2023: Championing Excellence Through Certification

Certiport MOS Top 10 awardIn 2019, the Office of Information Technology added the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification as an official service offering. Over the years, we have continued expanding and growing participation in these industry-leading assessments. In 2023, we have several milestones to celebrate. Not only did SMU students, staff, and faculty successfully complete over 5,000 Microsoft certifications since launching the pilot program, but we also added several new faculty to the roster requiring certification for their courses. Most of all, one of our SMU undergraduate students received the top score for the state of Texas. Continue reading 2023: Championing Excellence Through Certification

Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

Ryan ClintonRyan Clinton recently caught our eye as we noticed he completed three Microsoft Office Certifications, both as a class requirement and for professional development rather quickly. After seeing he had achieved two out of three exams with perfect scores, we reached out to him to learn more about his desire to get Microsoft Certified. Continue reading Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

Introducing the New Microsoft 365 Apps Exams

Over the summer, Microsoft released its latest versions of the Microsoft Office Specialist exams: Microsoft 365 Apps Associate and Microsoft 365 Apps Expert. Starting this semester, anyone interested in certifying with OIT will be offered the Microsoft 365 Apps exam, with the exception of the Outlook Associate exam, which is currently only available in the 2019 version. Microsoft Associate badge Continue reading Introducing the New Microsoft 365 Apps Exams

SMU’s MOS Certification Program Reaches 5,000 Certifications

Amanda MarusterThis Spring, OIT celebrates another significant milestone with our Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification program. We are pleased to announce the 5,000 certification holder—Amanda Maruster.  Amanda is a sophomore majoring in Accounting with a minor in Statistics and Psychology. She completed both her Excel Associate and Excel Expert Certification alongside 310 students assigned one or more exams for ITOM 2308. Continue reading SMU’s MOS Certification Program Reaches 5,000 Certifications

Microsoft Office Certifications Add Valuable Benefits to CCPA Course

Piyawan (Pui) Charoensap-Kelly, PhD
Dr. Piyawan (Pui) Charoensap-Kelly

Last summer, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr.  Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly, also known as Dr. Kelly, assistant professor of organizational communication for Meadows’ Corporate Communication and Public Affairs division.

We met to discuss onboarding Dr. Kelly’s students of CCPA 3360: Business and Professional Communication to the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification program. Dr. Kelly explained that this course examines both written and oral communications and also focuses on professional development. In our discussion, she mentioned that she was interested in having her students pursue both the Microsoft Word and PowerPoint certifications, which would complement designated learning outcomes.

This semester, Dr. Kelly reached out to me to earn her own certifications alongside her students. I took a moment to follow up and see how things went both for her and her class. Continue reading Microsoft Office Certifications Add Valuable Benefits to CCPA Course