Special Issue: From Curriculum to Career: Integrating Industry Micro-Credentials into Academic Programs
Industry-recognized micro-credentials have emerged as an increasingly important focus of
scholarly and policy discussions on the value, relevance, and future trajectory of higher
education (Peters, Beirne, & Brown, 2025). Frequently offered through professional certificate
programs developed by organizations such as Google, IBM, Adobe, Salesforce, and Meta,
these types of micro-credentials are designed to align closely with evolving labor market
demands. A Strada-Gallup survey found that college graduates holding both degrees and
non-degree credentials, particularly those issued by higher education institutions, reported
greater perceived value, goal attainment, cost-effectiveness, and employability than graduates
with degrees alone (Strada Center for Education Insights, 2021).
While micro-credentials offer potential to bridge academic learning with workforce readiness,
their integration into traditional degree programs raises important questions about curricular
coherence, academic autonomy and instructional design. Faculty across disciplines are now
grappling with how to meaningfully align these credentials with course outcomes, pedagogical
practices, and student success goals without compromising the critical thinking and disciplinary
rigor that define higher education.
This special issue explores the tensions, opportunities, and innovations associated with
integrating industry micro-credentials into academic curricula. We invite scholars, instructional
designers, faculty, administrators and researchers to submit scholarly articles, case studies, and
reflective works that critically engage with the theory and practice of micro-credential integration.
Of particular interest are submissions that explore how these integrations impact course design,
teaching strategies, assessment, student engagement and faculty labor.
By bringing together diverse voices from across higher education, this edition aims to contribute
to a deeper understanding of the value and complexity of embedding workforce-aligned learning
into academic spaces.
Sources:
Peters, M., Beirne, E., & Brown, M. (2025). Micro-credentials and their implications for lifelong
learning–global insights and critical perspectives. Distance Education, 46(1), 1–7.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2025.2463137
Strada Center for Education Insights. (2021, July 28). Examining the value of non-degree
credentials. https://cci.stradaeducation.org/pv-release-july-28-2021
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
●Curriculum mapping strategies for integrating micro-credentials into general education
and discipline-specific courses;
● Faculty perspectives on academic freedom, rigor, and credentialing in the era of
industry-aligned learning;
● Case studies highlighting successful course redesigns that incorporate professional
certificate content;
● Frameworks and models for aligning micro-credentials with academic goals;
● Opportunity, access, and student agency in credential integration: Who benefits, who is
left behind?;
● Cross-institutional collaborations and consortia supporting credential adoption at scale;
● Instructional design practices for aligning micro-credential assessments with institutional
learning outcomes;
● Student feedback and learning outcomes from courses embedding micro-credential
content;
● Cultural and disciplinary tensions around adopting industry-developed curricula;
● Faculty development initiatives supporting integration and pedagogical innovation;
● The role of AI and automation in credential platforms and its impact on teaching and
learning;
● Micro-credentials and their relationship to accreditation and program evaluation;
● Comparative perspectives: global approaches to integrating micro-credentials in higher
education;
● Critical perspectives on the influence of Big Tech in higher education, including concerns
about academic autonomy, corporate power, and the commodification of learning;
● Examinations of “technofeudalism” as a framework for analyzing industry-driven
credentialing models and platform dependencies in academia;
● Analysis of anti-industry sentiment and political resistance to corporate involvement in
academic curricula;
● Scholarly debates on the potential for micro-credentials and AI-powered platforms to
automate or displace teaching roles;
● Pedagogies of professionalization: balancing career preparation with academic inquiry;
● The hidden curriculum of micro-credentials: platform literacy, time management, and
self-directed learning;
● Accreditation, quality assurance, and policy considerations for credential-bearing
courses and programs;
● Ethical and epistemological questions in using external credential content in academic
programs;
● Data security, privacy, and intellectual property considerations in the use of
industry-developed content and platforms
Submission Types
This special issue encourages a wide range of scholarly contributions. Traditional research
manuscripts are welcome, as well as non-traditional works such as:
● Case studies grounded in theory or practice
● Reflective essays or faculty narratives
● Pedagogical frameworks and curriculum integration models
● Frameworks for resistance or critical praxis: Conceptual or applied models that articulate
strategies for resisting, reshaping, or critically engaging with industry-driven credentialing
initiatives, including pedagogical, policy, and institutional approaches.
● Editorials or commentaries
● Visual models, teaching tools, or design resources (with accompanying narrative)
Submission Guidelines
Manuscripts should be original works not currently under review elsewhere. Authors are
encouraged to align their submissions with the journal’s formatting guidelines available at:
http://www.leraweb.net/ojs/index.php/RICE/index
Important Dates
● Abstract Submission Deadline: October 31, 2025 (Submit abstracts of at least 500 words to: [email protected])
● Notification of Acceptance: December 2025
● Draft of Manuscript Due: February 2026
● Peer Review Period: February–March 2026
● Revision Period: March–April 2026
● Editorial Review: May–June 2026
● Final Manuscript Due: July 2026
● Final Publication Date: August 2026