Alamo Colleges District's Micro-Credentials Insights

Our journey to redefine the learning experience for working learners

AlamoONLINE has released an Insight Series, looking at early results on its journey to elevate training options since introducing micro-credentials into the Alamo Colleges District. This seven-part series tells AlamoONLINE’s story of exploration, innovation, and learning. The series documents and shares findings, successes, and opportunities for improvement.

AlamoONLINE represents the range of opportunities for students pursuing degrees, certificates, or other offerings delivered 100% online from the district’s five colleges: Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, San Antonio College, and St. Philip’s College. In 2020, AlamoONLINE expanded its services to include micro-credentialing to enhance students' educational experiences and strengthen each college’s capacity to deliver premier, quality digital learning experiences.

We proudly share our findings from the study and practice of delivering micro-credentials in this new insight series! The series documents everything we learned, shares how we pivoted, and serves as a how-to guide for others pursuing this work.

We recognize and accept our role as a leading community college district to share our work. We hope our internal colleagues and external partners, observers, and stakeholders can benefit from the time and investment in these briefs.

This seven-part series tells the ACD story of exploration, innovation, and learning:

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Micro-Credentials and Digital Badges

The demand for skills

INSIGHT 1

Micro-credentials orient learning around skills. Digital badges make skills visible.

Download Insight #1

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Micro-Pathways

Pathways to high-demand jobs

INSIGHT 2

Micro-pathways are optimally tailored to help adult learners quickly achieve their education, training, and work goals. Visible pathways are key.

Download Insight #2

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Digital Marketing

Finding our target population

INSIGHT 3

Focused, research-based digital marketing was critical to identifying and reaching our target population.

Download Insight #3

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Learner-Centered Design and Personas

Understanding learners

INSIGHT 4

Personas are a game-changer for designing offerings, as they humanize target populations.

Download Insight #4

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Badge Practitioner Community of Practice

Faculty thought-leadership

INSIGHT 5

Faculty and staff are highly invested in working together to build learners' marketable skills and award digital badges.

Download Insight #5

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Credit for Prior Learning

Aggregating all types of learning

INSIGHT 6

Credit for prior learning strategies increases Alamo Colleges’ capacity to connect to new learner populations and grow enrollment.

Download Insight #6

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Texas Micro-credential Learning Network

Micro-credential Strategy

INSIGHT 7

The Micro-Credential Learning Network (MLN) provided participating Texas institutions with a unique opportunity to gain insights into and receive assistance in creating an actionable micro-credential strategy.

Download Insight #7

 

 

Contact us for these services

Businesses seeking partnership with us to deliver micro-credentials to your employees, contact:

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Dr. Luke Dowden
ldowden1@alamo.edu 

Colleges seeking to consult with us on standing up your micro-credentials strategy, contact:

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Amber O'Casey
aocasey@alamo.edu

Requests for presentations on micro-credentials, contact: [Note: Please give two weeks' advance notice.]

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Dr. Luke Dowden
ldowden1@alamo.edu

Micro-credentialing Design Team

A sincere thank you to our five Alamo Colleges and District members of the Micro-credentialing Design team who dedicated their time and talent for 15 months from March 2021 through May 2022 to advance this work.

Northeast Lakeview College

Will Fanning

Dean of Academic Success

Northwest Vista College

Deborah Gaitan

Vice President of Student Success and Interim President

Russel Frohardt

Dean of Academic Success

Palo Alto College

Micheal Ximenez

Director of Advising

St. Philip’s College

Jessica Cooper

Dean of Academic Success

San Antonio College

Jonathan Lee

Dean of Academic Success

Academic Success

Ruth Dalrymple

Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Partnerships & Initiatives

Zak Cernoch

Director of Curriculum Coordination and Transfer Articulation

Alamo Colleges Online

Austin Baker Weise

Director of Online Learning

Eryn Berger

Online Learning Coordinator

Luke Dowden

Chief Online Learning Officer

Communications 

Mario Muniz

Director of Strategic Communication

Economic and Workforce Development

Xavier Urrutia

Interim Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development

Sammi Morrill

Associate Vice Chancellor, Operations

Linda Rivas

Associate Vice Chancellor of Continuing Education

Information Technology

Carol Aguirre

Process Functional Manager

Joanna Arredondo

Process Functional Manager serving as Project Management Coordinator for the Design Team

Kori Schneider

Instructional Technology Manager

Fiscal and Finance

Laura Allen

Senior Budget Analyst

Student Success

Daniel Ayala

Director of Center for Student Information

Jamie Trevino

Student Success Systems Director

About AlamoONLINE

AlamoONLINE has released an Insight Series, looking at early results on its journey to elevate training options since introducing micro-credentials into the Alamo Colleges District. This six-part series tells AlamoONLINE’s story of exploration, innovation, and learning. The series documents and shares findings, successes, and opportunities for improvement. AlamoONLINE represents the range of opportunities for students pursuing degrees, certificates, or other offerings delivered 100% online from the district’s five colleges: Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, San Antonio College, and St. Philip’s College. In 2020, AlamoONLINE expanded its services to include micro-credentialing to enhance student's educational experiences and strengthen each college’s capacity to deliver premier, quality digital learning experiences for students.