Policy, Practice, and Perspective: OSUN Academic Certificates Provide Students with Experiential Education and Credentials
Megumi Kivuva, who received the Certificate in Civic Engagement while earning a BA in Computer Science and Spanish Studies from Bard College Annandale, says the certificate program was “instrumental in bridging the gap between civic engagement and academic research."
OSUN Academic Certificates are micro-credentials awarded for clusters of courses that students complete in order to earn official recognition from OSUN and from their home institution. Six different interdisciplinary Academic Certificate programs provide a means for both degree and non-degree students, including refugee and displaced learners, to obtain credits and formal evidence of sustained university study.
All of the programs – in Civic Engagement, Public Policy and Economic Analysis, Global Educational Development, Human Rights, Sustainability and Social Enterprise, and Food Studies – are useful for signaling students’ commitment and experience as they apply to potential employers and graduate programs.
A Structured Path for Civic Engagement
Launched in 2021, the Certificate in Civic Engagement Program has awarded credentials to 12 students and has 70 students currently enrolled. The certificate provides a structured path for students to merge curricular and co-curricular civic pursuits and to deepen their understanding of publicly focused higher education. The certificate is offered in an online global classroom format across nine different OSUN partner institutions.
Brian Mateo, Associate Dean of Civic Engagement at Bard Annandale and head of the certificate program, says it “allows students to understand the theories of civic and community engagement as well as engage them in practice through working in their communities.”
Core coursework informs students on the fundamentals of civic engagement and demonstrates how to develop a project proposal. Students gain hands-on experience and complete 100 hours of volunteer work before graduating, cementing their exposure to experiential learning.
Megumi Kivuva, who received the Certificate in Civic Engagement while earning a BA in Computer Science and Spanish Studies from Bard College Annandale, is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Information Science at the University of Washington. Their research “centers on understanding how family dynamics, school systems, and community organizations collectively influence the computer science learning experiences of refugee youth residing in Seattle.”
Kivuva says the certificate program was “instrumental in bridging the gap between civic engagement and academic research” and that their current scholarly work is deeply rooted in the principles of civic engagement they learned about in the program.
“(The program) equipped me with the methodologies and perspectives necessary to conduct research that is not only academically rigorous but also directly relevant and beneficial to the communities I am passionate about serving. In essence, the certificate program has been the catalyst for my growth as a scholar, a citizen, and a change-maker, enabling me to make meaningful contributions to both academia and the betterment of society.”
A Foundation in Alternative Economic Traditions
The Certificate in Public Policy and Economic Analysis, launched in 2022, has 6 graduates and a total of 40 students currently enrolled. Students are based at network institutions in Asia, Europe, North and South America.
Pavlina Tcherneva, Director of the OSUN-Economic Democracy Initiative and head of the certificate program, says program courses allow students to study the diverse theoretical approaches, methodologies, and policy debates of global economics so they can learn “how to build a fairer economy that works for all.”
“The certificate offers a one-of-a-kind rigorous course of study that expands students’ intellectual horizons and provides a hands-on opportunity to apply those alternative economic traditions to the understanding of real-world economic problems, such as economic insecurity, climate crisis, inequality and others,” adds Tcherneva.
Jasmine Ahmed, who earned the certificate as she received a bachelor's degree in Ethics and Politics at Bard College Berlin, says “I am currently applying to graduate school programs in international relations, and having the certificate listed on my transcripts and resume has been a useful and distinctive talking point…to help demonstrate my interest and experience.”
She says certificate coursework compelled her to refine her research and writing skills, both of which are academically and professionally transferable. Her cohort also exposed her to many different opinions on global economics, which forced her to support and defend her own arguments more vigorously.
Eli Shapiro, who majored in Economics at Bard Annandale, says the knowledge he obtained from the certificate courses has been essential to his current success in the MRes program in Economics at Sciences Po, Paris, where he is learning the latest and most important models in modern economics.
“The certificate program’s interdisciplinary and pluralistic courses encouraged me to explore economic problems from as many perspectives as possible, both technically and philosophically. The diverse range of perspectives I inherited from the OSUN EDI program provide me with a foundation to put the models into historical context, understand where they came from, and critique them,” he says.
Innovative Tools to Address Educational Inequalities
Tamo Chattopadhay, Founding Director of the Institute of Education at the American University of Central Asia and head of the OSUN Certificate in Global Educational Development Program (GLOBALED), says the program, launched in 2021, equips students with the innovative tools they need to improve educational outcomes for youth across the globe.
Chattopadhay says the program offers an opportunity to acquire critical knowledge, skills, and comparative perspectives on education policy and practice, “so students can challenge the status quo of structural inequalities in education at all levels.”
In 2023, 60 students from 8 OSUN institutions are participating in GLOBALED courses examining the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that keep children excluded from adequate education. An online colloquium puts students in a global classroom where they learn from a diverse group of international practitioners and advocates of educational development, in addition to faculty from institutions based in four continents.
Milton Trujillo, who received a PhD in Education from the Universidad de los Andes as he participated in the GLOBALED certification program, says he gained valuable insights about policy design and implementation that enriched his pedagogical perspective and practice. The program stands out because it “integrates policy analysis with practical realities in classrooms around the world,” giving him “a global and comparative perspective, essential for understanding the complexities of international education in the 21st century and the challenges of educational development,” he says.
As it links research, policy, and practice, the GLOBALED program has a strong focus on experiential learning and community engagement opportunities in global education projects. “Understanding these experiences and the people who developed them…provided me with practical tools to address real challenges in education and contribute to the development of research-informed and experience-based policies,” says Trujillo. Importantly, the program also cultivates a “deep understanding of cultural and power complexities in an unequal world, essential skills to address educational challenges from an informed and equitable perspective,” says Trujillo.
Post Date: 11-21-2023