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Did you know that the number of learners on Coursera, a US-based online course provider, has increased by 438% in five years? Without a doubt, professionals are well aware that acquiring new skills increases their chances to stand out from the crowd, stay relevant in their industries, and get higher-paying jobs.
Organizations of all sizes can also benefit from offering specialized online courses: They can reach a global audience, maximize employee experience and engagement, upskill employees, and support business growth. It is no wonder that more and more companies have started to dip their toes into the world of online certification programs in today’s increasingly remote-first business environment.
However, there is a problem. “In the minds of most customer and education leaders we have spoken with, a top concern is that their certification programs are not ready for the future,” said Sanjoe Jose, the CEO of Talview.
So, what should organizations know about offering secure, reliable certification programs, and how can they resolve their issues to be better prepared for the future? Now’s the time to explore.
Advantages of Creating Online Certification Programs
The interest in launching online certification programs has skyrocketed—and for a good reason. For starters, creating an online course is a game-changing way of upskilling and qualifying your own workforce, and possibly generating new revenue. It enables companies to design a learning program, and then sit back and reap the benefits.
Developing targeted educational content also allows companies to establish themselves as industry experts and show their audience who they are and what they do in a more engaging way. This helps organizations improve brand visibility and image – as a company’s qualification becomes more recognized and valuable, more people will take the course.
And what’s more, due to technological advancements, socio-economic developments, and shifts in consumer behavior, technical skills reach their use-by date in just over two years. That being the case, organizations do not always have the talent they need at any given time. But do not despair—specialized courses can help organizations grow their talent pool as they empower businesses to reskill their employees in relevant and emerging capabilities.
Last but not least, a report detailed at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicated that 68% of employees said if the employer made an effort to upskill them, they would stay with their employer throughout their careers. This clearly indicates that employees value when employers invest in them, and specialized programs can enable companies to retain talent and strengthen relationships with their team members. Keep in mind that satisfied employees also boost productivity in the workplace.
Major Challenges of a Virtual Certification Program and How to Overcome Them
If organizations want to turn their online certification program ambition into action and see it thrive, they need to tackle some important issues first. Here are our top four.
Privacy: As the awareness of data privacy increases, test takers express concerns about how certificate providers use their personal information. Besides, the more businesses turn to digital solutions, the more hackers look for opportunities to steal, change, or destroy data—and it is up to businesses to protect their users. That’s why employing a platform with the benefit of multi-factor authentication is a must for enterprises that aim to score big in the remote certification market.
In a nutshell, multi-factor authentication requires users to enter two or more verification factors to gain access to a virtual course. Since most data breaches occur due to a weak password, multi-factor authentication methods mitigate the risks of malicious cyber-attacks.
Cheating: A non-proctored environment can leave room for exploitation during online certification programs. Dishonesty in online exams comes in various forms, such as copying and pasting answers, getting someone else to take the test, and accessing questions beforehand. This deception leads to inaccurate results and hinders the integrity of an organization.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies remedy this issue as they can alert certificate providers when there are potential cheating instances. Administrators can then analyze recordings to determine if the test taker attempted to cheat.
Poor test taker experience: Low-quality visuals and difficult-to-navigate interface design can lead to negative experiences, and the lack of robust customer service can easily become another nail in the coffin.
To provide a smooth test-taking experience, companies must run a system compatibility check beforehand to ensure everything works without a glitch. Moreover, how-to videos, step-by-step blogs, FAQs, and chatbots are effective ways to communicate exam rules and other requirements and let people know what to expect during a test.
Providing performance-based exams: Today, many organizations use knowledge-based exams, but the interest in performance-based exams is growing rapidly. The heart of the matter is that the organizations conducting certification programs often struggle to figure out how to launch performance-based exams without having to go through extensive investments.
Discover Talview’s Solutions to Level up Your Online Certification Game
Talview has engineered their exam solutions with technical certifications and test takers in mind—and at the heart of everything lies the user experience (UX). Clients are assisted by seamlessly automating, assessing, and authenticating the certification process from any device, operating system, or browser. Talview AI-powered remote exam and proctoring solutions help organizations simplify how they proctor, test, and certify learners. On top of everything, candidates can find answers to their questions quickly by contacting our support team via live chat 24/7.
Let’s now take a deeper look at Talview’s solutions that certification providers can leverage:
- Talview Exam Solution is designed to deliver a quick, secure, and seamless exam experience through a modern, multilingual interface. Our clients can create different types of exams, from multiple choice to essays to complex STEM tests that work on various devices.
- Talview Proctoring Solution deals with everything organizations need to proctor assessments, simple and high-stakes tests, and online certifications. While ensuring the security and compliance of the entire process, our AI-driven remote proctoring solution helps to simplify how businesses supervise and certify their learners.
Protecting private user data is Talview’s top priority. Talview’s Solutions comply with international laws and best practices, including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), COPPA California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Service Organization Control II (SOC II), and more. Talview ensures clients maintain the highest level of security while meeting industry compliance requirements.
Watch the Talview webinar on Launching & Scaling Certification Programs, and read our Resources section to find out more.
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