Five Questions with Jack Rodenfels, Director of Non-Degree Credential Program Innovation

NC State fulfills its land-grant mission through a commitment to lifelong learning and innovative education. Designed for professionals and current students, non-degree credentials, or microcredentials, provide learners with opportunities to develop specific skills and expertise that meet real-world demands.

Jack Rodenfels, director of non-degree credential innovation within the Office of Academic Strategy, Innovation and Solutions (OASIS), plays an integral role in advancing microcredentials at the university. In his role, he supports the planning, development, implementation and oversight of non-degree programs. We recently spoke with Rodenfels about his position, the importance of microcredentials for the campus community, and what’s next for microcredentials and academic innovation at NC State.

What are microcredentials/non-degree credentials, and how do they benefit the campus community?

Microcredentials (also known as non-degree credentials) are academic programs that require a shorter time commitment than traditional degrees. These can span from credentials awarding academic credit (such as undergraduate and graduate certificates, minors and concentrations) to academic programs that do not award academic credit (such as continuing education opportunities, professional development and training programs).

This encompasses a wide range of academic programming that reaches diverse learners. For degree-seeking students at NC State, microcredentials focus on specific, marketable skill development that can complement the traditional degree. For non-degree and adult learners, microcredentials offer in-demand workforce skills that can be applied immediately or connected to a larger credential to extend their NC State education.

Microcredentials benefit the campus community in numerous ways. They expand the audience served by an NC State education and provide learning outcomes and skill development that directly translate to workforce needs. Historically, higher education has been seen as rigid in its definition of academic programming. Microcredentials reconsider this rigid approach by building responsive, shorter, learner-centric education models. Learners need more flexible options to continue their education, and microcredentialing at NC State allows that. 

Microcredentials also provide a practical space for curriculum innovation. They can be developed, tested and improved more quickly than traditional programs. This allows faculty and academic units to pilot new ideas, respond to emerging trends and build pathways that can scale over time.

Why is NC State focusing on microcredentialing and academic innovation efforts now?

A key distinction is that this is not new at NC State! This is academic programming that is foundational to the history and mission of NC State as a land-grant institution. However, more formalized steps have recently been taken to develop the strategy for microcredentials across campus.

In 2023, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden established an institutional task force to maximize NC State’s potential to offer high-quality learning opportunities through non-degree credentials/microcredentials. The task force created a report to strategically move the campus forward in this academic innovation. One recommendation included a centralized role to support these efforts across campus. My role is a new one for NC State, focusing on supporting the development of microcredentials in colleges, departments and units across campus, as well as building an institutional strategy to ensure NC State consistently iterates within its academic programs and innovates to provide top-notch educational experiences.

I often say my job is to think about two constructs: expanding access and developing pathways. We all know the value of an NC State education. How can we ensure that other learners can receive this education in its many forms? How can a learner start with a smaller academic program (such as a continuing education program or certificate), have success and consider connecting it to a larger credential (such as a degree) to continue their academic career at NC State? These are questions I’m often considering with academic partners across campus.

How are you spreading the word about microcredentialing at NC State, and how can faculty, staff and students stay informed?

One of the early initiatives involves getting a better understanding of existing microcredentialing work across campus. To support that, we are launching the Microcredentials Community of Practice on Monday, Nov. 17, from 1-2 p.m. ET on Zoom. This will be the first of many gatherings. We welcome faculty and staff members who share a common interest in developing and growing microcredentials in a supportive learning environment through ongoing peer interaction. I look forward to seeing how this group evolves over time to co-create and support microcredentialing initiatives to move NC State forward. 

Additionally, our unit, the Office of Academic Strategy, Innovation and Solutions (OASIS), is an institutional resource that leads the strategic planning, innovation and implementation of NC State’s educational programs. We are a thought partner for academic units and their comprehensive educational portfolios, supporting the development of academic programs at both non-degree and degree levels. We work collaboratively with the academic unit to ensure a right-sized approach to credential development that meets learner needs and is tied to in-demand skills in the workforce and across society. We are always looking to start that conversation.

What is something that the campus community may not know about microcredentials?

At many colleges and universities, microcredentialing explicitly focuses on non-credit education opportunities. Often, these programs can be developed more rapidly than their credit counterparts, allowing them to respond more quickly to workforce needs and skill gaps in existing curricula. 

However, at NC State, microcredentialing intentionally runs the spectrum of non-credit and credit-based learning. This is an important distinction. At NC State, microcredentialing offers more flexibility and opportunities for learners to continue their education, while providing a variety of pathways that cater to learners’ unique educational needs and interests.

What is next for microcredentialing and academic innovation at NC State?

The microcredentials community of practice is an integral early step in co-creating and informing best practices, systems, and processes for microcredentials across campus. OASIS is currently running the Academic Innovation Accelerator program to support innovative, one-year pilot programs aligned with college and unit academic priorities. Many of the pilot programs involve microcredentials. We will learn from these pilots and iterate to scale innovation and provide meaningful institutional impact.

Moving forward, we will develop shared definitions, processes and systems to streamline microcredential development across campus, ensuring programs remain aligned with NC State’s academic strengths. This work is ever-changing. I’m proud that NC State continues to innovate in its academic offerings, providing programs and outcomes that meet the evolving needs of both learners and society.