Digital certifications, badges and other micro-credentials or evidence of professional development have gained a greater focus in workplace settings. This article discusses how two graduate courses incorporated audits to guide students in selecting appropriate micro-credentials to help them be more marketable

Shemberger, Melony

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Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky University Encompass Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings 2023 Earning More Than a Degree: How Students Use Audits to Evaluate Digital Certifications and Badges Melony Shemberger Murray State University, mshemberger@murraystate.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://encompass.eku.edu/pedagogicon Shemberger, Melony, "Earning More Than a Degree: How Students Use Audits to Evaluate Digital Certifications and Badges" (2024). Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings. 2. https://encompass.eku.edu/pedagogicon/2023/outcomes-assessment/2 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Events at Encompass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Encompass. For more information, please contact laura.edwards@eku.edu. This event is available at Encompass: https://encompass.eku.edu/pedagogicon/2023/outcomes-assessment/2 2023 Pedagogicon ProceedingsWorkforce & Employability Skills: Proceedings of the 2023 Pedagogion / 1Earning More Than a Degree: How Students Use Audits to Evaluate Digital Certifications and BadgesMelony ShembergerMurray State UniversityDigital certifications, badges and other micro-credentials or evidence of professional development have gained a greater focus in workplace settings. This article discusses how two graduate courses incorporated audits to guide students in selecting appropriate micro-credentials to help them be more marketable.INTRODUCTIONEarning additional certifications beyond the academic credential can help students become more marketable. Digital certifications, badges and other micro-credentials or evidence of professional development have gained a greater focus in workplace settings. Many company-issued credentials (certifications, certificates, badges) reflect competency or content mastery in specialized areas in a similar way that traditional educational certificates and degrees do. Creating opportunities within a course to guide students toward earning the right micro-credential can help them achieve the evidence they need to showcase their newfound skills.RELEVANT RESEARCHEmployees in the twenty-first century must cultivate knowledge using the internet and apply digital literacy skills (Gish-Lieberman et al., 2021; Itow et al., 2016; Rimland & Raish, 2019; Zimmerman, 2002). However, the expectation for expertise development in digital applications might not be as clear to employees (Gish-Lieberman et al., 2021). Consequently, micro-credentials have surfaced as a way to support self-directed learning that can make visible and tangible learners’ efforts with digital badges (Bowen & Thomas, 2014; Farmer & West, 2017). Micro-credentials offer incremental learning pathways with badges and represent specific skills to be achieved along the way toward larger goals.2 / Shemberger, M. : Earning More Than a DegreeMicro-credentials not only can illustrate a learner’s achievements during the educational journey, but they can encourage faculty to think beyond academic-speak learning outcomes and consider how knowledge and skills will be applied in the real world (Riggs, 2023). For educators, micro-credentials can inspire new curricular or develop interdisciplinary opportunities and lead to more productive relationships between higher education and industry. Focusing on how learning is applied may challenge faculty to consider more authentic pedagogical approaches (Riggs, 2023).Implementing badges and certifications into instruction helps to shape micro-credentials as a viable pedagogical tool (Ahn et al., 2014; Casilli & Hickey, 2016; Ellis et al., 2016; Halavais, 2012). Further, integrating micro-credentials into an existing curriculum is beneficial at any level in higher education. In the context of graduate education, those who have earned undergraduate degrees may need or want to improve their skills in areas they overlooked or missed in their bachelor’s degree program or in areas that have emerged since they graduated. In public relations and strategic communications, certifications showcasing social media and digital skills and talents are evidence of specific skills or knowledge in an occupation, industry or technology. Graduate students in two public relations accelerated courses (Strategic Communications and Seminar in Public Relations) at a southeastern university conducted audits to look for programs or platforms in which they can earn two certifications before the end of the term. This project is connected with the learning objectives for the course and module, demonstrating relevancy and assignment transparency for students. Because of the time necessary to progress through a certification program, the module appears early in the courses so that students can begin the project as soon as possible.TRANSPARENT & TRANSFERABLE APPROACH TO TEACHINGA. PURPOSE The purpose of the micro-credentials project is for students to complete two certifications. This involved two parts. First, students completed an audit in which they explored the numerous certifications available and recorded their findings. An audit or some kind of formative assessment is necessary because numerous certification programs exist, especially in social media marketing and strategic communications. The challenge is deciding which ones to invest time in, and students were encouraged to pursue free versions of badge or certification programs. Second, students Workflow & Employability Skills: Proceedings of the 2023 Pedagogion / 3used the audit findings