Introducing Associate Android Developer Certification by Google

Posted by JP Souchak, Program Manager



The Associate Android Developer Certification program was announced at Google I/O
2016, and launched a few months later. Since then, over 322 Android
developers spanning 61 countries have proven their competency and earned the
title of Google Certified Associate Android Developer.




To establish a professional standard for what it means to be an Associate
Android developer in the current job market, Google created this certification,
which allows us to recognize developers who have proven themselves to uphold
that standard.




We conducted a job task analysis to determine the required
competencies and content of the certification exam. Through field research
and interviews with experts, we identified the knowledge, work practices, and
essential skills expected of an Associate Android developer.




The certification process consists of a performance-based exam and an exit
interview. The certification fee includes three exam attempts. The cost for
certification is $149 USD, or 6500 INR if you reside in India. After payment,
the exam will be available for download, and you have 48 hours to complete and
submit it for grading.




In the exam, you will implement missing features and debug an Android app using
Android
Studio. If you pass, you will undergo an exit interview where, you will
answer questions about your exam and demonstrate your knowledge of Associate
Android Developer competencies.




Check out this short video for a quick overview of the Associate Android
Developer certification process:

Earning your AAD Certification signifies that you possess the skills expected of
an Associate Android developer, as determined by Google. You can showcase your
credential on your resume and display your digital badge on your social media
profiles. As a member of the AAD Alumni Community, you will also have access to
program benefits focused on increasing your visibility as a certified developer.




Test your Android development skills and earn the title of Google Certified
Associate Android Developer. Visit g.co/devcertification to get started!

Updated Udacity Android course prepares students for the Associate Android Developer Certification

Posted by Jocelyn Becker, Senior Program Manager, Android Training

As one of our most popular Udacity courses, the href="http://classroom.udacity.com/courses/ud851">Developing Android Apps
course was recently updated to ensure developers have the resources to build
high quality apps. This course, which has already helped more than half a
million developers learn to build Android apps, has been through the car wash
and come out sparkling clean and updated.

Google and Udacity have worked together to update the course to include the very
latest changes in Android and Android Studio, including how to use the new
Constraint Layout editor, and how to use Firebase Job Dispatcher. Learn best
practices for building Android apps using Android 7.0 (Nougat) while keeping
your apps backwards compatible in older versions, learning at your own pace in
your own time.

You sent us feedback that some of the lessons were a little difficult to get
through, so we've restructured the lessons and added smaller apps for you to
build as you progress through the course. So not only will you build the
Sunshine weather app as a complete, integrated application that spans the entire
course, but you'll also create an app in each lesson to help you learn
individual concepts.

Build a To Do app and add new tasks as you learn how to build a ContentProvider.

This course brings back Android experts Dan Galpin and Reto Meier from Google, and Lyla Fujiwara from Udacity, and introduces new faces from Google and Udacity.


Start learning now at href="https://www.udacity.com/course/ud851">https://www.udacity.com/course/ud851.

Combined package for Developing Android Apps course and Associate
Android Developer Certification

This updated course teaches the skills that are tested by the Associate Android
Developer certification exam. Udacity is offering a package that combines the
updated Developing Android Apps course with a voucher for the Associate Android
Developer certification exam. If you pass this exam, you will earn the Associate
Android Developer Certification and show that you are competent and skilled in
tasks that an entry-level Android developer typically performs. Enroll in
Udacity's href="https://www.udacity.com/course/associate-android-developer-fast-track--nd818">Fast
Track to get prepared and take the Associate Android developer exam at: href="https://www.udacity.com/course/associate-android-developer-fast-track--nd818">https://www.udacity.com/course/nd818.

Introducing the Android Basics Nanodegree

Posted by Shanea King-Roberson, Lead Program Manager Twitter: @shaneakr Instagram: @theshanea

Do you have an idea for an app but you don�t know where to start? There are over
1 billion Android devices worldwide, providing a way for you to deliver your
ideas to the right people at the right time. Google, in partnership with
Udacity, is making Android development accessible and understandable to
everyone, so that regardless of your background, you can learn to build apps
that improve the lives of people around you.

Enroll in the new Android Basics
Nanodegree. This series of courses and services teaches you how to build
simple Android apps--even if you have little or no programming experience. Take
a look at some of the apps built by our students:

The app "ROP Tutorial" built by student Arpy Vanyan raises awareness of a
potentially blinding eye disorder called Retinopathy of Prematurity that can
affect newborn babies.

And user Charles Tommo created an app called �Dr Malaria� that teaches people
ways to prevent malaria.

With courses designed by Google, you can
learn skills that are applicable to building apps that solve real world
problems. You can learn at your own pace to use href="http://developer.android.com/tools/studio/index.html">Android Studio
(Google�s official tool for Android app development) to design app user
interfaces and implement user interactions using the Java programming language.

The courses walk you through
step-by-step on how to build an order form for a coffee shop, an app to track
pets in a shelter, an app that teaches vocabulary words from the Native American
Miwok tribe, and an app on recent earthquakes in the world. At the end of the
course, you will have an entire portfolio of apps to share with your friends and
family.

Upon completing the Android Basics Nanodegree, you also have the opportunity to
continue your learning with the Career-track Android Nanodegree (for
intermediate developers). The first 50 participants to finish the Android Basics
Nanodegree have a chance to win a scholarship for the Career-track Android
Nanodegree. Please visit href="http://udacity.com/legal/scholarship">udacity.com/legal/scholarship
for additional details and eligibility requirements. You now have a complete
learning path to help you become a technology entrepreneur or most importantly,
build very cool Android apps, for yourself, your communities, and even the
world.

All of the individual courses that make
up this Nanodegree are available online for no charge at href="http://udacity.com/google">udacity.com/google. In addition, Udacity
provides paid services, including access to coaches, guidance on your project,
help staying on track, career counseling, and a certificate upon completion for
a fee.

You will be exposed to introductory computer science concepts in the Java
programming language, as you learn the following skills.

• Build app user interfaces
  
• Implement user interactions
  
• Store information in a database
  
• Pull data from the internet into your app
  
• Identify and fix unexpected behavior in the app
  
• Localize your app to support other languages

To enroll in the Android Basics Nanodegree program, href="http://udacity.com/nd803">click here.

See you in class!