York University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) has earned three awards for its Certificate in User Experience (UX) Design and its marketing campaign components at the prestigious 2021 Spotlight Conference held by the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE).
The certificate was recognized with an award in the Programs category, and marketing materials for the school earned two awards in the Design and Marketing category.
Every year, the CAUCE Spotlight Conference brings attention to the state of continuing education in the country by gathering important stakeholders and university professionals from across Canada. The conference was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Certificate in User Experience (UX) Design features: part-time study format, allowing for online learning; accelerated study, allowing the certificate to be completed in eight months; real-world projects, where participants can put learning into practice; and design thinking, with curriculum developed for students to learn and apply design thinking methodologies to solve UX problems.
The awards granted by the 2021 CAUCE Spotlight Conference to the School of Continuing Studies’ Certificate in User Experience (UX) Design include:
Winner: Non–credit programming over 48 hours (Certificate in User Experience (UX) Design)
The program’s comprehensive curriculum focuses on experiential learning, allowing students to constantly practise and upgrade their UX skill set. The learning is done both online and in person (or in our live online format during the pandemic.) With courses like UX Design Research, Visual Design, Wireframing and Prototyping, and Applied UX Design, students develop an understanding of the key elements of this field like market research, product development strategy and design. Through the accelerated format, students can finish the program in under a year, ready with a portfolio of work that showcases their UX capabilities and expertise.
Winner: D2. Digital and print advertising/out–of–home (Professional Programs Display Ads)
The awareness campaign that launched in August 2020 focused on showing a student-centric approach to continuing education. The intention was to communicate that SCS stands for students realizing their potential and investing in their future through our programs. With that in mind, SCS honed in on the message “Your potential realized.” This simple phrase ran through all of the SCS communications and also in the way programs are delivered.
Winners: D4. Print publications (small) (2019-2020 Annual Report)
The School’s 2019-20 Annual Report highlighted two important milestones for the School of Continuing Studies – its fifth anniversary, and the 35th anniversary of the English Language Institute, which joined the school in 2015.
The report also highlights: reaching 1,000 per cent enrolment growth over five years; winning an iStudy award for the English Language Institute for Language School of the Year; the school’s immediate switch to online course delivery during the pandemic; and launching a several first-to-market, innovative new programs.
The report offered a comprehensive and engaging presentation of the school’s story and accomplishments. To read the 2019-20 Annual Report, click here.