Will the Nanodegree Replace the Bachelor’s?

High-tech companies need employees with particular skills;many talented professionals want to learn those skills yet are reluctant tocommit to the time and cost of a formal degree program. What’s the solution?

A growing number of adult learners are turning to“alternative credentials.” This umbrella term embraces a broad set of programsthat mark, measure, and stamp—with a nonacademic seal of approval—specific setsof skills.

The programs go by many names: microcredentials,nanodegrees, certificates, professional degrees, Open Badges, and more. In somecases, corporations hampered by the dearth of qualified applicants have set uptheir own programs—for example, Microsoft announced its new “professionaldegree” program for aspiring data scientists in July; the courses are offered through edX.org. In June, Google and Udacity launched ananodegree class in Android programming basics. Amazon Web Services offers several “certification” courses.Some have a broader target: So-called “coding bootcamps” have sprung up allover the world, according to SwitchUp.org,which offers reviews, ratings, and other resources for potential students.

Though prevalent in high tech, alternative credentialing hasa much broader reach. Professionals, whether they be realtors, copy editors, ordog trainers, can earn credentials through professional support organizationslike NAR ,ACES,and CCPDT; and the Mozilla Open Badges program pretty much setsthe sky as the limit for creating and awarding badges based on knowledge,skills, or experience.

Accredited universities are taking notice and increasingly getting in on the game, according to a June 2016 report from UPCEA, a membership organization forprofessional, continuing, and online education institutions. UPCEA definesalternative credentials as “competencies, skills, and learning outcomes derivedfrom assessment-based, non-degree activities” that “align to specific, timelyneeds in the workforce.”

The report studies the increasing popularity of alternativecredentialing opportunities, particularly with younger adults; it notes the“critical role in revenue and revenue planning for academic institutions” ofthese types of programs, saying that they are important to universities’ futuresuccess.

Will alternative credentials replace academic degrees?

Individuals’ drive to measure and certify their skills andknowledge in consistent, nonacademic ways is not new. The Open Badges movementhas been gaining ground for a few years; Khan Academylaunched 10 years ago; and two Stanford University professors offered the firsttruly massive MOOC in 2012, leading to the founding of Udacity. Even before microcredentialsmoved online, universities, community colleges, and nonacademic organizationsoffered certificates in anything ranging from teaching English as a secondlanguage to paralegal studies to EMT-B certification. The Open University accepted its firststudents (in the UK) in 1971, broadcasting courses via television and radio.

Alternative credentials might be offered as certificate or non-degreeprograms at accredited universities; as seminars ranging from several hours toseveral weeks, presented by professional organizations or nonprofits; or ascontinuing education programs that are required in some professions.

Some programs target working professionals who seek toupdate or expand their skill sets; others target career-changers,nontraditional students, or those who simply need or want to improve theirmarketability but cannot—for a variety of reasons—attend a traditionaldegree-seeking program.

More and more alternative credentials are offered via onlineor blended learning platforms, many of them asynchronous, generating a wealth oflearning opportunities for all. This is particularly significant for people wholive in places with limited in-person educational opportunities or those whosework, family, and other obligations limit their availability during daytime andweekday hours. Asynchronous eLearning is, of course, available to anyone with Internetaccess, free time, and a thirst for knowledge.

Common features of alternative credential programs include ashorter time frame for completion than a four-year baccalaureate or a graduatedegree and, generally, a much lower price tag. They tend to have fewerprerequisites or admission requirements, and nanodegrees and certificatesgenerally offer a much narrower focus than a liberal-arts degree. Certificateand “professional degree” programs like Microsoft’s hone a very specific skillset, aiming to prepare students for particular types of jobs or careers.Another common feature, this one shared with academic degrees: None promiseemployment to students who complete them.

All of this evidence suggests that microcredentials, badges,and other alternative credentials are more likely to complement academic degreestudies than to replace them. In the United States, the skyrocketing cost of auniversity education puts that option out of reach for many young adults, even as more jobs demand education beyond high school; alternative credentials offer a learning path for theseindividuals. 

