Alignment for the Long Term: How CE Can Drive Institution-Wide Credential Innovation

Higher education institutions across the United States and Canada are in their “credential innovation era”—exploring new ways to serve new demographics of learners and awarding new kinds of credentials to recognize their learning. 

Except… this isn’t really new, is it? Not in the Continuing, Professional and Workforce Education sector anyways. Offering certificates, microcredentials and badges have been part of the CE portfolio for decades. What’s changed in the modern era, though, is that main campuses have a desperate need for the agility and revenue that these credentials can deliver. 

A 2021 study conducted by Modern Campus, The EvoLLLution and UPCEA found that innovative credential initiatives are tightly aligned with institutional strategic plans for 88% of respondents. Further, 71% of respondents shared that alternative credentials would help them achieve institutional revenue and enrollment goals. 

It’s no surprise, then, that the rush to develop, offer and microcredentials has led to a great deal of confusion—driving numerous overlapping offerings, inconsistency in programmatic rigor, and ultimately confusion for learners, employers, faculty and institutional administrators alike. 

A 2023 study, conducted by Modern Campus, UPCEA and AACRAO, explored the space for collaboration and competition that has emerged between CE and the registrar’s office that has emerged from the proliferation of microcredentials. 

That paper identified a number of concerning trends that are contributing to this misalignment. Among respondents at institutions that have a defined CE unit: 

• 62% said multiple departments at the institution offer microcredentials 
• 58% said engagement between CE and the registrar is occasional, ad hoc, and non-strategic 
• 86% said there are critical practice, policy & technology barriers preventing collaboration between CE and the registrar 

So where do we go from here? This is the gap being tackled by events like Convergence, the joint AACRAO-UPCEA conference designed to bring CE leaders and registrars together to discuss alternative credentialing policy and practice. 

At that conference, Modern Campus was invited to record live episodes of its popular Illumination Podcast to dive deeper into these questions with folks leading innovation and transformation across the higher education space.  

Here is a brief rundown of the episodes recorded, alongside links to access the episodes and anticipated publishing dates for those that are still in the vault: 

From Chaos to Clarity: Creating a New Credential Framework 

Carissa Little | Associate Dean of Global & Online Education and Executive Director for Stanford Center for Professional Development, Stanford University 

Ronie Shilo | Managing Director of Program Strategy & Development, Stanford University 

Carissa Little and Ronie Shilo reflect on the work they’re doing at Stanford University to enhance clarity and cohesion for learners and institutions by establishing common taxonomies that streamline the credentialing experience. 

Strategies for Success Through Microcredential Standards 

Anissa Vega | Associate Vice Provost of Curriculum & Academic Innovation, Kennesaw State University 

Anissa Vega discusses the importance of aligning continuing education and academic affairs with microcredentialing, and reflects on the model Kennesaw State developed to create institution-wide consistency on microcredential offerings. 

Expanding Horizons with Microcredential Initiatives 

Lisa Templeton | Vice Provost of the Division of Educational Ventures, Oregon State University 

Lisa Templeton discusses the expansion of the Oregon State’s microcredentialing initiative and the reflects on how this work extends educational access and affordability for modern learners. 

Creating a Student Experience that Captivates Learners 

Ryan Torma | Executive Director of Professional Development & Lifelong Learning, University of Minnesota 

Ryan Torma discusses how to make microcredential programming stand out to learners when they have a sea of learning options available to them, and reflects on what it takes to deliver a positive, engaging and differentiating student experience. 

Building a Unified Online Student Experience 

Wendy Colby | Inaugural Vice President and Associate Provost of BU Virtual, Boston University 

Wendy Colby discusses the process of launching BU Virtual, reflects on the need to expand and scale online offerings, and shares her thoughts on the changing workforce dynamics that leaders need to keep an eye on. 

How Microcredentialing Can Impact the Lifelong Learning Ecosystem 

Pam Wimbush | Dean of the College of Continuing Education, Sacramento State University 

Pam Wimbush discusses the importance of crafting a cohesive lifelong learning ecosystem, and shares her thoughts on how the shift towards microcredentialing helps to formalize a new institutional experience—one that requires a different approach to welcoming and supporting learner success. 

Cultivating Future Professionals through Microcredentials 

Kristen Vanselow | Assistant Vice President of Innovative Education and Partnerships, Florida Gulf Coast University 

Kristen Vanselow reflects on the work FGCU is doing to collaborate with local employers to develop, launch and scale a range of microcredentials designed to help students more easily transition into the workforce in Southwestern Florida. 

The Sea of Change for Higher Ed Using Microcredentials (Expected publishing date: Friday, January 25, 2024)

Jack Suess | Vice President of Informational Technology and Chief Information Officer, University of Maryland Baltimore County 

Jack Suess shares his thoughts on the evolving role of Chief Information Officers in supporting digital transformation in the higher education space, specifically discussing the impact these leaders can have in scaling strategic initiatives. 

Amrit Ahluwalia is Editor-in-Chief of The EvoLLLution: A Modern Campus Illumination. The EvoLLLution® is an online newspaper exclusively for and by those who understand higher education best. We publish articles and interviews by individuals across the postsecondary space sharing their insights on higher education and their opinions on what the future holds for the industry—all through a uniquely non-traditional lens.

Modern Campus is driving radical transformation for colleges and universities with software designed to support effectiveness, efficiency and student-centricity across the institution. We offer two non-traditional student management solutions, Destiny One and Lumens, which ensure institutions of all sizes have access to critical registration and program management solutions for their continuing, workforce and online education divisions. Trusted by institutions of all sizes and structures, Modern Campus has a proven track record in this industry and drives 19% average enrollment growth and 30% staff time savings for clients.