Information Technology Certification's Impact on Student Engagement: the Effect of Instructor It Certification on Undergraduate Student Classroom Perceptions

In Information Technology programs, voluntary professional certifications, generally known in the Information Technology field as ?IT? certifications, are used as indicators of professional skill. An investigation of undergraduate CIS/IT student perceptions of IT industry certified instructors at regionally accredited private and public institutions indicates that the presence or absence of IT certification credentials for instructors affected student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, teaching methodology, student engagement in the class, and to a lesser degree, instructor technical qualifications. It was found that undergraduate CIS/IT students are very aware of their instructor's professional credentials and may be more motivated and engaged when attending classes taught by instructors they view as more competant and effective.