Workcred senior director of research Isabel Cardenas-Navia recently published insights on why engineering educators should care about the potential of non-degree credentials in their courses, degree programs, and institutions, within a new academic publication: International Handbook of Engineering Education Research.
Cardenas-Navia’s chapter, titled “Enabling a Skilled and Diverse Engineering Workforce with Non-Degree Credentials” and co-authored with researchers Helen L. Chen and Abisola C. Kusimo, underscores how the last decade has seen several innovations in engineering education: from how it is designed and delivered to the pedagogical practices incorporating experiential and project-based learning, and, correspondingly, to new approaches to acknowledge and recognize learning and competencies.
Workcred, which focuses its efforts on educating academia and the workforce about the value of non-degree credentials, reports that the demand for these credentials is likely to expand among engineers. To that end, the chapter highlights how these non-degree credentials can enhance educational opportunities for both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking learners across their academic and professional career trajectories in engineering.
“Though still early in their development, non-degree credentials have the potential to broaden access to engineering, support the knowledge, skills, and abilities of diverse learners, and strengthen the engineering education-to-workforce continuum. Overall, this chapter aims to make a stronger case for why engineering educators should care about the potential of non-degree credentials in their courses, degree programs, and institutions,” reads the chapter’s abstract.
Access the chapter at no cost, and visit Workcred for more publications, reports, and podcasts focused on credentials.