New players
in higher education may be upending the concept of a degree. Instead of pursuing
a traditional degree over a number of years, more college students may opt for
a much shorter path to a “microdegree.”
According
to a report in Campus Technology,
Udacity stirred up some chatter at the Google I/O conference with its new
Android application developer program, which enables students to achieve the
credential within 12 months. Udacity offers five other skill-based programs
leading to a “nanodegree,” a term the company has trademarked. Coursera also
has a number of shorter-term study programs that award microdegrees upon
completion.
Campus Technology noted that “the concept of an
institution-agnostic microcredential isn’t new,” but the fresh angle is that
for-profit companies such as Udacity and Coursera are partnering with major
companies to create the course content. That ensures the curriculum meets the
needs of potential employers and gets students through the program quickly so
they can fill positions.
“A growing
number of industries are open to the idea of employing people with portfolio
backgrounds—that is, people without four-year degrees who have done different
things and can show you what they’ve done,” said Cathy Sandeen, chancellor of
the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension, in
the article. Wisconsin is taking part in the Lumina Foundation’s project to
construct a “credential registry” for students.
Others
think microdegrees won’t replace traditional degrees, but will allow people to
add credentials as they proceed through their career. “It just means that those
four-year programs that are best able to integrate with ‘nano-,’ ‘micro-,’ and
‘meso-’ certificate programs will be more likely to thrive,” said Alexander
Halavais, associate professor, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences,
Arizona State University.
