I have seen an online course (for search engine optimizing) that
allows you to take it, follow all assignments, and afterwards, you
come out with a "certification". You can go further and use that
certificate towards some university credit of some kind.

I realize there are a lot of online "courses" that are simply ebooks
teaching people how to do things. (i.e., SE optimizing, how to write a
book, etc), but don't require any interaction or actual "assignments"
resulting in certificates, or proof that someone has completed the
book with understanding.

Are there any laws or requirements for creating a course that would
require people to actually complete assignments (all online), and
reward them with some "company approved certificate" (i.e., how
Microsoft has their certifications for MCSE)?

In other words, can it be done without registering the course with a
university or with the government? (Can a company create a course
without having to register it as an "official" or govt approved
course).

Detailed example...if I wanted to create a course on html like this:
- the student joins the course, pays a fee
- completes reading section 1
- completes assignment 1, hands it in for "marking" (mainly to just
ensure the person grasps the concepts, not a true mark like 80%).
- assignment 1 is checked and returned with remarks
- student moves on to section 2, and so on.

At the end of the "course", if completed successfully, (the student
would have to complete a final "exam" assignment and answer "test"
questions) - and if done satisfactorily, we would then assign the
student a "certificate of completion" of the course.  I.e., a graphic
logo that the student could put on their website such as, "Html
Certified" or "Certified by blah blah company in HTML studies", or
"Approved Site".

This would be for US and/or Canadian requirements (prefer both).

Help?

Hello dimeco-ga,

Thank you for this very interesting question; I often wondered how so
many "certification" programs have come to exist in North America and
the regulations behind them.

Before we begin, I just want to clarify that what is said below covers
both US as well as Canadian requirements.

*******

Firstly, I think this statement is very accurate as to the purpose of
obtaining a certification:

"A certification can stand independent of a degree to validate
vocational qualification for professional IT assignments. However, the
combination of both a certification and degree is always ideal, and
will increase a certified individual's marketability. Many non-degreed
certification candidates secure professional employment, and then rely
on increased wage and/or tuition remission benefits to pursue a
degree, after the fact, part-time.
I have seen an online course (for search engine optimizing) that
allows you to take it, follow all assignments, and afterwards, you
come out with a "certification". You can go further and use that
certificate towards some university credit of some kind."

http://continuinged.umbc.edu/cctc/faq.htm



******* 
I realize there are a lot of online "courses" that are simply ebooks
teaching people how to do things. (i.e., SE optimizing, how to write a
book, etc), but don't require any interaction or actual "assignments"
resulting in certificates, or proof that someone has completed the
book with understanding.

The purpose of a degree or certification is to illustrate knowledge
obtained in a specific (or sometimes very general) area. The main
difference between a degree and certification is that a degree is
usually associated with an academic discipline. For that reason, there
are some restrictions on who can offer a "degree" because there are
generally associations that approve or disapprove of a given degree
program. The degree offers no merit or value if it is not recognized
by these types of institutions. Typically, the universities and so
forth that offer degrees are also endorsed by the government to some
extent so that's another variable to consider.

A certification, however, is very different because it is usually a
more practical subset of a degree program or it may not even fall into
any specific discipline. For that reason, there is usually no obvious
authority who can overlook such certificate programs (be they online
or not).
******* 

Any company/organization is simply offering a service by having a
certification program. The student pays for the course and based on
the method of operation of the organization this student may or may
not receive their certification. Usually this "certification" states
that in the viewpoint of the company, this individual holds a
sufficient level of knowledge in the specified area. Note that all
this really is is the endorsement of the company. I'm sure you've
heard of those "shady" companies that offer all sorts of
Bachelors/Masters/Doctoral degrees with the promise of no work. While
this is obviously a problem ethically, if anyone found out where the
degree actually came from, it would be very poorly received! So there
are not any laws/requirements for creating a course or certificate
program.

Your example of Microsoft is a great contrast to the example above;
the various certifications that they offer are issued with the
endorsement of Microsoft Corporation. This obivously has value for
many people since Microsoft is the undisputed leader in this field.
What Microsoft has done is allowed 3rd party corporations to provide
training to applicants (approved by MS) and then all students take a
standardized Microsoft test. Its worth noting that these cannot be
done online (though it my be possible to do the training online).

