5-11 Noncredit and Digital Credential Policy

• Effective date of this revision: March 1, 2026
• Contact for more information: Vice President for CMU Innovation and Online (IO)

Background

CMU has a long and rich history of providing lifelong learners educational opportunities beyond credit bearing degrees and certificates through various iterations of our continuing and professional development education units (e.g., Institute for Professional and Career Development, College of Extended Learning, Off-Campus Programs, Global Campus, Innovation & Online, CMU Online). These lifelong learning opportunities have included various forms of nonacademic credit, continuing education units, professional development, corporate education, and personnel development programs.

Purpose

To establish a workflow for the development, coordination, monitoring and reporting of noncredit activities.

Definitions

• Digital Badge: An electronic document representing noncredit competency-based learning or validated participation and assessment of a noncredit learning opportunity.
• Digital Certificate: An electronic document signifying noncredit competency-based learning in a certificate program.
• Digital Credential: Noncredit digital credentials (encompassing noncredit digital badges, noncredit digital certificates, and others noncredit recognitions) represent verified accomplished noncredit skills and proficiencies. They offer the university the opportunity to award noncredit digital credentials to acknowledge completed non credential learning experiences.

• Noncredit Offering: Refer to any noncredit course, program, workshop, or learning experience developed and delivered through IO or a partner institution/organization that results in the awarding of a digital credential. These noncredit offerings may be included on a participant’s comprehensive learner record. However, they do not provide academic credit applicable toward a CMU undergraduate or graduate degree or certificate.

Noncredit offerings may consist of a single or multiple noncredit learning experience(s) culminating in an official CMU digital credential. Some may also lead to a professional organization’s Continuing Education Unit (CEU). The length or duration of a noncredit offering varies and is determined by its learning outcomes and goals

• Proposer: An individual, group, or program suggesting a new noncredit offering. Proposers, whether student groups, faculty, or staff, must adhere to the guidelines and submit proposals through the approval process outlined here.
  

Policy

This policy refers specifically to noncredit offerings that lead to digital credentials.

The university offers noncredit digital credentials to students, faculty, staff, alumni, organizational partners, and the broader community (learners). These credentials allow learners to verify and showcase noncredit-acquired skills, knowledge, and abilities, endorsed by the university. Once awarded, they can be shared with employers, academic institutions, colleagues, and peers. Credential validity may be lifetime, time-limited, or renewable.

Oversight for these initiative rests with the director of noncredit/alternative enrollment programs, reporting to the Vice President for CMU Innovation and Online (IO). Central Michigan University’s noncredit digital credentials will be delivered through an appropriate learning management system and credentialing platform, funded by IO.

IO, in collaboration with University Communications, ensures brand alignment and oversees the creation of noncredit digital credentials. Digital credentials endorsed by CMU need to adhere to brand and design standards.

Procedure

Proposals for the development of new noncredit offerings must be submitted to the Vice President of IO (or designee). The Vice President (or designee) will work with the proposer to ensure all necessary information has been collected. That information will include:

• Title of noncredit offering
• Purpose of the noncredit offering
• Primary audience for the noncredit offering
• How proposer’s expertise aligns with the development of this material
• Minimum/maximum enrollment per session, if applicable
• Anticipated length of the noncredit offering (determined based on the number of anticipated effort hours)
• Learning outcomes and objectives for the noncredit offering and any learning assessment activities
• List any prerequisite knowledge needed for participants prior to enrolling
• Indicate any additional costs to participants (e.g., books, technology, access to other educational resources etc.)
• Insight into whether the experience meets external accreditation standards or professional licensure requirements if applicable.
• Establishes delivery modality including online asynchronous, online synchronous, onsite (in-person), hybrid, or hyflex
• Development timeline including both proposed start and end dates and anticipated hours required to develop the noncredit offering
• How/if the noncredit offering will be evaluated and by what mechanism/s
• Plan for ongoing monitoring of noncredit offering

Once the information has been collected, the Vice President (or designee) will work with the IO executive leadership team for review. Union IO approval, the Vice President (or designee) will proceed following one of the subsequent processes:

1. If the noncredit offering is initiated form within the Academic Division, the approval of the College Dean or unit Senior Officer will be secured prior to noncredit offering development.
2. In the noncredit offering is initiated from a nonacademic university division, approval form the appropriate supervisors, including the Vice President, and from corresponding academic college (where/if appropriate), will be secured prior to noncredit offering development.
3. If the noncredit offering is initiated from within IO, approval from the IO executive leadership team, with approval from corresponding academic college (where/if appropriate), is sufficient approval for noncredit offering development.

If approval is granted by the College Dean or unit Senior Officer (if within the Academic Division), or the appropriate supervisors (if a nonacademic university division), the Vice President (or designee) will work with the proposer of the noncredit offering to share the approval and establish a timeline for development and initial noncredit offering. If the request is denied for funding but IO supports the concept, the College Dean or unit Senior Officer agrees to allow IO to cover development costs.

The academic college (or division) which provides funding for development will receive a portion of gross revenue generated as outlined in the Budget Model Handbook.

If approval is not granted by the College Dean or unit Senior Officer (if within the Academic Division), or by the appropriate supervisors (if within a nonacademic university division), the Vice President for IO (or designee) will work within IO executive leadership and with the proposer to address questions or concerns. If concerns remain, the proposal will be referred to a Noncredit Review Committee (NRC), which will be convened and chaired by IO. The committee will be comprised of a college representative appointed by each College Dean’s office. The NRC will evaluate the proposal’s merit, alignment with institutional priorities, and potential return on investment (ROI). The committee may recommend that the proposal proceed, including through engagement with external partners when warranted. If the committee cannot reach consensus, the matter will be referred to the Provost, who will provide guidance and make the final decision.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines relative to this subject.