Integrating and Developing Microcredentials

Review Coursera Career Academy certificates available for no cost at https://www.utep.edu/extendeduniversity/utepconnect/current-students/coursera-career-academy.html

We strongly encourage you to complete this self-paced online course that provides a primer on microcredentials and prepares faculty and staff to embed or create them. The course is free, and a badge is awarded upon completion. To access the course, please email Beth Brunk at blbrunk@utep.edu.

We also strongly suggest completing the certificate you have selected so that you can gauge the complexity and time commitment required to complete it. You may choose to assign a portion of the certificate rather than the entirety.

Once you have selected the certificate, email Beth Brunk at blbrunk@utep.edu to request a Coursera learning program. This will allow you to invite students to participate and track their progress.

Plan how to integrate the certificate into your course curriculum. Be sure to consider how you will describe the assignment and how it will be factored into students’ grades.

Send students the enrollment email and be sure to track their progress. Sending them reminder messages may be helpful to encourage completion.

Learners who complete a full Coursera certificate will receive a related badge from Coursera. However, if a component (or entire) certificate is combined with other activities, learners can receive a UTEP badge. See guidelines for developing a new microcredential for more information.

This self-paced online course provides a primer on microcredentials and prepares faculty and staff to embed or create them. The course is free, and a badge is awarded upon completion. To access the course, please email Beth Brunk at blbrunk@utep.edu. 

Use the Microcredential Ideation Workbook to start planning your microcredential. This will be important for successfully completing the next two steps. 

The Microcredential Guidance Committee, comprised of a representative from each academic college, will meet with you to discuss your ideas and provide feedback. They will evaluate the proposal according to its quality, impact, strategic alignment, and financial viability. Approval of your microcredential is necessary to include it in the catalog and qualify it for badging.

Once approved, you can create a catalog entry for the microcredential so that it can be included in the Credential Catalog. You will be contacted for the following information:

1. The name of the credential and brief description
2. Mode of Instruction: Online, In-Person, or Hybrid
3. Type of Credit: Industry Badge, UTEP Academic Credit, UTEP Badge
4. Who it's available to: UTEP Instructors, UTEP Students, etc. 
5. Cost, if any 
6. Link to the credential website to register or for more information 
7. A picture you'd like to use for the thumbnail. If you do not have a picture, we can find one relevant to the microcredential content.

Learners who complete UTEP-approved microcredentials will receive a badge which contains meta data about the badge. You will be contacted for this information which typically includes:

1. The skills or knowledge acquired/demonstrated
2. Alignments to industry or other standards (if applicable)
3. What the learner did to earn the badge
4. How the skills or knowledge was assessed
5. Issue date and expiration date (if applicable)

1. The developer will have a consultation with the relevant support services to identify required resources and establish a timeline for development.
2. Face-to-face microcredentials should be supported by an online component that tracks learner engagement, houses resources, collects artifacts, and so on.
3. The platform used for development and delivery must be one that provides learner support through the UTEP Helpdesk or is otherwise approved. Most of the time, this will be Blackboard. To request a course shell, please email cid@utep.edu
4. Developers must adhere to all copyright, intellectual property, accessibility, FERPA, and other applicable policies.
5. Appropriate assessments must be built into the microcredential to ensure quality and achievement.
6. Access to resources (University Library, University Writing Center, etc.) should be considered for non-UTEP enrolled learners when applicable.
7. A Tech Check of materials will be completed prior to launch.
8. If the microcredential will also be offered to non-UTEP learners, the developer will need to consult with Professional and Public Programs for marketing, pricing, registration, if applicable.
9. If a microcredential will count for academic credit, the developer will need to consult with the Office of the Provost for the approval process.
10. You may want to create an event or pathway in Minetracker to track registration and progress.

When you have verified that the learners have completed the full microcredential, you will be contacted to submit a spreadsheet of names and emails. Learners will receive a message to claim their badges.

Updates and Assessment

1. Microcredential Pathways should be updated regularly depending on the currency of the content. The developer should work with the appropriate resources for assistance, and a Tech Check should be completed after any significant revisions.
2. Annual data will be collected regarding the enrollment, progress, and completion of the pathways.
3. Data will be shared with the developer of the pathway and the Microcredential Guidance Committee to develop an action plan to continue, revise, or discontinue.

 Discontinuation

1. A microcredential may be discontinued when it becomes outdated, is sustaining enrollment, or other conditions make it difficult to deliver it consistently.
2. A notification should be sent to the Microcredential Guidance Committee so that the microcredential can be removed from the catalog.
3. Any students currently participating in the microcredential should be given the opportunity to complete it prior to its discontinuation.