Badges

A badge program (either credit bearing or non-credit bearing) consists of two to four courses, which collectively provide one or more defined skill sets or competencies that can be useful to students/learner and employers.

For the purposes of this Senate policy, “course" refers to a unit of educational content with paced delivery to enrolled learners, that includes required interactions with the supervising credentialed instructor during a fixed period of time, which culminates in the instructor’s assessment of the learner’s attainment of specific learning outcomes

Credit-Bearing Badges

A credit-bearing badge must be a minimum of five credit hours and must not exceed eight credit hours. A student must earn a C or better, or a Pass in a pass/fail course, in each of the required courses to earn a badge. Courses required for a credit-bearing badge can be in any hundred series. A credential reflecting completion of a credit-bearing badge will appear on a student’s University transcript.

Proposals for badges first require approval by the program faculty (often the unit faculty) responsible for the badge. The proposal will then be reviewed at the college level. The next step(s) depends on the proposal itself – the answers selected by the proposer dictate which academic council(s) the proposal will move through.

Subsequent to academic council review, the proposal will be reviewed by Senate Council office staff. Proposals that are ready for approval will then be posted on the Senate website for 10-days, during which senators may object. If no objection is raised to the Senate Council Office within ten business days of the posting, then the badge will have received final approval by the Senate. The Senate Council Office will report approvals to the Provost, Registrar, and other appropriate entities.

Non-Credit-Bearing Badges

A non-credit-bearing badge consists of two to four courses, which collectively provide one or more defined skill sets or competencies that can be useful to students/learner and employers. Non-credit-bearing badges will not appear on the transcript.

A non-credit-bearing badge (and its non-credit-bearing courses) must be overseen by a faculty body (serving the role of the department faculty) and be vetted and approved by the Provost’s office, which will take the place of the college level.

Proposals for non-credit-bearing badges first require approval by its faculty body (as described in the Faculty Body form submitted with the proposal). Because non-credit-bearing badges must be homed within the Provost’s office, the proposal will require approval by the Provost’s office. (The Senate will be reviewing and approving the faculty body AND the badge proposal itself.)

The next steps(s) depends on the proposal itself – the answers selected by the proposer dictate which academic council(s) the proposal will move through. For non-credit-bearing badges, the review by an academic council serves as the college-level faculty body review.

Subsequent to academic council review, the proposal will be reviewed by Senate Council office staff. Proposals that are ready for approval will then be posted on the Senate website for 10-days, during which senators may object. If no objection is raised to the Senate Council Office within ten business days of the posting, then the badge will have received final approval by the Senate. The Senate Council Office will report approvals to the Provost, Registrar, and other appropriate entities.