CTSI Micro-credentials and digital badges provide unique learning opportunities

Micro-credentials provide an opportunity to expand skills to be responsive to a changing workplace. According to past recipients of University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) digital badges, the CTSI Micro-credentials are one way to make an impact. Comments from satisfied digital badge recipients include:

• ”I feel more confident and informed to conduct a research project.”
• “It allowed me to demonstrate my commitment to a particular area of interest.”
• “It is something that I can show to an employer and add to my LinkedIn profile.”

The UB Office of Micro-Credentials defines a micro-credential as a small program that allows an individual to gain relevant skills that are needed in today's workforce. Completing these can earn the learner a digital badge — an achievement that can be shown to the world on LinkedIn, a digital resume, or an e-portfolio.

As part of its efforts to increase the clinical and translational knowledge base of graduate students, staff, and faculty, the CTSI offers six unique micro-credentials:

• Developing Strong Community Partnerships
• Effective Teaching
• Good Clinical Practice
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Scientific Communication
• Translational Teamwork

“I believe that CTSI Micro-credentials are a valuable strategy to tailor learners’ skills, develop new unique expertise, test-drive a new direction in one’s research or professional development, or showcase proficiency in the skills and knowledge desired by the learner,” says CTSI Workforce Development Core Director Ekaterina Noyes, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Translational and Team Science, School of Public Health and Health Professions.

CTSI Mentored Career Development Program Core Director Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, CTSI Workforce Development Core Director from 2015-2022, launched CTSI Micro-credentials in 2018. Dubocovich says she has seen the effects of these achievements grow in recent years.

“We were one of the first at UB to recognize the transformative potential of micro-credentials and digital badges awards to formally document the acquisition of essential, workforce-relevant skills in clinical and translational science,” Dubocovich explains. “In today’s competitive world, the value of digital badges is even more evident, as they not only validate learning with transparency and rigor, but they also empower learners to build e-portfolio of achievements enhancing their competitiveness in the workplace and in the evolving healthcare landscape.”

Motivations and benefits

A CTSI survey aimed to examine the characteristics of learners who completed micro-credentials and explored their motivation for pursuing them through the CTSI. The informal feedback of 32 individuals — including students, faculty, staff, and trainees — who completed one or more CTSI micro-credentials between 2019 and 2024 included the following:

• Responders were motivated to obtain the micro-credentials to advance their career for professional development (33%), lifelong learning (27%), and to showcase their proficiency to potential employers (23%).
• The greatest benefits reported were to obtain knowledge and skills for learners’ professional career (43%) followed by improving their ability to receive research funding (15%).
• Additional stated benefits were tenure/promotion purposes, obtaining up-to-date information, confidence in research, networking, showcasing to employers, continuing education credits, and professional development purposes.

CTSI Education Workforce Specialist Catherine Sedota, MS, serves on UB’s Micro-credential Review Committee. She says the feedback from individuals who have received CTSI digital badges has been positive. “Completers stated that they felt more confident in what they are doing in their career; they enjoyed that experienced instructors provided up-to-date information to help their professional education; and that the digital badge helped them with receiving a promotion.”

CTSI K Scholar Ajay Gupta, MD, MS, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School, and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, says the structure ensured success, and the content has impacted his career. “I found the way it was organized kept me on track, and the content has been helpful at all levels of work.”

The future of CTSI Micro-credentials

In the future, Noyes believes CTSI Micro-credentials will have an impact beyond the University at Buffalo. “I see CTSI Micro-credentials being offered to participants beyond UB in the future, especially for research staff and administrators who do not have a lot of opportunities for professional development.”

Like Sedota, CTSI Clinical Recruitment Coordinator Ashley Regling, MA, is a member of UB’s Micro-credential Review Committee. Regling was involved with the CTSI’s early micro-credential opportunities, and has seen interest expand through the years.

“The Office of Micro-Credentials has done a great job at communicating the importance of these programs across UB with an emphasis on the positive impact digital badges can have on students’ future career paths,” she says. “The office has successfully grown from a handful of offerings to over 85 programs across many areas of expertise at UB. There is a lot of energy and excitement from students, staff, and faculty regarding digital badges and always new creative ideas flowing to further strengthen our micro-credential programs.”

Interested in completing a CTSI Micro-credential and receiving a CTSI digital badge? Contact Sedota at cmp9@buffalo.edu for more information.