When we started designing the Computer Science course at Inteli, our starting point was not just "what to teach", but to validate the learning in a meaningful way throughout the academic journey.
Working in collaboration with a team of incredible teachers, we took on the challenge of creating a curriculum that was both rigorous, innovative and recognized outside the walls of the institution.
That's when a key idea emerged: linking the content of the modules with national and international certifications that could concretely reflect the skills acquired by the students at each stage of the course.
Certifications from the first year
From the first modules, students have access to the Design Thinking Practitioner certification, and can go on to progress to levels such as Co-Creator, Coach and Team Essentials for AI, all offered by IBM.
These courses increase students' ability to work on innovation projects, empathize with users and work as part of a team - fundamental skills for the technology professional of today and tomorrow.
A trail in computing and data
In the fifth module, as they delve into the study of data structures and algorithms, students access the content of the renowned course by Robert Sedgewick (Princeton University), one of the leading references in the field.
And they go further: they can also earn certifications in graph databases with Neo4j, such as Fundamentals, Cypher, Graph Data Modeling, among other tools that are increasingly present in solutions based on networks, graphs and AI.
In the sixth module, knowledge of discrete mathematics can be formally recognized with international certification from the University of Melbourne, a way of enhancing the theoretical basis applied to solving real problems.
AWS certification trail: from cloud to AI
From the seventh module onwards, students enter the world of the AWS Academy, starting with the Cloud Foundations certification. This is the gateway to a path that unfolds in the following modules with specific training in:
Cloud Developing
Cloud Security Foundations
Cloud Architecting
Data Engineering
Security, cryptography and the quantum future
Closing the cycle, in module 12, students have the opportunity to explore a frontier topic: cryptography resistant to quantum computing.
And at the end, they can obtain IBM certification in Quantum-Safe Cryptographya huge differentiator in a scenario where digital security is becoming increasingly sophisticated and challenging.
Methodology that prepares you for more
Inteli's own methodological structure opens up other certification possibilities. As we base the entire journey on the Scrum framework, combined with Project-Based Learning (PBL), students experience roles such as Scrum Master and Product Owner throughout the module projects.
Although we haven't yet identified certified students on these trails, the ground is ready and this could be the next frontier to explore.
Impact
These certifications are highly valued by the market and, more importantly, they are part of the students' own learning process. They don't "study for the certification", they experience the content that the certification validates.
This movement has generated a very positive chain effect. From the moment a student achieves their first certification - such as AWS Cloud Foundations - they begin to realize that these achievements are possible, accessible and highly valued. Many voluntarily follow more advanced paths, and it's common to see students achieving additional certifications such as:
Azure Fundamentals, by Microsoft
Oracle AI and Cloud Infrastructure
Associate Cloud Engineer, Google Cloud
This was the case with student Guilherme Novais, who after starting his journey with AWS certifications, moved on to other cloud computing and artificial intelligence platforms on his own. This kind of trajectory shows how integrating certifications into the curriculum can activate a mindset of continuous learning and international recognition, in line with the latest developments in the technology sector.
More than a role
Our aim with this project was not to create a "catalog of certificates", but rather to provide our students with concrete means of recognizing and communicating their competencies, in dialogue with the market, with international academia and with the very challenges they face in real projects throughout the course.
Each badge earned is not just a stamp: it's a stage on a path of growth. And it's gratifying to see that this idea, which was born back then in curriculum design meetings, is now materializing in living portfolios of students who are learning, building and already impacting the world with what they know.
