The Graduate Certificate in Distance Education (GCDE) is a focused, compact program that is offered conjointly with the Master of Distance Education program. It is intended for professionals who are looking for a formal introduction to the field of distance education and graduate-level training in developing and managing distance education and e-learning programs, but who do not require a Master’s degree in this field.
Objectives
GCDE graduates are expected to be able to:
- Participate in the development and delivery distance education programs that are underpinned by effective pedagogy and appropriate and sustainable use of technology;
- Participate in the management of distance education programs in different contexts—educational, business and non-profit organizations—to meet the needs of target learners; and
- Use their knowledge of theories, models, and principles of open learning and distance education to critically examine various aspects of DE programs from a variety of perspectives.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to the GCDE must have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized post-secondary institution, with a general weighted average (GWA) of 2.5 or better.Students who are admitted to the MDE program may opt to exit the MDE program and be awarded the GCDE provided they complete the GCDE course requirements.
Curriculum
The GCDE program consists of 18 units of course work as follows:
- 15 units of core courses in the MDE program, namely:
- EDDE 201 (Foundations of Distance Education)
- EDDE 202 (Learning Theories and Instructional Design in Distance Education)
- EDDE 203 (Technology in Distance Education)
- EDDE 204 (Assessment of Learning in Distance Education)
- EDDE 205 (Management of Distance Education)
- Three (3) units of elective courses from the MDE program
Electives
Not more than 3 units from the following
| Pedagogy Cluster | ||
|---|---|---|
| EDDE 210 | Online Teaching and Learning | 3 units |
| EDDE 211 | Lifelong Learning | 3 units |
| Technology Applications Cluster | ||
|---|---|---|
| EDDE 221 | Design and Evaluation of Multimedia Educational Materials | 3 units |
| EDDE 222 | m-Learning | 3 units |
| DEVC 207 | Design and Production of Audiovisual Communication Materials (offered by the MDC program following a semestral schedule) | 3 units |
| Educational Management Cluster | ||
|---|---|---|
| EDDE 230 | Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in the Information Age | 3 units |
| EDDE 231 | Planning and Managing Networked Learning | 3 units |
Graduation
Students who are admitted to the MDE program may opt to exit the MDE program and be awarded the GCDE provided they complete the GCDE course requirements.
A GCDE graduate who wishes to apply for admission or re-admission to the MDE program (in the case of former MDE students who exited the MDE with the GCDE) should have a GWA of 2.0 or better in the GCDE.
Upon admission to the MDE program, courses completed for the GCDE may be credited to the MDE subject to the following conditions:
- The course to be credited should have been taken within three years from the application for crediting; and
- The student has earned a grade of 2.0 or better in the course to be credited.
If a course being applied for crediting does not meet one of these two conditions, the course may still be credited provided the student takes and passes a validation exam for that course before or within the semester of admission to the MDE program.
Up to 18 units of courses completed for the GCDE may be credited to the MDE subject to the foregoing conditions and other relevant University policies.