CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Leaders are saying shorter, targeted learning experiences focused on harnessing specific skills are the future of higher education.
Microcredentials are designed to bring more flexibility and accessibility for students than a traditional college degree path.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission met Thursday to further chart the course of implementation of these microcredentials in colleges and universities across the state. They are deeming the new initiative Credential WV.
Dr. Corley Dennison
Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the Policy Commission Dr. Corley Dennison said microcredentials are their own unique kind of option for students to use to quicken the pace of their higher education experience, and they address the evolving demands of West Virginia’s workforce.
“We’ve had certificates before and we’ve offered certificates, but the difference between a microcredential and say a minor or a certificate is that they’re short, very skill-specific modules that students take to enhance their employability and workforce skills,” Dennison said.
At a summit earlier this month, higher education leaders developed strategies for implementing microcredntial programs into existing academic courses. Dennison said a few institutions in the state have already begun embedding the microcredential programs into their curriculum.
He said New York, Ohio, Colorado, among several other states have been leading the way when it comes to microcredentling in their colleges and universities.
Dennison said the specific skill sets for such microcredential courses could include anything from phlebotomy to grant and technical writing, auto tech or bookkeeping. He said the possibilities are endless and extend across multiple disciplines.
“One thing I was talking to New York about was surgical processing, that’s sterilizing surgical equipment, and there’s been a really high demand for that, and New York says that’s one of their most popular microcredentials,” he said.
How it would work is, when students complete a microcredential course and show competency within that course, they will be issued a digital badge which they can present to an employer showing they gained the relevant skill.
He said when speaking with a higher education leader from New York, he was given more insight into just how beneficial the microcredentialiing route will be when the skills are applied to a real world context.
“He was saying, you know, if you do it right and you have the skills that the employer wants, they’re finding that these students can turn around with these microcredentials and see immediate impact in their paychecks or in their prospects for getting a job,” said Dennison.
Dennison said the dynamics are changing in higher education as they begin to discover that there’s more and more adult learners in the arena. 
He said the average age of students in higher education currently are between 25 to 26 years old.
“The idea of the traditional 18 year old that graduates from high school and moves into college, while there’s still a very significant number of those, more and more adult learners are coming onto campus, and quite frankly, they often times want a much shorter path to a credential,” Dennison said.
West Virginia’s Higher Education Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker said the implementation of microcredentials across the state can directly impact student’s lives by meeting them where they are and preparing them for where they want to go.
“Imagine the working adult who can only take a few courses at a time, the recent high school graduate who wants to build a portfolio of skills quickly, or the mid-career worker who needs to reskill for a new job opportunity. With microcredentials, we can give these individuals practical, career-relevant tools they can apply immediately whether they’re looking to advance in their current roles or pivot to new industries,” Armstrong Tucker said in statement.
The Higher Education Policy Commission hopes to expand Credential WV to every college and university in the state over the next three years.