UK Launches Pilot Program to Help Students Build Resumes
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 8, 2020) — On a global scale, higher education is evolving. The University of Kentucky is no exception. Starting this summer, UK will be launching a pilot program that will give UK students and non-UK students an opportunity to take courses in a specific area, regardless of their major or current studies, with the ability to earn a digital badge.
A badge is a certification indicating demonstrated competency in a specific skill or area of expertise. On-demand, highly personalized and sharable, badges give learners a voice and a choice in what skill sets they want to pursue and, in a way, give them an opportunity to create their own education playlists.
“We are embracing an industry-aligned trend toward badges,” said Associate Provost of Teaching, Learning, and Academic Innovation Kathi Kern. “Our summer school badges offer UK and non-UK students an opportunity for professional growth and value-added skills in areas that are directly related to their future or current career interests. They represent the proficiency of a specific skill set that employers may be seeking and can give students a competitive edge in the job market.”
Recipients of digital badges can display them on their LinkedIn profiles and personal websites as visual credentials of their knowledge and skills.
The program requires students to complete two related online courses to earn a digital badge in the area of their choosing. Many of the digital badges allow students to choose two courses from three or four being offered in that badge.
“We challenged the faculty to think about summer course offerings and what special skills and expertise our students might gain from an area of concentration,” Kern said. “The course offerings are thematically linked by the faculty to create a cohesive, integrative and intentional curriculum for the digital badge programs. Many colleges worked together to couple courses in offerings that represent UK’s commitment to an interdisciplinary curricular approach to digital badging.”
By breaking down complex instructional skills into fundamental parts, students can develop and demonstrate competence, and then weave together these skills with their degrees to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of areas. Allowing students to choose which skill, or which parts of a skill would most benefit their career aspirations will provide them with additional leverage when entering the ever-evolving workforce.
The pilot program will launch Tuesday, May 12, and will last the duration of the Summer 2020 academic session. Academic leaders and faculty will also spend time this summer thinking about a longer-term expansion of the digital badge program. As of now, students cannot transfer a course to earn a badge, nor can they apply classes they have taken in the past for a digital badge. The summer pilot will also not involve official transcripts provided by the university.
Here is a full list of digital badges offered:
- Distillation Fundamentals
- Environmental Protection and Restoration
- Equine Management and Industry Fundamentals
- One Health: Insect Biology and Management
- Social Action
- Veterinary Basics
- Family Dynamics
- Personal and Family Finances
- Science of Love
- Management Fundamentals
- Financial Decisions
- Health Communication
- Advertising Across Cultures
- History and Principles of Journalism
- Health Professional School Boot Camp
- Understanding Our Natural World
- Criminology and Legal Studies
- Professional Skills
- Globalization and the Modern World
- Health Policy Studies
- Sports and Society
- Healthy Living
- Critical Health Issues
- Sex & Drug Education and Prevention
- Healthcare Behind the Scenes: Exploring the Mechanics of Healthcare Delivery and Policy
- Workplace Communication
- Digital Marketing
- Computer Science Rudiments
For more information on Digital Badges, follow the link https://summer.uky.edu/courses-and-programs/badges. To register for a Summer 2020 course to earn a digital badge, click here. If you have questions concerning the summer school badge program, please contact Ashley Sorrell at Ashley.Sorrell@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.