This month, COLI launches two MicroCredentials (MicroCreds): D2L Mastery and Accessibility. These are in addition to the Online Faculty Development Course (OFDC).
What is a MicroCred?
A MicroCred is a credential that shows mastery of a specific topic, according to a program of professional development. MicroCreds can be used in a professional portfolios, including tenure and promotion, as well as yearly performance evaluations and even academic program reports. Upon completion of these MicroCreds, you will receive both a certificate or letter for portfolios as well as an optional badge for use in places on the web showcasing your professional accomplishments. If you previously completed the OFDC, you are familiar with this.
Our MicroCreds are often partnerships between COLI and other offices on campus, to ensure that the best expertise Canisius has to offer is available in our faculty development program. Our first example of this is the Accessibility MicroCred, developed in consultation with the Student Accessibility Services Office.
How do these MicroCreds work?
Our current MicroCreds use a combination of online self-paced training lessons and other web-based resources. Each MicroCred has its own D2L course space with associated lessons broken down into modules. We give a brief description of both MicroCreds below with more information available in the Introduction modules of each MicroCred.
Both MicroCreds are entirely self-paced and most components are asynchronous. Future MicroCreds may contain “synchronous” components, where appropriate, with ample opportunities to participate. These synchronous components will be made available via the Faculty Development Opportunities Wiki Page.
D2L Essentials MicroCred
This MicroCred will show that you have mastery over some the most powerful features in D2L. You may or may not immediately use all aspects of D2L that you learn while completing this MicroCred, but you will be in a greater position to suggest features to colleagues, and explore new possibilities as curriculum evolves. If you previously completed the OFDC, you already have a headstart in this MicroCred.
Accessibility MicroCred
Our Accessibility MicroCredential is a partnership project between the Student Accessibility Services office and COLI. Here, you learn to develop course content and activities that are fully accessible to students across a range of impairments, neurodiversity, and other circumstances. This readies you and your courses to teach students who register for academic accommodations to support disabilities. In the process, you will produce and teach courses that also support better learning by any student, in accordance with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
How to Get Started
If you are interested in completeing either of the new MicroCreds, please enroll via our Faculty Development Events form. From here on, if you enroll in a workshop built into a MicroCredential, you will automatically be enrolled in that MicroCred’s D2L space. This means you can see what additional is needed for the MicroCredential, and track your progress toward completion. Check the Workshop tab of the My Courses widget on the D2L Homepage. In the future, any workshop that is part of a MicroCred will have the associated preview badge.