Online programs are fast, flexible, and affordable. Learners increasingly want quick-turn single-skill credentials, not time-consuming credit degrees. In today’s climate of vendor certifications, Lynda.com, and LinkedIn Learning, discover why and how to turn your traditional online programs into single-competency offerings that stack into badges, certificates, and traditional degrees. The Learning Design, Development, & Innovation (LDDI) team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison converted a traditional professional-development curriculum into a micro-credential series of stacked and interlocked offerings. As you hear their story, you’ll learn the curricular, student-information-system, credentialing, and accreditation needs for converting existing programs into micro-credentials that stack into badges, certificates, and credit-bearing degrees. We’ll also examine the challenges, solutions, and responses from other colleges, universities, and service organizations—the result of site visits and fact-finding.
Thomas J. Tobin, PhD, MSLS, PMP, MOT, CPACC is a founding member of the Center for Teaching, Learning, & Mentoring (CTLM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as an internationally recognized speaker and author on technology-mediated education. His books include:
- Evaluating Online Teaching: Implementing Best Practices (2015).
- The Copyright Ninja (2017).
- Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (2018).
- Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers (2020).
- UDL for FET Practitioners: Guidance for Implementing Universal Design for Learning in Irish Further Education and Training (2021).