Announcing new Professional Certificates and scholarship program from Adobe to help train the next generation of content creators and graphic designers

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October 14, 2024

Announcing new Professional Certificates and scholarship program from Adobe to help train the next generation of content creators and graphic designers

Cropped photo of creative people prototyping new web site design for a client while having a meeting in the modern office. Creative agency concept

By Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera

Today, we are thrilled to announce that Adobe, a leader in creativity and digital experiences, is expanding the Adobe Digital Academy with the introduction of two new entry-level Professional Certificates on Coursera: Content Creator and Graphic Designer. An additional program for digital marketing is also in development. The new certificates were unveiled today at Adobe MAX, the world’s leading creativity conference where attendees learn new skills, get inspired, and connect with other creatives.

With the increase in digital media consumption and advent of new technologies, Goldman Sachs predicts the creator economy could approach half a trillion dollars by 2027. These new certificates from Adobe prepare learners without a college degree or professional experience to enter this growing industry – and provide valuable hands-on experience with their most popular tools, including Adobe Express.

These new certificates were announced as part of an expansion of the Adobe Digital Academy, a program aimed at equipping next-generation learners and teachers with AI literacy, content creation, and digital marketing skills to thrive in the modern workforce. Adobe is also committing $250,000 in scholarship licenses that will be distributed through nonprofits in the first year of the program to access Adobe courses and certificates on Coursera.

“The digital landscape has transformed dramatically with the surge in social-first content, personalized marketing at scale, and the rise of AI. This shift demands new and evolved skills in AI literacy, digital marketing and content creation,” said Stacy Martinet, VP Marketing Strategy and Communications, Adobe. “At Adobe, creative expression and digital experiences are at the core of what we do. We have the unique expertise to empower emerging professionals with the practical skills to navigate this new reality. We’re excited to partner with Coursera to provide accessible education pathways and scholarships to help individuals stand out in the modern workforce.”

Content Creator entry-level Professional Certificate

As the creator economy continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, this Professional Certificate will help learners of all backgrounds develop versatile skills for creating professional-quality content and engaging audiences across platforms. Through four courses, learners will:

Master visual design principles using Adobe Express to effectively communicate ideas.

Understand how to enhance their social media presence with engaging content and trends.

Produce diverse digital content like videos, podcasts, and blog posts, building a portfolio for potential employers.

Use generative AI responsibly and ethically.

By the end of the program, learners will be prepared for the Adobe Express certification exam, an industry-recognized credential. The first two courses in the Content Creator entry-level Professional Certificate are available for pre-enrollment today; all courses will be available by the end of the year.

Graphic Designer entry-level Professional Certificate

Graphic design is one of the most in-demand creative skills among freelancers, according to Upwork. As technology evolves, designers looking to stay on top of tech trends can enroll in Adobe’s Graphic Designer entry-level Professional Certificate. Through five courses, learners will:

Explore the core principles of design – including layout, typography, and color theory – to create visually compelling work.
Understand visual storytelling principles and how to effectively communicate ideas through design.
Harness the power of generative AI to enhance the creative process.
Gain experience with key tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Firefly.

The first two courses in the Graphic Design entry-level Professional Certificate are available for pre-enrollment today; all courses will be available by 2025.

These Professional Certificates will also be included in Career Academy, a training academy that enables academic institutions, businesses, and governments to prepare entire populations for high-demand digital jobs.

Next year, Adobe plans to launch a Marketing Specialist entry-level Professional Certificate that will cover key areas such as understanding and collecting audience insights, measuring campaign performance, and designing impactful marketing strategies, with a focus on emerging tech such as AI.

We are honored to partner with an industry leader like Adobe. This marks an exciting chapter toward equipping global creatives with the resources needed to remain competitive and innovative in today’s evolving workforce.

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October 11, 2024

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To Prompt or Not To Prompt: Effects of Prompt-Questions and Educational Videos on Learning

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October 11, 2024

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To Prompt or Not To Prompt: Effects of Prompt-Questions and Educational Videos on Learning

By Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel

Educational videos are often used in the classroom setting to support instruction of content. On the positive side, these videos can help scaffolding a topic which can lead to better understanding of it. They can also increase situational interest in students because they are fun which may spark further engagement with the topic. Potential pitfalls of educational videos are that students may overestimate their comprehension of the topic because these videos are often easier to process – leading to a so-called “illusion of understanding”. This can be problematic because students may conclude that no further studying or engaging with further reading is necessary.

In a recent study, Krebs et al. (1) investigated whether adding prompt questions after watching an educational video and before engaging in further reading could be a way to counteract the potential pitfalls and to fully reap the benefits of educational videos. Prompt questions can support learning through knowledge consolidation as it is a form of retrieval practice, but they can also make students aware of their knowledge gaps, and as a consequence, guide future studying efforts.

Krebs et al. (1) had participants either watch a 5-min educational video on test anxiety (educational video condition) or read an 800-word video script on the topic (video script condition). Afterwards, participants either answered 6 prompt questions (prompt condition) or no prompts at all (no-prompt condition). Hence, there were a total of four conditions: a) video/prompt; b) script/prompt; c) video/no-prompt; d) script/no-prompt. Afterwards, all participants were given a 10-page book chapter on test anxiety to study. The text contained some overlapping content with the video/script, but also featured more in-depth content. Finally, recall and transfer performances on the material were assessed through a series of test questions (i.e., multiple choice, open-ended questions, and cloze questions). The researchers also measured a range of variables as part of this experiment such as situational interest, perceived cognitive effort, perceived difficulty of content, and more.

Before looking at the results, I’d like to give a brief overview of the prompts that were used. We will later see that the benefits of the prompts may depend on other conditions, but nevertheless it can be useful to look at a concrete example. Two types of prompts were used: cognitive and metacognitive prompt questions.

Cognitive prompts:

“How do you define performance anxiety, what are its components and how do they affect learners?”
“What are possible causes of severe test anxiety?”
“How can learners, parents and teachers counteract test anxiety?”
“Think of your own example of the most important content of the topic.”

Metacognitive prompt: