The Warrenton, Virginia-based Digital Signage Federation announces that its Education and Standards committees have developed a collection of national standards for schools offering digital signage education and curricula. DSF describes the standards as “a forward-looking combination of what students should know and be able to do in the digital signage industry.”

“Using the concepts described in these standards, educators are able to introduce students to the basics of digital signage, providing the technical skills and industry knowledge to help them flourish in this growing industry,” the DSF says on its website.

Many universities, community colleges and technical schools already incorporate some of these elements in their own programs, the DSF says, and it encourages these educational institutions to identify the course work they already offer. The DSF updates its standards regularly and solicits input from industry and academic professionals. The version and revision date of the standards is printed on the standards document. The DSF Education Committee sets the review process and publishes the updated versions of the standards. The most current version of the standards published on the DSF website is considered the officially adopted standard.

When an institution adopts or officially recognizes these standards, the Digital Signage Federation should be informed of this decision. The DSF will then promote your institution’s decision and will be able to coordinate with its faculty on future revision recommendations.

The objectives of the standards for students, once they have completed a program focused on digital signage, include being able to understand the business concepts, rationale and decision processes involving digital signage; understanding the seven key elements of digital signage, including hardware and software, content and operations; and being able to understand the terminology used in the digital signage world.

The DSF says it believes the National Standards for Digital Signage Education are necessary because most students in marketing or information technology will participate at some point in their career in the digital signage industry as users, developers or integrators.