UH Micro-Credentials Policy
The University of Hawai‘i implemented Executive Policy 5.231, Micro-Credentials in August 2024, following consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including the UH Faculty Senates and the UH Professional Assembly. This project began with the efforts of the 2023 Micro-Credentials Policy Work Group, which carried out the charge of developing a system policy as authorized in Vice President for Academic Strategy Debora Halbert’s May 2022 “Guidance on UH Micro-Credentials” memo.
The Micro-Credentials Work Group formulated a draft policy on micro-credentials, which was vetted by the Chief Council of Academic Officers (CCAO) and the Chief Council of Student Affairs Officers (CSSAO) in May 2023, before being shared with campus Registrars, Financial Aid Officers, and the UH Officers. Following feedback from those groups and revisions, a revised draft Micro-Credentials Policy was distributed for formal consultation through the UH Faculty Senates in early January 2024. Faculty and staff feedback collected during the consultation phase informed revisions that led to the final version of the policy.
EP 5.231 provides a framework that allows interested UH faculty to design and implement micro-credentials for the first time. This UH System policy establishes a definition, taxonomy, and set of guidelines for the development and issuance of micro-credentials; articulates the relationship between micro-credentials and digital badges; and identifies campus responsibilities to ensure academic standards and consistent practice in the development and issuance of micro-credentials. As the mission, scope, and organizational structure of each campus differs, individual campuses have the ability to develop specific guidelines and procedures for the authorization of micro-credentials provided that those procedures conform to the terms of EP 5.231.
Micro-Credentials Overview
Micro-credentials represent an evolving trend in higher education and professional development, offering modular, focused learning experiences tailored to specific skills or competencies. Unlike traditional degrees and certificates, these credentials are incremental and can be accumulated over time, providing learners with the flexibility to adapt their education to their career goals and market demands. They are designed to be shorter in duration, digitally badged, and to focus on specific skill sets that are highly relevant in today’s rapidly changing job market. This approach to education recognizes the importance of lifelong learning and the need for continuous skill development in a fast-paced, ever-evolving professional landscape.
Implementation of Micro-Credentials in Academic Year 2024-25
Given the release of the UH Micro-Credentials Policy (EP 5.231), the Office of the Vice President for Academic Strategy and Office of the Vice President for Information Technology have been assisting the UH Chief Academic Officers with identifying and resolving the various decision points necessary to develop processes appropriate to each campus in areas such as approval authority, faculty review, micro-credential stackability, and the storage of enrollment and completion data. Campus-specific processes will be developed during the 2024-25 academic year and interested faculty members are encouraged to begin designing their micro-credentials at this time.
We have developed a Micro-Credentials Implementation Checklist for Programs and Faculty to guide faculty through the next steps in the process. Areas of consideration for the implementation of your micro-credential include target audience, industry alignment, marketing strategy, and the possibility of digital badging.
Micro-Credentials Policy Work Group (2023)
Gloria Niles, Director of Online Learning, UH System (co-convener)
Alan Rosenfeld, Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Policy, UH System (co-convener)
Julie Adrian, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UH Hilo
Michael Furuto, Associate Professor of Mathematics, UH West Oʻahu
April Quinn, Director of Program Development and Review, UH Mānoa
Nicolette van der Lee, Program Manager, UH Community Colleges
Sandra von Doetinchem, Associate Specialist, UH Mānoa Outreach College
Resources on Micro-Credentials
- Micro-Credentials – Learn and Work Ecosystem Library
- Credentials As You Go Tools and Resources (Playbook titles)
(Micro-credentials fall under the umbrella term of incremental credentials)- Incremental Credentials Framework
- Policy in Incremental Credentialing
- Quality, Trust, and Value of Incremental Credentials
- Making the Case
- Building Incremental Credentials
- Embedding and Aligning Certifications with Academic Programs
- Incremental Credentialing in Graduate Education
- Technology Integrated Credential Management
- Providing Access to All Learners
- Building a Communications and Marketing Strategy in a State or Institution for Incremental Credentialing
- Building a Communications and Marketing Plan for Individual Incremental Credentials
Resources on Digital Badges
- Open Badges Standards – 1EdTech
Open Badges refer to a digital credentials data standard that recognizes and verifies learning and achievements. Open Badges contain metadata that describe an achievement, the individual who achieved it, and the issuer of the credential. - TrustEd Micro-Credential Framework
This framework provides the minimum expectations for the meta-data that must be included when developing and ensuing digital badges to represent an earned micro-credential.
Examples from Other Institutions and Systems
Contact
Faculty members who have questions about the design or delivery of micro-credentials are encouraged to contact UH Director of Workforce Development Christine Beaule at beaule@hawaii.edu for assistance.
