More than 90% of colleges and universities now offer
alternative credentialing and one in five issue badges, according to research
conducted by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.
The popularity of microcredentials is driven by workers who understand that displaying
badges makes it easier to highlight specialized skills.
“You can present an employer with a résumé and it shows what you have collectively done over the
years,” Charlene Templeton, assistant dean for continuing education at Anne
Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD, said in an article for University Business. “But a badge shows there are specific
things you have achieved.”
Badges can be added to a résumé or shared on
social media, allowing employers to see links to detailed descriptions of the
skills and competencies developed during the course. Anne Arundel has awarded
hundreds of badges in the last two years, while Stony Brook University, part of
the State University of New York system, has handed out 130 badges in
professional development to working professionals in human-resource management
and higher-education administration.
“You may be waiting two or
four years to earn a degree, but you’re developing skills and knowledge along
the way—badges make this knowledge visible,” said Ken Kindblom, interim dean
for the school of professional development at Stony Brook.
