(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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State university ‘microcredential’ programs offer flexible education for high-needs industries [1]
['Brooklyn Draisey', 'More From Author', '- February']
Date: 2024-02-28
From his experience working with Iowa State University business students seeking a deeper education through microcredential programs, Board of Regents member JC Risewick said the skills, experience and enthusiasm they’ve shown would get them hired on the spot.
Microcredentials are what Iowa State University Associate Provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden described as shorter disciplinary programs that instill knowledge, skills and abilities through focused learning. She said they allow learners to get a leg up on the workforce competition and possibly push them to receiving more educational credentials down the line.
“They’re coming out of school with some really specific skill sets that they can use right away,” Risewick said. “So I think these are wonderful programs.”
Microcredentials and other short-form education opportunities offer flexibility in learning for traditional students, continuing education students and those interested in professional development, university representatives discussed at the Iowa Board of Regents meeting Wednesday.
ISU has been offering microcredentials for more than 100 years through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, VanDerZanden said, including its certified crop advisor program, bilingual training and education and more. In the 2022-23 school year, more than 900,000 people participated in microcredential education through the extension programs.
Microcredentials are really a way to show that competency in a certain area has been achieved, VanDerZanden said, which can be done in various ways. They also offer more flexibility for both student and school, as they can be offered outside of the normal academic schedule.
“A microcredential in and of itself can be very customizable,” VanDerZanden said. “It can be designed to meet the needs of a particular workforce sector, an individual company, but it’s not something that is a long term commitment, that requires a lot of time and investment from a learner.”
Last year, ISU conducted a study of the microcredential programs that are offered across the college’s disciplines in order to find commonalities and put them under one branding umbrella. The task force created for this work found that students didn’t really see the value of these microcredentials, which university officials said they are working to rectify.
“The great thing about the microcredential space is it allows us to document skills and abilities that don’t necessarily show up on a traditional transcript that’s focused on the discipline,” VanDerZanden said.
One program at ISU where students can learn and showcase these skills is at the Gerdin Leaders Academy — a non-credit, self-paced program that spans two semesters. Students complete activities within different leadership competency areas, like ethics, professional development and community service.
VanDerZanden said about 120 students participate each year, and once a student has completed requirements under all of the competencies, they receive a program completion badge that raises their employability.
University of Iowa Associate Provost Tanya Uden-Holman said the online certificates the university offers for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students provide opportunities for flexible learning and gaining an education outside their major, as they are offered as standalone certifications or add-ons to degrees.
For people looking to switch careers or further their ability to meet workforce needs, online certificates like those offered through the Tippie College of Business MBA program are critical, Uden-Holman said.
“They also encourage lifelong learning, and I think that’s something that we hope for all of our students and also for others who are out in the community,” Uden-Holman said. “So they provide that opportunity to upskill and enhance one’s knowledge base.”
Regent Abby Crow, a 2023 University of Iowa graduate, said in her path to earning a certificate in leadership studies she rubbed elbows with many business students, exposing her to different perspectives while she took a break from her main discipline to learn something new.
“I thought that was a really great learning opportunity for me to see people from different specialties and work towards similar goals within our career paths,” Crow said.
Each of the university officials brought up the fact that many of these microcredentials are stackable, meaning they can be put toward graduate degrees or other certifications.
University of Northern Iowa Associate Provost Patrick Pease said some of these microcredentials can be used to break the work of earning a master’s degree into bite-sized pieces, as evidenced by an initiative the college has created to help educators expand their own education and teaching opportunities.
UNI offers 14 online endorsements that “provide additional authorizations for teaching specialties,” Pease said, many of which are stackable. The university is focused on creating certificates and other credentials that specifically target workforce needs, like education, that can help students succeed as standalone achievements or as stepping stones to further degrees.
In the education field, this could help teachers diversify their teaching abilities and put them on the path to becoming a superintendent or other administrator, like the work-based skills development program the college has created in partnership with Des Moines Public Schools.
“Microcredentials will remain an evolving field for all three of our campuses and we’ll all continue to monitor workforce needs and refine the subject matter and delivery methods of these very critical programs for workforce development,” Pease said. “We will also monitor the return on investment to ensure that we are meeting the public need in a timely and sustainable manner.”
Members of the board signaled their support for microcredentials, with Board President Sherry Bates calling them the “best-kept secret” she’s ever heard. Regent Greta Rouse said programs like the UI’s online specialized MBA certificates would allow people who are placebound and haven’t attended schooling in years to further their education.
Regent Jim Lindenmayer said it’s been interesting as someone who previously worked in continuing education to watch the state’s universities become more invested in these types of programs, and encouraged the universities’ efforts to expand their microcredential offerings.
“I think the fact that they’re all involved and embracing this adds a lot of validity to these credentials and these badges, and I think it’s a great response to the workforce,” Lindenmayer said.
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