to decide which two certifications to complete for the course — and help them to achieve new skills.This project aligned with two module learning objectives in the graduate courses:1. Review certification programs and platforms that exist in the various areas related to strategic communication.2. Choose two certifications to complete based on the results of the certifications audit.Both module learning objectives mapped to the course learning objective, Complete certifications that would benefit professional growth in strategic communication.Instructors can create a micro-credentials project applicable to the participant’s field, discipline or profession. Here are steps that were followed in the graduate course: B. TASKS 1. Instruction was delivered on certifications, including a few examples of certification programs from Facebook (Facebook for Journalists), Google (Google Adwords), and Hubspot (Hubspot Inbound Certification).2. Students completed a certification audit. A form was provided to guide students in searching for the various certifications. Students made their selections based on various criteria such as cost, time, and features, among others. The students also wrote brief recommendations on which certifications they believed were worthy to pursue, based on the audit. 3. Instructor feedback was given after students submitted their audits.4. Using instructor feedback on the audits, students chose any two certifications based on the findings from their audits. They completed the certifications and submitted their certificates or digital badges as evidence before the course ended.C. CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSA rubric was used to determine points to be awarded after submitting evidence (e.g., PDF of the certificate or badge) of two certifications earned. 4 / Shemberger, M. : Earning More Than a DegreeThe total number of points that could be earned on the micro-credentials project was 20, representing 20% of the final grade.ANALYSIS/ASSESSMENTThe micro-credentials project started in spring 2018. Since then, approximately 100 graduate students in both Strategic Communications and in Seminar in Public Relations courses have earned certifications:• HubSpot Academy• HootSuite Academy• Google Analytics• Google Adwords• Twitter Flight School• Facebook for JournalistsStudents have expressed in their course evaluations that they appreciated pursuing these additional outcomes. One student indicated that prior to the course, he had wanted to complete a particular social media certification but lacked the time; the project helped him to achieve the credential.APPLICATION TO TEACHINGAlthough the project on micro-credentials focused on the graduate courses, this approach can be applied to any course. However, instructors should consider the level of the course, as well as the learning outcomes, when deciding where to integrate this approach. Providing examples also benefits students, but having an audit or other formative assessment in place will help instructors to observe and measure whether students are exploring fully the features associated with a particular micro-credential.REFERENCESAhn, J., Pellicone, A., & Butler, B. S. (2014). Open badges for education: What are the implications at the intersection of open systems and badging? Research in Learning Technology, 22. https://doi.org/10. 3402/rlt.v22.23563.Bowen, K., & Thomas, A. (2014). Badges: A common currency for learning. Change, 46(1), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383. 2014.867206.Workflow & Employability Skills: Proceedings of the 2023 Pedagogion / 5Casilli, C., & Hickey, D. (2016). Transcending conventional credentialing and assessment paradigms with information-rich digital badges. Information Society, 32(2), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 01972243.2016.1130500.Ellis, L. E., Nunn, S. G., & Avella, J. T. (2016). Digital badges and microcredentials: Historical overview, motivational aspects, issues, and challenges. In D. Ifenthaler, N. Bellin-Mularski, & D.-K. Mah (Eds.), Foundation of digital badges and micro-credentials: Demonstrating and recognizing knowledge and competencies (pp. 3–21). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15425-1_1.Farmer, T., & West, R. E. (2017). Opportunities and challenges with digital open badges. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of learning and instructional design technology. Retrieved from https:// lidtfoundations.pressbooks.com/chapter/open-badges/Gish-Lieberman, J. J., Tawfik, A., & Gatewood, J. (2021). Micro-credentials and badges in education: A historical overview. TechTrends, 65(1), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00567-4Halavais, A. M. C. (2012). A genealogy of badges. Information, Communication & Society, 15(3), 354–373. https://doi.org/10. 1080/1369118X.2011.641992.Itow, R., Hickey, D. T., Ifenthaler, D., Bellin-Mularski, N., & Mah, D.-K. (2016). When digital badges work: It’s not about the badges, It’s about learning ecosystems. In Foundation of digital badges and micro-credentials: Demonstrating and recognizing knowledge and competencies (pp. 411–420). Springer International Publishing.Riggs, S. (2023, April 21). Microcredentials can make a huge difference in higher education. New Thinking. https://www.newthinking.com/education/microcredentials-can-make-a-huge-difference-in-higher-education Rimland, E., & Raish, V. (2019). Micro-credentials and digital badges.  Library Technology Reports,55(3), 1–34. American Library Association. https://doi.org/10.5860/ltr.55n3Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64.

Earning More Than a Degree: How Students Use Audits to Evaluate Digital Certifications and Badges

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Earning More Than a Degree: How Students Use Audits to Evaluate Digital Certifications and Badges

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