Ask HN: one-year college certificate curriculum
I have been asked to investigate the possibility of offering a one-year college certificate in "computer programming and related subjects". This is for an established but tiny (less than 500 students in total) non-U.S. post-secondary institution that reaches a significant fraction of its students using videoconferencing.
[Background information: A typical one-year certificate program offered by that institution is considered to be a success if it can have 10 students per year on average. Many of the students come from small high schools which also have sometimes to resort to using videoconferencing and can not afford to move away from their home community. Tuition for such a one-year certificate is normally $2500, whereas it is about double (per year) for university level degrees. About half of the students that study at that institution end up with a Bachelor of Education degree: we're not talking about a money maker here, but rather of offering something useful to a population that has limited education possibilities.]
Most of the students taking such a program would likely NOT continue in CS related fields. Some would likely pursue a university degree to become teachers (and would possibly take only the equivalent of one semester of that program as part of their education degree). Others would enter the job market directly, having acquired some useful skills beyond that of a high school diploma. (Ideally, I'd like to set things up so that high-school students could register to that program part-time, at reduced tuition, while completing their high-school education.)
However, hopefully, at least a few would discover an interest for CS and decide to pursue further studies elsewhere in that field.
My question to you: What would you include in such a certificate? (I have already a list but I want to validate it via unbiased feedback.)
Thanks to anyone that respond.