Help fill Oklahoma’s critical demand for talent

The State Regents support the development of skills-focused micro-credentials by Oklahoma colleges and universities. Engage with your local industry partners to identify and meet workforce needs through micro-credentials and other existing programs. Leverage digital badging to connect your learners to job opportunities and employers to your skill-ready candidates.

What are micro-credentials and digital badges?

Micro-credentials

Micro-credentials are short-term, postsecondary credentials comprised of a coherent set of measurable non-credit bearing activities or projects and/or up to 9 hours of credit bearing courses that provide specific career critical skills, competencies and knowledge that can be readily transferred to the workplace.

Digital badges

Digital badges are a web-based artifact that contains metadata that documents students' completion of a credential, such as a micro-credential, certificate or degree, and can be shared and verified electronically.

How do I create a Micro-credential and/or Digital Badge?

State Regents' Endorsed Micro-credential and Digital Badges

Institutions have the ability to create and issue micro-credentials to students, faculty, and staff for the completion of a specific set of activities, professional development and/or courses. Micro-credentials can also be developed in collaboration with local employers to meet specific workforce needs or to develop students' skills in Innovation and Leadership, Global Competency, or Career Preparation. Examples of micro-credentials could include:

Student research, transformative, and experiential learning activities
Skills-focused professional development from such providers as Coursera
Industry-academic partnership programs

Micro-credentials that meet the State Regents' policy definition may be submitted to the State Regents for approval and inclusion on a statewide searchable electronic inventory. Institutions wanting to include a micro-credential on the statewide inventory must submit a Request Form for New Micro-Credential Programs and Digital Badges. Once received, State Regents' staff will review the request to ensure compliance with policy and submit a recommendation to the Chancellor. Approved Micro-credentials will be listed on the searchable database.

Institutions may also request a micro-credential, certificate, or degree program to be associated with a digital badge. Requests for digital badges that meet all the required criteria/metadata will be housed on the statewide digital badge platform. Students earning digital badges will have access to their portfolio through Credly Acclaim.

Request a New Micro-Credential or Digital Badges for Approved Program

Viewable Copy of Request Form

What’s a Digital Badge?

Digital badges help your learners share the skills they have earned and employers to verify those documented achievements independently. See the image at right of a sample badge and the information it provides about its earner.

When an earner shares a digital badge with an employer, it helps them to:

Verify the Credential’s Authenticity and Issuer

View Credential Title and Description

Identify Candidate’s Relevant Skills

View Candidate’s Completed Work

Discover Additional Program Information

Search Our Talent Directory!

Use our Talent Directory, powered by Credly, to connect directly with earners of UpskillOK credentials! You can search by badges earned or specific skills needed to find the next valued member of your team.

Search UpskillOK
Talent Directory

OSRHE-Approved Micro-credentials Step-by-Step

Step 1:

The institution submits the Request for New Micro-Credential Program or Digital Badge form. For already approved programs, only the Badge Template Worksheet is required for OSRHE to create the badges and give access to the institution’s assigned issuer.

Step 2:

OSRHE reviews the new program request and badge template worksheet (for badges hosted by OSRHE) and either returns them to the institution for modification or forwards with a recommendation for approval.

Step 3:

OSRHE notifies the institution once the new micro-credential program is pending approval and adds the program to the UpskillOK.org database.

Step 4:

For badges hosted through OSRHE’s Credly profile, the institution’s designated issuer is assigned to each badge for the institution’s collection.

Step 6:

The new micro-credential program approval is formally ratified at a subsequent State Regents meeting.