Purpose of the Program
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The Instructional Technology Certificate is a virtual (i.e., all classes are taught online) program that provides advanced study in educational technology and instructional design and is designed to serve K-12, higher education, and private industry environments.

The mission of the Instructional Technology Certificate Program is to prepare high performance instructional technology professionals that are effective, efficient, and ethical. The Instructional Technology Certificate is of significance to the M.A. in Educational Technology program, Curriculum and Instruction Department, College of Education, P-16 Integration, and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). The reason is two-fold. First, educational technology is commonly regarded as an overarching umbrella of professions, under which several concentrations, such as Kindergarten-12 technology integration, distance education (DE), and instructional systems development (ISD), may fall. The Instructional Technology Certificate Program provides a unique opportunity for those who wish to advance their knowledge of technology integration and to serve as a technology mentor in a PK-16 classroom setting. Additionally, the Instructional Technology program targets student candidates from non-K-16 settings who wish to work in the instructional design field as practitioners. Second, acknowledging the increasing enrollment numbers of those who go through the Instructional Technology Certificate program and the M.A. in Instructional Technology, the certificate program servicing the different clientele can, in turn, add to the enrollment numbers in the Master's degree program.

The relationship of the Instructional Technology Certificate program with the existing M.A. in Instructional Technology program is expected to be positive and complementary. For those students unable to commit to a degree program initially, the certificate program functions as an introduction to graduate-level courses in instructional technology while providing students with experience and additional time needed to make a sound decision about seeking a graduate degree. All the earned credit hours may be applied to the M.A. in Instructional Technology program at FGCU in accordance with the Master's program admission requirements. Thus, the impact of the curriculum on M.A. in Instructional Technology is seen as positive.

The department that houses the Instructional Technology Certificate program is the Department of Leadership, Research, and Technology within the College of Education.