Technology and media have created skill needs that modern educators are compelled to address to stay relevant. As a result, an emerging educational tool in marketing and media courses is the integration of third-party certifications that give students an industry credential for current topics or media platforms (i.e., Google, HubSpot, Hootsuite, etc.). To understand the diffusion of these certifications among educators, how they are being integrated, and current perceptions of their effectiveness, we conducted a cross-disciplinary survey of 122 college faculty who teach digital marketing and media topics. Findings revealed that certifications enjoy high awareness, with a small number receiving higher adoption rates. Users report a variety of benefits to themselves and students, along with some challenges. We also identify sources of major perception gaps between users and nonusers. These findings suggest that certifications are a permanent course fixture and are perceived as directly contributing to job and career readiness. An understanding of current perceptions and practices can guide educators in improving their use of certifications as well as industry partners looking to facilitate adoption and positive educator experiences.

技术和媒体创造了技能需求，现代教育工作者不得不解决这些技能需求以保持与时俱进。结果，市场营销和媒体课程中一种新兴的教育工具是集成了第三方认证，从而为学生提供了有关当前主题或媒体平台（例如Google，HubSpot，Hootsuite等）的行业证书。为了了解这些认证在教育者中的传播情况，如何进行整合以及对有效性的最新认识，我们对122位教授数字营销和媒体主题的大学教师进行了跨学科调查。调查结果表明，认证享有很高的知名度，少数认证获得更高的采用率。用户报告给自己和学生各种好处，以及一些挑战。我们还确定了用户与非用户之间主要认知差距的来源。这些发现表明，认证是永久性的课程设置，被认为直接促进了工作和职业准备。对当前观念和实践的理解可以指导教育工作者改善对证书的使用，以及指导行业合作伙伴寻求促进采用和积极的教育工作者体验。