Anyone done a Gatlin Certificate?

Hi all,

I know that Gatlin Education offers tons of certificates through various colleges and universities. Anyone out there ever done one or know about them?

I'm wondering about their credibility, of course. For $1000-2000 I could put University of Tennessee, University of Georgia, or Rutgers on my CV but am not sure if employers know that these are Gatlin certificates and not really certs fron the university.

 

CompTIA™ A+ Certification Training Online Course USD1495 (Gatlin Education)

However, when I visit the Brookhaven College web site the course cost is USD119 for each of Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels for a total of USD357.

What does the Gatlin Education price get me that the much less expensive Brookhaven College price does not?

 

Yeah, that is what I'm trying to figure out. Of course, Brookhaven College on the CV isn't the same as Rutgers.

 

Once you complete the course are the certificates issued through Gatlin or the university?

 

Please excuse me if I stray slightly off topic, but other big name D1 schools offer cheaper online alternatives from ed2go and various providers. Costs are around $79 - $99 each for the ed2go courses.

University of Houston Continuing Education. After completing a course, one must request a certificate. Contact Ms. Cherry Fowler for details. Most courses also count for CEU credit.

University of Wisconsin - Madison and University of Wyoming both offer ed2go courses as well. Check with the schools about certificates.

North Carolina State University Office of Professional Development. Prices range from $95 - $1,995+ for each online class.

More expensive, but packs name recognition: UConn has an online, non-credit "Healthcare Information Technology" certificate for $1,425 total. $285 is charged for each of the 6 courses in the program.

A thread containing reasonably priced resume boosters offered by various schools may not be a bad idea.

 

Many of those NC State University online options are Gatlin courses.

The Wisconsin and Wyoming courses do not lead to university-sponsored certificates. Not sure how I'd word that on a CV.

Through the university. That is what seems to be the big advantage, but perhaps the courses are worthless in content and hiring managers know that...??? In other words, why would anyone sign up for the same certificate (for the same price) at Jowanda's Technical College of Nail Design rather than Rutgers? Something is very strange about these Gatlin certs and I am hoping to find out what before I plunk down $1000+.

 

Has anyone discovered more information on these Gatlin Certs? I am considering completing the Six Sigma Blackbelt through the local University of Texas branch (UTSA). I spoke with someone in their office of extended education - I was told that the certificate would be awarded through the university and would have the start and end date printed on it along with the number of CEUs. The course page states that it is 200 hours of training and the curriculum outline looks pretty good: http://www.gatlineducation.com/six_sigma_blackbelt_certification_outln.html .

I am aware that this is not actual certification, such as the kind offered through ASQ, but I'm thinking that it may be a decent resume booster to complete while I'm waiting for my masters program to begin. In addition, the cost would be covered through the Army's education assistance. Any thoughts or opinions?

 

Ed2Go

I've done the Ed2Go courses. The certificate ("Completion Letter") that's downloadable after passing the final exam lists the name of the institution (not Ed2Go) hosting the course. It does mention that the course was taken online.

* * * * * * * * *

This is the format:

University of XXX
Course Title: Mastery of Business Fundamentals
Course Completion Date: 5/8/2009
Student: Aldrin XXX
Instructor: Tony Swaim

The letter certifies that the student named above has completed all requirements for Mastery of Business Fundamentals, a six-week online course offered by the University of XXX. The student received a total of 24 hours of training, and passed the course with a score of __ % on the final exam.

* * * * * * * * * *

I liked the first course I took (comprehensive, with lots of links to useful sites, plus the writing was clear, concise, and direct to the point), so I ended up taking more courses. Each of the courses I took had 12 lessons spread out in six weeks. A quiz followed each section and a final exam culminated each course. Getting a good score on the final exam is critical, since it's on the certificate.

 

I took a course through Ed2Go as well. The material covered was really interesting but the certificate looks way below average. It's just a html file ( with some basic html skills one can create any random text on the certificate) and things like a "seal of excellence" doesn't really booster it's credibility.
It is really sad, that companies develop interesting approaches to education but fail in spending only a few bucks more to provide a certificate one can actually use. The only good thing about Ed2Go is, that it doesn't mention Ed2Go on the certificate. I have to give kudos to the good old NBSalliance. They at least included the University's logo, the signature of some "Vice President" and also listed the assessment areas.
Btw Aldin, around what time did you do the Ed2Go thing? Just asking, since on mine (End of April 09) there is no score of the final exam listed.

 

The last one I took was in July of last year. While I did really well on the final exams, I would have actually preferred not having a final score on each certificate...