Dive Brief:
- The University of Massachusetts’ online arm, UMassOnline, has announced a non-credit badge program in project risk management, bringing the university in line with an alternative credentialing trend sweeping the higher ed marketplace.
- According to eCampus News, the self-paced program is made up of three modules that teach risk management planning, risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, risk response planning, and risk control.
- Students can progress as quickly as possible through the modules or take up to a year from the time of enrollment, and, once they pass the assessments, they receive a digital badge for display on resumes and social media profiles.
Dive Insight:
A number of traditional higher education institutions like the University of Massachusetts have responded to the alternative credentialing marketplace by creating their own non-degree options. Many of these are offered online, giving students ultimate flexibility as they pursue postsecondary education. A growing number of colleges and universities are bound to develop such programs to capture a greater share of adult learners.
The trends with coding bootcamps have followed a similar path. More than 60 independent coding schools in the United States and Canada graduated about 16,000 students in 2015, up from a small fraction of that the year before. Lynn University is among those that have capitalized on the demand for such training, offering a semester-long coding bootcamp experience as study abroad credit.
