The Microcredentials Summer Institute is a faculty development initiative designed to support the intentional integration of microcredentials into course and curriculum design. Over five live sessions, a cohort of faculty members will learn to align microcredentials with student learning outcomes, enhance career readiness, and strengthen curricular relevance. Participants will design assignments, communication strategies, and assessments to incorporate microcredentials into their Fall 2025 courses. Insights and materials from the Institute will contribute to UTSA’s self-paced course Navigating Microcredentials: Design and Teaching Strategies and support long-term instructional innovation across colleges. 

Course Objectives/Outcomes Upon Completion  

• Align microcredentials with course and program learning outcomes to enhance student engagement, skill development, and career readiness.
• Design course components (e.g., assignments, assessments, lesson plans) that intentionally integrate selected microcredentials.
• Develop a communication and engagement strategy to help students understand the value of microcredentials and motivate completion.
• Identify data collection methods that assess the effectiveness of microcredentials on student outcomes.
• Contribute to a shared knowledge base by creating artifacts and reflections in UTSA’s self-paced course Navigating Microcredentials: Design and Teaching Strategies. 

The Microcredentials Summer Institute consists of a combination of live sessions and asynchronous design work. During our live sessions, you will collaborate with peers across colleges, share your course plans, and receive expert feedback to refine your integration of microcredentials. Between sessions, you’ll engage in hands-on course development and have access to curated resources and video insights from colleagues who have successfully implemented microcredentials. This hybrid format is designed to support reflection, creativity, and application in your own teaching context. 

• Session 1: Microcredentials and Curriculum Design (Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 10 AM - Facilitator: Dr. Rita Mitra)
  • Participants will explore how to align the course curriculum with a microcrendial to enhance achievement of college goals (persistence and retention) and career goals (curriculum related skill).
  • Deliverables: Participants will work on their course outline and syllabus.
• Session 2: Microcredentials and Course Design (Monday, July 21, 2025, at 10 AM - Facilitator: Dr. Jude Okpala)
  • Participants will start working on their Fall courses and will incorporate the microcredential into the course, learning how to provide clear instructions and create a space for students to be engaged and celebrate achievements.
  • Deliverables: Participants will create at least one assignment/project that leverage a microcredential.
• Session 3: Personalize the Microcredential Experience With Your Teaching Style (Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 2 PM - Facilitator: Dr. Michael Rushforth)
  • Participants will become familiar with the microcredentials they chose for their course and will elaborate the communication plan to keep students engaged and make visible the connection between the microcredential and the course.
  • Deliverables: Participants will develop a lesson plan to integrate the microcredential into their teaching and align the lesson with the assessment component.  
• Session 4: Help Your Students Tell Their Story with Microcredentials (Monday, August 11, 2025, at 11 AM - Facilitator: Dr. Mario Vela)
  • Participants will learn how to encourage their students to complete the microcredentials and make it visible on their resume and applications.
  • Deliverables: Participants will create a student-facing resource or activity (e.g., reflection prompt, resume workshop slide, discussion post)that helps students articulate and share the value of their microcredential.
• Session 5: Bringing Everything Together and Getting Ready for the Fall Semester (Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 2 PM - Facilitator: Dr. Claudia Arcolin)
  • This final session will focus on implementation planning. Participants will review their course structure, finalize how the microcredential is integrated, and prepare for a smooth launch in the Fall. There will be space to share challenges, gather feedback, and celebrate the work completed during the summer.
  • Deliverables: Participants will submit a finalized course implementation plan that includes the microcredential alignment, key assignments or activities, a student engagement strategy, and a brief communication plan.

These sessions and the testimonies will be incorporated into the self-paced online course “Microcredentials at UTSA | Navigating Microcredentials: Design and Teaching Strategies”. Participants will build course competents directly into their live Fall courses.  

Time Commitment

Participants are expected to commit to:

• Five live synchronous sessions held biweekly from June to July 2025 (approximately 90 minutes each).
• Course development activities between sessions, including integrating microcredentials into Fall 2025 courses (estimated 2–3 hours per session).
• Fall implementation of the microcredential-enhanced course and basic data collection in collaboration with Institutional Research. 

Course Completion Requirements

To successfully complete the Institute, faculty must:

• Attend at least 4 of the 5 live sessions.
• Submit key deliverables, including:
  • A revised course outline or syllabus with embedded microcredential(s).
  • One microcredential-aligned assignment or project.
  • A lesson plan and communication strategy.
• Collect and share course implementation data (qualitative or quantitative) during the Fall 2025 semester.
• Participate in at least one reflective activity to contribute insights to UTSA’s self-paced course Navigating Microcredentials: Design and Teaching Strategies.

Upon completion of all requirements, participants will receive a certificate of completion and a one-time incentive of $1,000 (funded by the STRADA Beyond Completion Challenge grant). Opportunities for continued engagement include co-authoring a blog post, presenting at a teaching symposium, or contributing to future OER development. 

Contact Claudia Arcolin, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Experiences in the office of Teaching, Learning & Digital Transformation, if you have any questions.   

Login and Enroll. Expect a follow-up survey to confirm participation.