Publish at April 05 2011 Updated June 19 2024
Those who learn for knowledge's sake, for their own needs, may think they don't need external certification; in principle, they'll be able to check for themselves whether they've achieved their goals.
However, such individuals may be sensitive to a more or less extensive public recognition within or outside their own environment. In fact, statuses such as enlightened amateur, fan, connoisseur, consumer, enthusiast, competitor, etc. reflect different learning motivations of individuals who, on the surface, are not interested in official certification.
For example, the status of "specialist" or "recognized expert" can represent pride and certain advantages. Even simple acknowledgements such as "successfully completed" will satisfy people who have embarked on a journey with a determination to succeed against all odds, and who can prove their success. In all cases, this recognition is earned through an accomplishment that can be observed by others, even if it's "unofficial".
The popularity of contributor lists (such as Wikipedia - Palmarès, where the top 190 have over 100,000 entries in French) is an objective way of publicly recognizing commitment. The number of "retweets", friends and ratings, which are all objective elements, can satisfy or, on the contrary, worry authors if they are insufficient.
Large public sites know that an officially recognized contributor will remain more loyal and more involved. The degree to which deserved recognition fulfils this role varies from person to person, but it certainly does.
Human resources managers also know that simple feedback or attention to effort increases learner involvement and appreciation. It's an unofficial, objective recognition; nothing more, and yet its effects are appreciable.
In a social context, the need for certification is often not so much that of the individual as that of institutions and systems, which establish entry thresholds and filters as their operations become more complex.
Voltaire certification in spelling or Pix certification in the use of IT tools, official diplomas such as the bac, the diplôme d'études secondaires, theépreuve uniforme de français and even certifications from Microsoft, Oracle, PMI (Project Management) and other companies all fulfil the same function: to ensure, with varying degrees of precision, that standards are reached and respected.
These certifications recognize the value of the person who obtains them in the eyes of others, and this value depends essentially on the rigor and reputation of those who issue this recognition. It may be objective (ability to produce results) or subjective (conformity to a canon of convictions). It is not a question of recognition by peers, but of recognition by the guardians of an orthodoxy (right conduct).
In practice, it's impossible to ask a large and ever-changing group of people to evaluate consistently according to the precise criteria of a chartered organization. The preservation of mission and values is a matter for those loyal to the mission. Hence the fundamental difference between objective assessments based on capabilities and the more subjective "capabilities in the service of...". The latter involve subjectivity in context, and are generally much more valuable. The challenge for massive official certification is therefore always one of rigor and control. Pearson understood this when it launched Pearson Vue.
But even if this certification by the institution is the one sought by the candidate, it is common to have it publicly recognized. Both official certifications and others can play these recognition games at different levels. Occasional contributors can be recognized as loyal to an organization's goals, just as ordinary students can be recognized as "outstanding" in certain fields.
The value of certification depends as much on the care taken in choosing criteria and applying them rigorously, as on its "branding", which will make it a recognized prestige value. And if peers can't evaluate candidates to their satisfaction, they will evaluate the institution issuing the certification in one way or another.
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