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updated November 18, 2021

Microcredentials verify, validate, and attest specific skills and/or student demonstrated competencies.  They are generally shorter than degrees or certificates, and can be implemented through local campus approval procedures. They may incorporate classes within the typical semester schedule or use shorter or more flexible options. They may be made up of credit-bearing courses (and additional experiences) and appear on a student’s transcript, or they may be not for credit. In either case, they are generally associated with a digital badge that includes evidence of student learning or demonstrated competency.

ßÙßÇÂþ»­ microcredentials

ßÙßÇÂþ»­ microcredentials have a clear purpose of preparing students for the workforce, helping students stand out to employers, bridging to larger credentials, supporting life-long learning opportunities for professionals, and enhancing professional skills through continuing education. As defined by the , career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.

Each microcredential has a demonstrated relationship to at least one the NACE competencies:

Types of Microcredentials

There are two types of microcredentials at ßÙßÇÂþ»­:

• Credit-Bearing

  Credit-bearing microcredentials consist of completion of coursework and may also require additional experiences. ßÙßÇÂþ»­ credit-bearing microcredentials must be greater than 4 credits but cannot exceed 12 credits. They also must include two courses, at a minimum.
  

  The microcredential will be transcripted.  They will also be associated with digital badges issued by ßÙßÇÂþ»­ through  which requires submission of evidence that the bearer has attained the learning objectives of the microcredential. 

• Non-credit Bearing

  Non-credit microcredentials are typically smaller learning opportunities in which learners will earn digital badges issued by ßÙßÇÂþ»­ through  which requires submission of evidence that the bearer has attained the learning objectives of the microcredential. 

Approval Process

Both types of microcredentials go through approval process that involves faculty and departments prior to submission to the Office of Microcredentials. 

• Credit-Bearing Approval Flow

  

  For credit-bearing microcredentials, the approval process length depends on many committees and therefore the time for approval varies. 

  The average time from initial submission to final approval is 170 days. 

• Non-credit Bearing Approval Flow

  Department Chair/Director > Dean/Unit Head > Office of Microcredentials

  One the OMC receives the proposal, the OMC will have an initial response back to the submitter within 2 weeks. However, there may be one or more requests for resubmission, which may lengethen the overall approval process. 

  The average time from initial submission to final approval is 45 days.

Proposal Submission

There is a three step process to offer a new microcredential and digital badge. 

1. The Proposal Form to offer the microcredential.
2. The badge information and metadata is collected for display on the Credly platform. 
3. Information on learners who will be issued a badge. 

• Step 1: Proposal Form  

  The Microcredential Proposal Form is available as Microsoft Word document. 

  Question 9

  Proposals are frequently sent back due to an insufficient response to question 9. Please consult the FAQs prior to submitting your proposal to ensure you are responding to this question at a level of detail expected from the committee. 

  Submitting the Proposal From

  To submit the proposal form and begin the approval process described above, visit  on the and follow the directions.

  

  Check Proposal Approval Status

  You can check the status of your submission in the myßÙßÇÂþ»­ portal by clicking on the bell icon and My Workflows. Click on the name of workflow to see what step the approval is on. 

  

• Step 2: Badge Information

  Once the microcredential has been approved, Credly requires extensive information about each badge before it can be issued. 

  Complete the to supply the OMC with this information. You will need to download the form to complete it. Do not use the preview mode in your browser. 

  You will be sent a sample badge to review before publishing. 

• Step 3: Recipient Information

  Once you are ready to issue badges to recipients, you will be sent a spreadsheet to complete with the recipient information, called a bulk issue template. 

  The bulk issue template has five required fields:

  • Badge Template ID - the unique ID that represents the badge a candidate will be issued. The OMC will provide this number to you after step 2 (above) is completed.
  • Recipient Email
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Issued at date

  Download a sample file here. 

  There are many optional fields. Feel free to use these or not, but do not remove the column headers.