Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 60.13, Microcredentials.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to delineate the microcredentialing process at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) ensuring that microcredentials maintain a consistent level of rigor and are uniformly awarded in accordance with this policy and its related guidelines. This HSC OP applies to all TTUHSC campus locations.
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed in May every two years (E2Y) by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Integrated Learning (AAIL).
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. Background
The integration of microcredentials at TTUHSC is aimed at elevating the visibility and marketability of TTUHSC learners, highlighting their knowledge and skill sets. Concurrently, this initiative seeks to foster increased engagement in campus initiatives and career advancement among learners, faculty, staff, alumni, clinicians, preceptors, and university community partners.
2. Definitions
a. Learner: An inclusive term that encompasses a variety of target audiences, including those who are taking part in the educational process whether it be a microcredential or a full degree program. TTUHSC welcomes learners to learn new competencies and skills whether they are currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students, residents, alumni, faculty, staff, preceptors, or individuals in the community who seek opportunities to enhance their current skills to secure future opportunities and advance their careers or advance their knowledge in subject matters.
b. Competency: Learnable, measurable, and/or observable knowledge and skill sets gained.
c. Microcredential: Microcredentials are a competency-based form of skills validation that represents a unit of learning. Microcredentials can be awarded in the form of digital badges or digital certificates. A quality microcredential must be based on formative and summative assessment best practices, aligned to industry or post-graduate needs, and culminate in a reflective learning and/or skill development experience. Microcredentials have a clear purpose of preparing recipients for the workforce, helping them stand out to experiential placements and employers, bridging to larger credentials or learning pathways, supporting life-long learning opportunities for professionals, and enhancing professional skills through continuing education. As defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare graduates for a successful transition into the workplace. Microcredentials serve as assessed pathways of learning, stackable and portable, ensuring their value in future educational endeavors and recognition by industry partners. Each microcredential has a demonstrated relationship to at least one of the NACE competencies and/or skills.
d. Digital Badge: Digital badges serve as electronic representations of microcredentials, visually presented online and embedded with metadata providing contextual information about the learning experience. They are easily managed, verified, and shared online, guided by a competency statement, and linked to participant learning outcomes.
The design of the digital badge, including shape and color, is standardized by a style guide developed by AAIL. Upon meeting the competencies, the badge is electronically issued and linked to the sponsoring institution and evaluation criteria.
e. Certificates: Certificates are issued by educational institutions to acknowledge the completion of specialized curricula distinct from degree programs, indicating mastery within a specific area of knowledge or skill set. These programs, whether credit-bearing or non- credit pathways represent a focused domain of learning tailored to meet industry or academic requirements. Credit-bearing certificates, subject to approval by institutional policies and regulatory standards, typically entail a narrower scope of coursework compared to degree programs but offer academic credits within the issuing institution's degree framework. Conversely, non-credit-bearing certificates represent a dedicated learning pathway culminating in a certification of knowledge and skill attainment, distinct from the institution’s degree framework.
f. Digital Certificates: Digital certificates serve as electronic counterparts to traditional paper certificates, providing a streamlined and secure method of verification. These digital credentials are conferred upon the successful fulfillment of designated learning outcomes within credit-bearing certificate programs or non-credit-bearing certification learning pathways, ensuring alignment with predetermined educational objectives and standards. The format and design specifications for digital certificates adhere to established guidelines outlined in a style guide developed by AAIL.
g. Microcredential or Digital Badge Proposal: A comprehensive document outlining the conceptualization and criteria for a prospective new badge, necessitating the successful fulfillment of a task or experiential learning endeavor leading to the acquisition of a defined goal, skill, knowledge, or competency. This proposal includes detailed elements such as associated artifacts, reflections, and rubrics, strategically incorporated to validate and showcase the mastery of specific outcomes. Proposals can be submitted to: https://app4.ttuhsc.edu/MicroCredentials/Credentials.aspx for consideration.
h. External Microcredentials: Credentials designed and administered by external organizations or vendors (e.g., CITI, Lynda badges, Microsoft, Google Certification, and CISCO certification), may be of value to TTUHSC learners and team members and may be made available or required as part of some programs on campus. These are not, in and of themselves, TTUHSC microcredentials and, as such, are not covered by this policy. However, external microcredentials may be incorporated into course requirements or into a microcredential (e.g., while TTUHSC does not award CITI credentials, a research methods course might require learners to demonstrate CITI credentials, or a microcredential might require participants to complete CITI credentials).
3. Roles and responsibilities
Departments/Schools/Centers/Units who wish to develop a microcredential will work with the Division of Academic Affairs and Integrated Learning (AAIL) to submit a proposal to facilitate the application, assessment, and design process. Microcredentials aligned to an existing program, course, or experience will be developed by the unit in consultation with AAIL and must include appropriate assessment requirements. Supporting documentation for a new microcredential will include the demonstration of a clear purpose and benefit, criteria for earning the microcredential, articulation of NACE competencies/skills, evidence of importance to employers, clear links between the learning outcomes and learning activities and plans for assessment of the learning evidence.
Microcredentials aligned to a program, course, or experience that does not yet exist but would traditionally require approval through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and/or Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, must still follow that approval process before the microcredential can be designed and issued. This process applies to any microcredentials that are designed to be stacked together to award academic credit.
a. Division of Academic Affairs and Integrated Learning (AAIL)
AAIL is responsible for the oversight, including planning, approval, and awarding of microcredentials. The high quality and relevance of microcredentials are assured through a review and annual renewal process. Help in developing strong microcredentials proposals will be offered by the AAIL.
b. The Director of Microcredentialing, or their designee, directs, plans, coordinates, and supervises the operation and activities of the microcredential program by:
(1) Serving as the contact for additional information regarding microcredentials and digital badges or certificates
(2) Verifying the accuracy of the microcredential description, measurable outcomes, associated artifacts, and rubrics in the digital platform
(3) Maintaining records of who is pursuing a microcredential, either within the digital platform or through some other mechanism
(4) Evaluating the submitted artifacts for demonstration of mastery of the articulated outcomes
(5) Designing digital badges and certificates based an a standard style guide
(6) Awarding of digital badges for those who complete the microcredential program
4. Fees
Fees associated with microcredentials must be clearly outlined within the proposal submitted to the AAIL. Fee structures will be collected for both individuals associated with TTUHSC and those external to TTUHSC. Proposed fees should encompass all costs associated with the development, implementation, and administration of the microcredential program. In addition to the proposed fees, there will be a badge processing fee assessed for each microcredential. This badge processing fee is designed to cover the expenses related to the creation and maintenance of digital badges, as well as the administrative tasks involved in awarding learners their badges upon successful completion of the microcredential requirements. This ensures transparency and accountability in the fee structure while supporting the sustainability of the microcredentialing system.
5. Right to change policy
TTUHSC reserves the right to change, modify, amend, or rescind this policy in whole or in part at any time.