Caveat emptor

As with any unsupervised online study, the challenges aremany: It’s still easy to fake many things online, from the identity of thelearner to the veracity of test responses to the bona fides of the granter ofthe badge or certificate. The ongoing furor over for-profit universities in theUnited States that didn’t deliver on promises to students serves as a warning.Unaccredited programs have even greater potential for problems, since there islittle or no oversight of many of them.

UPCEA’s June report warns: “Many of the new private sectorproviders struggle to deliver consistent quality in learning design, assessment,and outcome certification, and their instructors have varying levels ofcompetency.” While UPCEA identifies this as an opening for accrediteduniversities to jump onto the alternative credentialing bandwagon, leveragingtheir reputations and educated faculties, consumers should see it as notice tothoroughly investigate a program before plunking down a tuition payment.

Potential benefits abound

Despite the potential pitfalls, alternative credentialing couldoffer tremendous benefits to employers and potential or actual employees.

UPCEA’s report mentions a few: “Because they are offeredoutside the traditional academic degree channels, noncredit offerings can becreated more quickly, often in response to the needs of local or regionalemployers.” These programs can offer innovative courses of study that addressreal needs and market demands. Learners hoping to attain or improve theiremployment are likely to be highly motivated.

The potential of alternative credentials has been embracedmore eagerly by businesses, thus far, than by academic institutions. UPCEAfound that “in industry, the IT and business sectors are the leading adoptersof verified digital credentials in the form of badges, followed by health careand advanced manufacturing.”

In fact, the UPCEA report includes a somewhat ominouswarning to academic institutions. Its report cites 2014 studies that found that, while 96 percent of chief academic officerssurveyed by Inside Higher Ed believeduniversities were successfully preparing their graduates for the workplace,only 11 percent of the business leaders surveyed by Gallup agreed.

Reflecting this disconnect, businesses are turning inward tonurture and promote the skills they need by designing degree, certificate, orbadge programs. And many offer those credentials beyond their walls andexisting employee bases. IBM promotes its Open Badge program as a way for professionals to display and share theiraccomplishments, measure “résumé-worthy IBM skills,” and validate and verifyachievements. The IBM website proclaims,“Anyone can get an IBM Open Badge, except a few which are limited to IBMemployees only.”

Portable, shareable, recognized credentials, if they gainbroad marketplace acceptance, can back up the carefully crafted lists of skillson a résumé, add weight to a person’s social media profile, and providecredibility for bloggers.   

References

Amazon Web Services. “AWS Certification.”
https://aws.amazon.com/certification/

Brandon, Bill. “OpenBadges: Portable Credentials for Learning.” LearningSolutions Magazine. 28 January 2013.
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1094/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=link&utm_Source=lsmag

Bullard, Sue Burzynski.“ACES, Poynter team to create certificate in editing program.” AmericanCopy Editors Society. 9 September 2013.
https://www.copydesk.org/blog/2013/09/09/aces-poynter-team-to-create-certificate-in-editing-program/

Grasgreen, Allie. “Readyor Not: New surveys reveal big disparities in how business leaders and thepublic view higher education and graduates’ work force readiness, with somesurprising results.” Inside Higher Ed.26 February 2014.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/02/26/provosts-business-leaders-disagree-graduates-career-readiness

IBM. “Badges.”IBM Training and Skills.
https://www-304.ibm.com/services/learning/ites.wss/zz-en?pageType=page&c=M425350C34234U21

IBM. “IBM OpenBadge Program.” IBM developerWorks.
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/groups/service/html/communityview?communityUuid=ee240a4b-d911-46d3-b815-fc8a70d67b27

Maffei, Lucia.“Google and Udacity launch a new Android programming course for beginners.” TechCrunch. 22 June 2016.
https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/22/google-and-udacity-launch-a-new-android-programming-course-for-beginners/

Maffei, Lucia.“Microsoft announces professional degree program to fill the skills gap.” TechCrunch. 14 July 2016.
https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/14/microsoft-announces-professional-degree-program-to-fill-the-skills-gap/

National Associationof Realtors. “Designations and Certifications.”
https://www.realtor.org/designations-and-certifications

UniversityProfessional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA). “PioneeringStudy Reveals More Than 90 Percent Of Colleges And Universities EmbraceAlternative Credentials.” 28 June 2016.
https://www.upcea.edu/content.asp?admin=Y&contentid=504