WOW Academy Articulation
World Organization of Webmasters panel to develop first national Web education standard
Leading Web professionals from industry, education and government have been brought together by the World Organization of Webmasters to develop an articulation agreement that will help establish a national standard for Web professional education and training.
The establishment of such an agreement will enable students seeking a degree in the Web profession to transfer technology course credits from high school to a community college, state college or university. The plan involves creating a model technology curriculum outlined by the national committee that will be transferable and applied to any educational institution’s technology degree programs.
“Across the United States, people are reinventing the wheel when it comes to teaching Web professional topics,” said Mark DuBois, an associate professor in the Business Information Systems department at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Ill., and a member of the WOW Advisory Board.
Bill Cullifer, WOW’s Executive Director, said the organization, which supports those who create, manage, or market Web sites and provides education as well as certification, technical, and employment services to its members, is increasing its emphasis on education.
“For the United States to remain competitive in the field of Information Technology (IT), we are going to have to refine our education processes when it comes to Web professional topics,” he said. “Currently, when high school students want to continue their Web professional studies at a community college or university, they have to consider if the classes they took in high school will be accepted. We want to see that changed.”
Creating an articulated technology curriculum that is transferable among institutions will prepare students for this environment by assuring that, regardless of where their technology studies are pursued, students will be taught skill sets from the same basic curriculum required to earn an advanced degree or land a job in the technology field, Cullifer said. This will lead to the ultimate goal of developing a national standard for Web professional education and training.
One of WOW’s goals, according to Cullifer, is to prepare future Web professionals, which includes developers, programmers, and designers and graphic artists, for the growing market demand fueled by the exponential growth of e-commerce in the business world and consumer market.