Quality Enhancement Plan – Digital Fluency & Innovation

Overview

The digitalization of the workforce, particularly in Austin, has amplified both opportunity and inequality, making it a critical priority for ACC to address the need for digital fluency skills.

There is an intersectional influence of factors that support the need for bolstering digital fluency skills—for college students, job seekers, and employees needing reskilling and upskilling. ACC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Digital Fluency & Innovation (DFI), aims to address the digital divide by offering 16 free microcredentials to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff have access to the necessary skills and opportunities to succeed in today’s digital economy. The new division, housed at the South Austin Campus, launched September 1, 2022, with a core team of three full-time and two part-time employees, an Implementation Committee representing multiple college constituencies, and in-kind support from Student Affairs.

Accomplishments

Since September 1, 2022, a primary focus has been to build a strong foundation through the design, development, and implementation of new processes and procedures that accompany standing up these 16 microcredentials and accompanying badges. Such processes include:

Leadership and administration

Groups formed to support implementation, data, outreach, and microcredential development.

Curriculum and Instruction

• Building the curriculum and receiving approval from the Badging Subcommittee and Curriculum & Programs Committee for six microcredentials (Intro to Computers and Internet Search, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentation Software, Data Management, and Web Builder)
• Test piloting and improvement of the Web Builder microcredential in Brightspace LeaP by offering it as student opt-in and co-curricular versions to approximately 70 learners
• Designing and implementation of processes, procedures, and training for Digital Navigators.

Technology and Infrastructure

• Setting up of the production site for Brightspace LeaP
• Test piloting ACC’s new badging application, Suitable, in collaboration with TLED, for six microcredentials/digital badges
• Designing and building student, faculty, and department chair surveys to ascertain perceptions of digital fluency in collaboration with OIRA
• Designing and building a baseline data plan

Marketing and Communication

• Design and implement the Digital Fluency and Innovation branding
• Design and implement a new website
• Design information sessions for students, faculty, and staff
• Presenting at the SACSCOC Conference, General Assembly, an Aspen Institute webinar: Pathways to digital skills development for Latino Workers, and publication in Inside Higher Ed – Adaptation Across the Higher Ed Landscape, the Aspen Institute – Pathways to digital skills development for Latino workers, and the Aspen Institute – Developing Digital Fluency to Advance Equity: The Case of Austin Community College

Impact

ACC’s QEP, Digital Fluency aims to promote equitable academic and career outcomes by providing microcredentials in digital and professional workforce competencies required by the 21st century workplace. The initiative aims to provide ACC’s diverse population with a flexible learning environment offering microcredentials to build their digital fluency skills, leading to improved ease in completing a degree or certificate and promotion into a middle-skill career providing economic stability and mobility.

Next Steps

• Create, submit for approval, and pilot the following additional microcredentials in fall 2023:
  • Photoshop for Web
  • HTML/CSS
  • Web Analytics
  • Advanced PowerPoint
  • Interactive Media
  • Social Media
  • Data Analytics
  • Systems Thinking
  • Problem Solving with AI
  • Project Management
• Faculty will be recruited to offer microcredentials as co-curricular within coursework to approximately 700 students while an additional 700 will be targeted as opt-ins.
• Digital Navigators will continue to be recruited and trained as facilitators.
• The registration process will continue to be refined through participation as a process holder for the Workday conversion.
• Work with Student Affairs will continue with outreach to Special Populations and the ongoing tracking of employment outcomes as a subscription-based model will be explored to recruit external participants and partners.