Build your Digital Fluency with DFI Micro-Credentials
Level up your future—fast. Our free micro-credential program offers 16 in-demand digital and professional skills to help you thrive in school, work, and beyond. Earn shareable digital badges in just 5 weeks—perfect for your LinkedIn profile or résumé.
Unlike typical online courses, you’re never on your own. Our Digital Navigators and dedicated DFI Student Support Specialist offer personalized support every step of the way. Competency-based, self-paced, and designed for real-world success—this is skill-building, on a whole new level.
Students
Whether you’re just starting your college career or are finishing your degree, these digital fluency micro-credentials can help you in your coursework and employment.
Faculty
Could your students benefit from additional digital skills? You can suggest that a student take a micro-credential, or use one to supplement your course curriculum.
Featured Micro-Credentials
These three featured micro-credentials are all part of the Problem Solving with Systems Thinking & Technology micro-certificate.
Explore all our Micro-Credentials
ACC's Micro-Credentials can help remove barriers
Overwhelmed
by Technology?
Technology is moving so fast these days, it's hard to keep up. This program offers micro-credentials that cover foundational skills and professional competencies in many high-demand areas that are needed in school, the workforce, and even in your day-to-day life.
Ready for a
Career Change?
Moving into a different field often requires learning new skills. Our micro-credential program offers a great way to quickly gain in-demand digital skills, along with portable digital badges that can be shared with potential employers and posted on social media, such as LinkedIn.
Need a Supportive
Learning Environment?
Many online courses offer ways to learn quickly and inexpensively, but don't offer a lot of support, if you need it. Our program has dedicated digital navigators who provide guidance, encouragement, and feedback, to help you stay on track.
Need Digital Skills,
like yesterday?
Sometimes we need to pick up skills quickly. Maybe it's to master PowerPoint so that you can ace a presentation, or fill in gaps on a resume to apply for a promotion or new job. Our 16 micro-credentials in high-demand digital skills are designed to take an average of 20 to 26 hours to complete.
Told Techology was
not for you?
Whether you have always wanted to learn how to make a website or produce a video, become proficient in HTML, or beef up your knowledge of spreadsheets or presentation software, our program can help you can build your digital fluency without worrying about barriers.
Need Digital Skills
for College?
College requires technical knowledge in a lot of areas such as word processing, presentation software, spreadsheets, internet research, and even basic computing. Our program helps you fill in the gaps quickly to get the skills you need to be successful in college.
Frequently Asked Questions
Active ACC students, faculty, and staff can enroll in micro-credentials for free. There may be small charges for software in some of the micro-credentials (for example, Adobe Photoshop).
Micro-credentials are offered in one or two sessions each semester.
Micro-credentials are offered online and may be offered in a hybrid model in the future.
You will have up to 5 weeks to complete a micro-credential, but since they are offered as competency-based education, you may complete the micro-credential as quickly as you are able.
We don’t recommend taking more than one micro-credential at a time, unless you have a lot of free time or prior knowledge.
Although our micro-credentials are fun and engaging, they are also packed full of content. You want to allow yourself enough time to fully benefit from the learning materials.
The micro-credentials are offered in 5-week sessions. You must start a micro-credential within the first 7 days of the session. A student who fails to start within 7 days may be dropped from the micro-credential to make room for another student.
If you have extenuating circumstances, please reach out to your digital navigator.
You can move through the micro-credential as fast as you are able to show competency in both concepts and content. Earning an 80% or above on a pre-assessment demonstrates your mastery of concepts in a particular module, allowing you to skip the practice quizzes. You will demonstrate mastery of the content by completing assignments, quizzes, and the capstone project with a 80% or above.
It is not possible to register for a micro-credential after enrollment closes. However, if you miss the deadline for the current session, you can enroll in the next session.
DFI micro-credentials are offered each semester: two times in the Fall, two times in the Spring, and once in the Summer.
Micro-credentials take an average of 20 – 27 hours to complete the instructional articles and videos, plus you’ll need additional time to do assignments and quizzes.
The micro-credentials are non-credit but stack to one of four micro-certificates. Each micro-certificate equates to a credit course in Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT).
Students may receive up to 13 credit hours in CSIT courses by completing all 16 micro-credentials. Visit the Micro-credential page to learn more.
The micro-credentials are open to active ACC students, faculty, and staff.
Note: A student hold may prevent you from being enrolled in micro-credentials.
Check the notifications section in MyACC for any student holds you may have.
We have easy, step-by-step instructions for adding badges to LinkedIn
If you aren’t able to complete a micro-credential within the 5-week session, you can retake the micro-credential in the future.
- All the DFI micro-credentials require very basic knowledge of computers including how to turn on a computer, how to create and save files, and how to use a keyboard.
- Some micro-credentials require additional digital skills to complete assignments. An example would be using Microsoft Word to complete an assignment.
- A few micro-credentials have hardware or software requirements. An example would be to learn Photoshop, you will need a computer with appropriate computing power, and a copy of Photoshop loaded onto your computer (available at a significant discount for students).
Click on the screenshot below to open the Google spreadsheet and view specific micro-credential requirements.