One of the reasons I selected Western Governors University for my college was their use of industry certifications to pass classes. While there were some classes that did follow the lecture / term paper format, the highly technical classes required passage of the appropriate test.
Want to pass the Network class? You have to pass the CCNA test. Want to pass the course on hacking? You have to pass the Certified Ethical Hacker exam / certification test.
Seemed like a better option to graduate the program AND have several certifications when you hit the job market.
In industry, we do Supplier Audits and conduct Supplier Inspections EVERY YEAR to keep them on our lists of Approved Vendors
You don’t manage a Supply Chain by buying subcomponents (tape, glue, chemicals, lubes, gears, etc) from anyone who presents a low bid. This isn’t a very hard subject to research. It’s basic in any Quality Organization structure
I question the authors knowledge on this subject
Using certifications based on skills testing does seem like it would be a better system than accreditation, because so many universities offer meaningless courses that provide skills relevant to neither gainful employment nor good citizenship.
While this article applies specifically to the lower education system, the risks are similar even in the universities:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jul/27/public-schools-fast-track-teacher-credentials-fill/
The fact that a high percentage of scientific papers contain falsifications suggests we have a serious problem, one that is probably already affecting our global competitiveness. If we didn’t have so many skilled foreigners immigrating, it’s very likely our country would suffer financial consequences for this ineptitude and poor judgment.
Maybe what would help would be a system that provides a blended score of the percentage of graduates that have jobs within two years, the graduates average starting salaries and some estimate of the dollar value of the research that the university develops. Or maybe don’t blend the score: just offer separate scores in each category and let people make their own assessments.