*******

I'm assuming you are interested in starting a company that offers such
courses. Since this will be a new company and a new course, it will
hold little weight if offered without something backing it up. Legally
speaking, there is no requirement for you to register your specific
courses, only your company which is providing the service. An
effective strategy would be to hunt down companies or organizations
that are well known and generally accepted authorities in the area. By
making strategic partnerships with such groups and having them endorse
your program, there will be much value added to the certificates you
offer. This link is a great example of a company who offers a
"Microsoft approved" set of courses:
http://www.hott-software-training.com/Certification-Training.htm

Keep in mind that not all companies will be interested in forming such
partnerships however, so it may be more difficult than it sounds.

******* 

Regarding your detailed example, your company is completely
unrestricted from offering this type of service. Of course you cannot
claim to have some endorsement that you do not! How you choose to
operate these programs is your choice, but the more rigid you are the
better (in my opinion). Of course, anyone considering this
certification is likely to come right back to your website and see
what you're all about so it wouldn't be very good for your students if
someday you disappeared!
*******

I hope this information was useful; I tried to keep it as concise as
possible. If you have a problem with any of the information above
please post a clarification and I will be happy to help.

Good luck!
answerguru-ga

Great answer, answerguru.

I also wanted to add that in addition to partnering with an
organization ( http://www.brainbench.com is a good example of a
company offering this kind of partnership ) you are going to want to
credential yourself and any additional instructors you have. The
simplest way to do this is to use a company like Brainbench to certify
your skills (and that of your employees) and then you can claim the
affiliation. Another good one is to go through

http://www.mvcr.org/certificate.asp , 

which offers a master online teaching certificate. 

You might also want to think about using industry standard authoring
software for your courses/certification exams. NCS Pearson's EZ.exam
is just one example of what you could use.

http://www.ncspearson.com/ezexam/index.htm

In order to succeed at a venture like this you will need a veneer of
credibility
at the outset. Later, once you have proven yourself to the world to be
a reliable source of knowledge certification you can sit back and have
people come to you for <i>their</i> credibility.

One more thing...you might want to offer your certifications for free
at the start. The reason for this is that people are more likely to
take your tests and courses when you are just starting out if they
don't have to pay for them. After you have built up a sizable list of
people who were certified you can begin to charge for your
certifications. However, you should always leave one or two as
freebies to entice new customers.

I've actually thought about doing this myself and while I never
actually got underway I did do tons of research on the subject. If you
need to know anything else don't hesitate to ask here...chances are
I've thought about it and researched it.

Dimeco:

If you wanted to offer a class like you are suggesting and then offer
a certificate, then go ahead.  As a student taking your class my
number one question would be:  When I'm done and have my certificate
what will it get me?  So the question really is what are your
credentials for offering such a class.  Any employer would see my
certificate and ask me if the issuing school was accredited, and then
most likely ask me to prove it, if the school is not listed on any of
the major accrediting organziation's lists.

For example: I'm an accredited coach and referee for table tennis in
the Western and Southern Pacific including Australia, New Zealand,
Philippines, Guam, etc.  So if I registered to judge at say the South
Pacific Games (a minature Olympics) I would have to prove my standing
as a certified judge.  Not only would I show my certificate, but my
name is also on a list of certified judges.

The key here is who and how was I certified?  Did somebody who thinks
they know what they're doing simply watch me play, let me read a book,
pass a test, and then give me a paper with their named signed to it?
No.  My certification is only good because of who and how they
certified me.  The who, The Australian/Oceania Olympic Table Tennis
Organization.  Which of course is certified in it's own right and well
respected.  The how, via a training course/seminar held by the
Assistant National Coach of the same organization.

The whole point, if you are qualified, well respected, well known, and
maintain quality in your course, then the certificate you give should
have enough backing so that a student holding your certificate can
show it to employers and they will know the certificate carries with
it qualification.

In the Latin "cert"=to be sure.  Be 'cert'ain (sure) that your
'cert'ificate is (sure) to be respected by those who see it.  Is there
a law to keep you from giving them out? No.  But, make sure it's
useful and not just another piece of paper.

Have a good one and good luck

Pwipwii

Thanks all - this has been very helpful, especially from the different
perspectives. I do have an extensive background in my experience (not
just "book" knowledge), which will obviously help my credentials. I'll
take the advice here and use it to the best.

Thanks again.