bad!

 

BTW...I just posted regarding the Tulane credential as well. Now if I could just call London.

 

Thank you so much for forwarding this info!!
Angela