The MA Social Media course I run at Birmingham City University has been accredited. It has a big tick from an organisation called Creative Skillset, a body that speaks on behalf of the media and creative industries in relation to skills issues.
I’m most pleased about this. The course had its fair share of criticism before it even began with my colleague Jon Hickman taking most of the flack (the course documents were even the subject of an FOI request). So many thanks to Jon for designing a course that has now had the recognition it deserves. He thought a balance of theory and practice would work and it does; what’s more the students value it, as Skillset found out when they talked to them.
The student voice played a key part here and credit to Skillset for spending quite a bit of time with them (and with some industry reps) on the day of the accreditation visit. I had both home and distance leaners on hand to feed back and all did me proud. In fact all 25 students who have gone through the course have done me proud.
I suspect the ‘tick’ may help a little with recruitment even if one doesn’t know or care who Skillset are; the concept of ‘accreditation’ travels internationally and offers some kind of assurance that the course is of value. Well here’s hoping anyway.
