A new four-part series of case studies from Workcred, developed in collaboration with The University Texas (UT) System, showcase how UT System institution faculty are helping to transform undergraduate education by integrating microcredentials into curricula.
As Texas continues to experience steady job growth, employers across the state need workers with in-demand skills that fuel competitive advantage.
To help close the gap between the supply and demand for qualified workers, the UT System launched the Texas Credentials for the Future Initiative in 2021 with a focus on microcredentials.
These credentials prepare learners with targeted expertise, equip educators with flexible curriculum tools, and help provide employers with skilled talent.
Through partnerships with Coursera and Google, and initial funding from Strada Education Foundation, the UT System scaled microcredentials across its institutions. As part of the study, faculty tailored microcredential implementation to their academic disciplines, course structures, and student needs—either adapting proven professional certificates or designing custom microcredentials. The faculty assessed whether a microcredential should be embedded in a course, offered as a co-curricular activity, or added as a combination of the two.
View the series of case studies that highlight how UT System institution faculty in different academic disciplines aligned and utilized microcredentials in their undergraduate courses:
“We’re thrilled to demonstrate how microcredentials can help to revolutionize higher education—delivering targeted skills that directly translate to career advancement while addressing job market workforce gaps with qualified candidates,” said Karen Elzey, associate executive director, operations, Workcred.
“These case studies show that when microcredentials are aligned and integrated correctly, they can strengthen degree programs and the workforce.”
“Through Texas Credentials for the Future, The University of Texas System is forging career-enhancing opportunities through accessible, relevant, and adaptable skills training,” said Serenity Rose King, Ph.D., UT System’s associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.
“I’m grateful to participating faculty who worked with us to pioneer the integration of microcredentials into bachelor degrees, and I want to thank our content and funding partners for helping us make this possible, as well as Workcred for highlighting these collaborations.”
Access more information about the benefits of microcredentials in the 2023 report, Integrating Microcredentials into Undergraduate Experiences, published by Workcred, in collaboration with the UT System.
About Workcred
Formed in 2014, Workcred is an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Its mission is to strengthen workforce quality by improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively.
Workcred’s vision is a labor market that relies on the relevance, quality, and value of workforce credentials for opportunities, growth, and development.
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems,
and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.
About The University of Texas System
For nearly 140 years, The University of Texas System has improved the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research, and health care. With 13 institutions that enroll more than 243,000 students collectively, the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States.
UT institutions produce more than 64,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of undergraduate degrees in Texas and more than 60 percent of the state’s medical degrees. Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics account for more than ten million outpatient visits and more than two million hospital days each year. UT institutions are among the most innovative in the world, ranking number one in Texas and number two in the nation for federal research expenditures.
The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas – employing more than 116,000 faculty, health care professionals, support staff and student workers – and has an operating budget of $25.2 billion for fiscal year 2023.
