Degree...or No Degree, That is the Question

As I was researching the feasibility of launching a new eCommerce program at Jackson Community College, one root question continued to pose itself. If the "target" student is interested in getting a product completed - a real, live (virtually, of course), working web page with eCommerce capabilities, are they also interested in credit and/or degrees?

On one side, of course! After all, they will be attending a college. They will be using a textbook, and following the guidance of a professor. They will be completing exercises to accomplish a learning objective. They will learn how to design web pages and integrate business practices in the process. And perhaps, the student will decide to earn more credits and eventually a degree indicating a certain level of knowledge has been obtained in the eCommerce field.

On the other side, they will be using the processes set up by the college, professor and textbook in order to accomplish a product - their eCommerce web site, with detailed, related and linked pages, and an eCommerce revenue model. They will be using this site to generate sales, either product sales or ad-click sales, and will be earning a living. And they will desire these results sooner than a traditional college semester.

So, degree or no degree? The fact still remains that if the student has completed the work as designed by the college, they deserve the credit - even if the student is not interested in the credit at the time they earn it. Many of us get wiser as time passes, and so the credits and potential degree may become more valuable.

For this reason, JCC is offering its eCommerce program in two formats. In the traditional semester, classes are offered 2-6 on Thursday afternoons. In Fall, students launch an eCommerce site using free software, and in Winter, they better manage the site through SEO and mobile technologies. Each semester, students will generate a product - one for THEM, and in the process will be working toward a degree.

If the traditional semester format doesn't work, the same courses will be offered in the summer in workshop formats. Two Thursday/Friday combos in June will launch the eCommerce site, and two Thursday/Friday combos in July will improve SEO and mobile technologies.

Check out the innovative schedule and start creating your eCommerce site, and earning your degree (or not), right away