Interested in Microcredentials?
UNO is now offering microcredentials. These short-form offerings equip students with in-demand skills that unlock opportunity and fill critical workforce gaps.
What is a microcredential course?
Microcredential courses are short-form offerings that develop a learner's competency in targeted, marketable skills. At UNO, all microcredential courses are equipped with a digital badge, a technology that allows learners to easily and clearly signal what they know and connect it to opportunity.
Our Approach
Excellence + Relevance. Curriculum and instruction from a blend of campus and industry leaders.
Cutting-Edge Technology. UNO microcredentials are built in a dynamic learning environment and completion of a microcredential unlocks a digital badge that allows learners to clearly signal new skills.
Accessible. UNO microcredentials are an average of 40 hours in length, offered online and continue UNO’s tradition of affordability to ensure cost isn’t a barrier to opportunity.
Why Now?
Microcredentials are important because they offer a flexible, affordable, and accessible way for learners to acquire new skills and knowledge that are in demand by employers.
According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, around 50% of all employees will need reskilling or upskilling by 2025, because of technological advancements and changes in the job market.
Microcredentials can help address this need by providing learners with targeted and industry-relevant skills, allowing them to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving job market.
Microcredential Quick Facts
- Length: Microcredentials are intended to be stackable and sync with the length of a traditional credit-hour offering. Therefore, you’ll find offerings that require a total time investment of 15, 30, 45, etc. hours from a student.
- Modality: Microcredentials are online, largely asynchronous courses accessible via NU Advance. The timing of course delivery will depend on instructor availability and any synchronous components.
- Demand: Our team conducts deep market analysis on all potential microcredential topics. We pursue topics that have high market demand and revenue potential.
- Competency-Based: Microcredentials leverage competency-based education best practices, including formative + summative assessments and engagement throughout the course.
- Badged: Microcredentials result in a digital badge that signals mastery of a particular skillset. This badge is awarded through completion of a capstone activity or assessment(s).
- Partnership: Not all microcredentials will feature co-authorship between a UNO faculty or staff member and an external industry partner, but the hope is that most do.
Browse Microcredentials
UNO Microcredentials are housed on our easy-to-use platform, NU Advance. Current UNO faculty and staff members cannot apply their tuition benefit toward microcredentials, however, they are eligible for 50% off of the course price (capacity allowing). Please contact Ana Lopez Shalla at alopezshalla@unaomaha.edu for instructions on facilitating this discount. Check out current offerings.
Available
| Course Name/ Topic | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Future-Focused Decision Making: Systems Thinking & Sustainability | $199.00 |
| Grant Development | $262.00 |
| Creating Usable Instructions | $125.00 |
| Juvenile Justice Certificate Program | $2,500.00 |
| Midstates Superintendents Academy | $1,499.00 |
In Development
| Course Name/ Topic | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Communicating in Remote Work Environments | $100.00 |
| Introduction to Organized Labor | $86.99 |
| Making the Maverick | Free for UNO Athletes |
| Leading in Uncertain Times: Concepts in Change Management & Resiliency | $399.00 |
| Introduction to Open Educational Resources | $351.00 |
| International Graduate Academic Preparation | $849.00 |
Coming Soon
| Course Name/ Topic | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Foundations in DEIA&B | $99.00 |
| Managing and Leading Diverse Teams | $399.00 |
| Strategic Decision Making & Communications for Data Scientists | $249.00 |
| Compelling Communications: Public Speaking and Professional Presentations | $199.00 |
| Project Management Strategies for Non-Project Managers | $249.00 |
| Digital Accessibility (Websites + Documents) | $199.00 |
How It's Made
Our process is as follows. Please note, this process takes roughly six months from start to finish.
- Complete the NU Advance Intake Form.
- Exploratory Meeting: Meet with the New Market team to discuss microcredential standards and development process as well as your vision for your course.
- Market Research: New Market team conducts market research.
- Confirmation Meeting: If market research shows a promising path forward, New Market team presents market research and standards for course outlining.
- Orientation: Course development team completes required training and a course outline.
- MOU: With a completed course outline, an MOU is signed that dictates the terms of development, instruction and revenue sharing.
- Course Development: The course development team works with our team of instructional and graphic designers to create a cutting-edge, online-forward offering.
- Course Marketing: Done in conjunction with UNO’s Marketing and Communications team, marketing is course specific and will be done organically via University networks and via paid advertising.
- Course Launch: Students enroll, skills are gained, badges are issued.
Depending on whether or not you’re a faculty/staff member or external partner interested in course development, please find more specific details below.
Partnerships
Internal Partnerships (UNO Faculty + Staff)
The caliber of UNO’s reputation is tied to its nationally-renown faculty and staff. Ensuring their expertise is at the core of each offering distinguishes these courses from other options on the market — and guarantees that learners will be met with UNO’s high standards and community-centered values in every microcredential they take.
If you are a UNO faculty or staff member hoping to become more involved in the microcredentialing effort, read on and please be in touch.
Partnership Options
1. Author a microcredential (or co-author with an industry subject matter expert “SME”)
Steps:
- Email Ana Lopez Shalla to discuss partnership details and the microcredential creation process.
Benefits:
- Be noted in the course credits as a creator.
- Leverage new, broad platform for applied research + expertise.
- Receive ongoing revenue share (subject to negotiation with your college or unit).
- Receive course development and/or course instruction stipend to honor efforts creating and/or instructing the course.
Requirements:
- Ability to fulfill the duties of a microcredential Course Developer (full Course Developer Job Description available upon request). Of note: Ability to devote several hours per week over the course of a four-month period to the development of learning objectives and course content.
- Ability to execute an MOU.
2. Stay in the loop and inform future microcredentials
- Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter (coming soon).
External Partnerships (Regional Employers + Community Organizations)
UNO is committed to partnering with industry and community partners from day one in the development and deployment of microcredentials to ensure our offerings are relevant, current and move the needle in unlocking opportunity for all.
If you are a representative of a company or industry interested in partnering to create or connect students to microcredentials, read on and please be in touch.
Partnership Options
1. Co-author a microcredential with a UNO subject matter expert.
Steps:
- Email Ana Lopez Shalla to discuss partnership details and the microcredential creation process.
Benefits:
- Develop course content that is deeply aligned with organization's (as well as the region's) workforce needs.
- Enjoy enhanced brand visibility + marketing: Co-branded badges, video cameos with organizational leadership, branded case studies and more.
- Receive ongoing revenue share (at least 10% of gross revenue; issued after each run of the course).
- Receive course development and/or course instruction stipends for teammate(s) who partner on course development and/or instruction.
Requirements:
- Qualified team member with ability to fulfill the duties of a microcredential Course Developer (full Course Developer Job Description coming soon).
- Ability to devote several hours per week over the course of a four-month period to the development of learning objectives and course content.
- Ability to execute an MOU.
2. Partner for enterprise professional development.
If you’re interested in investing in a large block of microcredentials for your team, please email Ana Lopez Shalla to discuss bulk and/or subscription pricing.
3. Stay in the loop and inform future microcredentials.
- Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.
- Attend an upcoming Industry Roundtable (focus group regarding the structure and focus of microcredentials).