Boris Hartl Boris Hartl, an Associate Manager in Global E-Communications at Pharmaceutical Product Development, completed the Certificate in Technology and Communication in 2007.             "This program at UNC was perfect. It fit in with my schedule. It allowed me to complete the classes on my own time... and I think by taking those classes, that helped me advance further in my job."

The program fit well into my life style and schedule. The courses were fun, engaging and affordable. The certificate has allowed me to advance professionally.

Overall, I loved the program and had a great experience. The content of the program was excellent.

I learned how to really think about and develop first-hand communications content that is more user-friendly -- easy to scan, more concise, and visually appealing. This has helped me trim down and reevaluate the content I develop in my job. I have also learned about the basis for design which has given me a broader appreciation and understanding of the work of other authors and companies. Learning about and creating blogs for a particular focus area has enabled me to share research and consolidated information with others. These classes have inspired me to learn more and to possibly consider a graduate program in communications.

Being able to interact with professors and other students brought a new dimension to my professional life. I got a chance to revisit the use of scholarly reading, writing, and communication. I was able to apply many of the technology theories to my current job as a marketing executive. I was also able to learn about different aspects of technology from my fellow students.

I learned much in the program, [including] writing and editing content for the web; advising on technical issues and presentation; writing on technology; [and] keep[ing] up my blog.

I found the online program to be more convenient and flexible with my work schedule of course. Since the courses are online, I think they take more of the student's time than a traditional classroom because you really have to focus more on interpreting the classroom content and the assignment instructions. I found the instructors to be very responsive for the online courses, which is great considering getting help is not in real-time like a traditional classroom setting.

I enjoyed the online learning experience. For journalism/graphic design/web technology, there is value in being in a classroom, but I felt that the student discussion and interactive learning exercises kept us engaged and made the course content easier to grasp.

It's been a while since I've been in a classroom and [I] have never done master's level work but the quality [of online instruction] is comparable [to classroom] -- if not better when other students participate in the discussion board.

This was definitely a good experience. I think the best thing I liked about was that it offered a working person like me an opportunity to learn on my own schedule online. Without this option, I don't think I would have been able to take a course like this in a traditional classroom setting – at least not while working full-time.

As an alumnus, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with the University and the J-School. The first impression that the Certificate program made on me was the high caliber of the professors who teach the courses.

My personal estimation is that anyone who completes this Certificate program will know more about communicating through the Internet and digital media than, conservatively, 95 percent of the population.