As Brandeis works towards what the administration is calling The Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts, students have largely been left in the dark regarding the restructuring of their academic requirements, particularly surrounding “microcredentials.” On the website for The Plan, microcredentials are referred to as part of a “second transcript.” The website states, “The second transcript highlights independently assessed microcredentials earned through coursework, internships, research and co-curricular activities; high-impact experiences like study abroad; capstone projects and community engagement; and verifies how each skill was demonstrated and assessed.” 

This board acknowledges that the second transcript and microcredentials aim to prepare students for the job market and graduate school, but there continues to be confusion around exactly what a microcredential is. This board wonders if organizations and professionals will also be confused. The Brandeis Online website says, “Microcredentials at Brandeis Online are abbreviated, skill-specific credentials that demonstrate expertise in a particular area.” Although it is defined on the website, this editorial board still has many questions. 

Microcredentials cover a myriad of topics, including academic and extracurricular pursuits, yet there is no solidified list of what would “count” as microcredentials. This board wonders how the University decides what topics will be included, and whether students can advocate or petition for different skills to become a microcredential. The humanities and arts, in particular, would benefit from this as their skills are often less technical or less traditional.

Additionally, the website page that outlines the details of microcredentials suggests that microcredentials are made up of 10-15 hours of active learning, and students only have 90 days to complete the microcredential. This board wonders if 10-15 hours provides an appropriate amount of time to sufficiently learn a skill.

In Brandeis Online’s FAQs section, microcredentials are  described as “self-paced,” which means that “students are expected to complete the materials by themselves, unassisted. At the end of the course, materials are submitted for a pass/fail grade from a real grader.” This raises the question of who is in charge of assessing microcredentials and giving credit to students. This board is curious about how these assessments will be standardized. For instance, is there a rubric on how these microcredentials will be graded? 

According to the website, there are two course offerings which are currently the clearest image of what a microcredential will be: “AI Fundamentals for STEM Professionals” and “Industry-Focused Prompt Engineering for ROI-Driven Results.” On both of these courses’ websites, rubric categories are mentioned, but are not elaborated on. Furthermore, there is confusion about potential cost. Will students be expected to pay an additional fee for these microcredentials? On the website pages for both of the courses, there is a short summary that mentions a $400 fee, implying that students will have to pay even more, which could add financial burdens to the student body. 

In an Oct. 29 town hall about The Brandeis Plan, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Affairs Jeffrey Shoulson explained that the microcredentials reflect the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ eight competencies for career readiness, which students will master through required career classes and changes to the Brandeis Core. These competencies — communication, critical thinking, teamwork, equity and inclusion, technology, professionalism, leadership and career and self-development — will be assessed and the resulting microcredential will appear as a “badge” on students’ second transcripts. However, Shoulson stated that they are still figuring out what this assessment will be, despite their plans to roll out some of these microcredentials starting this spring semester. If the people coordinating these changes are unclear on what The Plan concretely encompasses, how can they expect the student body to make sense of it? 

This editorial board believes that students deserve to be properly informed about how microcredentials will impact their learning experience, financial situation and graduation requirements. This program is scheduled to launch in the spring, and with a little over two months until microcredentials can be earned, this board is frustrated with the lack of information about this restructuring. 

This board calls on the administration to be more transparent and forthcoming with information regarding microcredentials to appropriately provide the information the student body needs and deserves, as everyone moves through their academic experience.