Naval Architecture Lite

That’s how I see it too; it doesn’t claim to be anything else either.

I disagree. Perhaps that’s where a difference in British English and US English in definitions does not translate.

A certificate in the UK means just that, nothing else; it is just a document. Anything else is in the mind/delusion of the person seeing “certificate = degree= competence”.

I also concur.

 

Actually, I have already met some individuals with certificates from Lloyd's Marine Academy in Small Craft Survey, claiming they are 'Lloyds Surveyors'. Their Customer is usually not savvy enough to detect what this 'Lloyd's Surveyor' means. I believe we will see 'Lloyds Naval Architects' soon, claiming to be something in the industry.

As to Westlawn, the biggest problem that they overclaim the possibilities of their 'graduates'. It is a 'sorcery' course of boat design/drafting, nothing to do with engineering or naval architecture.

 

Specify where they have overclaimed the possibilities for their graduates. Westlawn has never promoted their course for students who want to design oil platforms or commercial bulk carriers. Their website begins:

Their FAQ states

 

I do not mean oil rigs or bulkers, but they also claim alumni can design any small craft http://www.westlawn.edu/who/faq.asp. I would like to see how they can design small high speed commercial craft without knowledge of basics of hull resistance or structural engineering.

 

Specify where exactly Westlawn states their alumni can design "any small craft."

The reference I find searching the link for "small craft" states the following.

Alumni who have gone though the westlawn program have been successful designing small craft.

 

From the Oxford Dictionaries website:

Definition of certificate

noun

Pronunciation: /səˈtɪfɪkət/

1. an official document attesting a fact, in particular:

• a document recording a person’s birth, marriage, or death: a birth certificate
• a document confirming that someone has reached a certain level of achievement in a course of study or training: a university-accredited certificate
• a document attesting ownership of an item or the fulfilment of legal requirements: a share certificate

.......​

Bold emphasis added. The definitions for "British & World English" and "US English" are identical. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/certificate?q=certificate

 

Search posts of Dave Gerr in this forum. It is often said.
http://www.westlawn.edu/news/Yachting2011.pdf
'Westlawn serves both those interested in yacht design and those who want to focus on commercial smallcraft design'

And what? I studied there as well (but did not complete) and know the level they give. There is not a single naval architect with appropriate degree involved in teaching there, so is not relevant to mention this course as something related to naval architecture.

 

There is a clear distinction between these quotes.

The list of alumni proves that "alumni who have gone through the westlawn program have been successful designing small craft."

This doesn't claim that the westlawn correspondence course has the same breadth as full-time 4- to 6-year naval architecture program.

 

See my post above.

 

Then it must be your own usage of the word to consider it "unfortunate". As I see it as entirely appropriate.

 

Free Online Video Course Lectures In Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture

This is an online course that I found that is from India. The lectures are in English, look at each syllabus to see if a text book is listed to follow along with. So far, I have found these courses quite helpful. I am currently on lecture 5 of Hydrostatics and Stability. I need to catch up on some of the math, but the Mathematics course requirement is listed in the section for the basic courses. It is a bit hard to understand because I can't see the handwriting that well when the Mathematics professor is lecturing, and it goes fast, but I believe I am slowly catching on. At least I am getting the outline of what I need to know in my notes and can look things up in more detail from other resources if I find it necessary. Best of luck to you.

 

Interesting content and over 12,000 technical videos on their youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/nptelhrd/videos

Thanks.

As an aside, it's always amusing to turn on the CC which displays Google's automated speech-to-text captioning as the video plays. The errors are often funny. For example, the lecturer states " we have a mid semester" which somehow translates to "Charlie Sinister" and "everglades silly stuff".

 

I think what they are doing there is phenomenal, and it is actually better in many respects than MIT's Open Courseware . The biggest difficulty I have is being able to see the handwriting clearly in all instances, but so far that is idiosyncratic to one professor's writing.

Not all of the Ocean Engineering section is online yet, apparently, but I am looking forward to seeing their ship design section once they have completed filming the lectures.