Created 11 March 2021 08:03

For Immediate Release March 11, 2021 – The Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) announces the release of a white paper on micro-credentials “Faculty Voice: On Academic Credibility in Micro-Credentials at BC’s Research Universities.”

“It’s critical for faculty to have a strong role in the development and delivery of micro-credentials,” says President Daniel Laitsch, an Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University. “We believe micro-credentials can be successful within the post-secondary sector, but they need to be done carefully to preserve their academic value.”

“We believe an educated society is the strongest way to support the economic and social recovery of British Columbians says Executive Director Annabree Fairweather. “The research universities will play an important part of that education strategy.”

As the provincial voice of faculty, CUFA BC is committed to a strong and well-governed, well-supported public university system. Necessary supports have to be in place in order for micro-credentials to have value for faculty and students, university communities, as well as administrators, governments, and industry partners.

The white paper explores the mechanisms needed to ensure micro-credentials have lasting and substantive value, and that their value is understood by stakeholders in the community. We make a series of recommendations on how to integrate micro-credentials into BC’s research universities, we highlight the challenges they bring to the academic mission, and pose further questions about their implementation. In all this, we see the role of faculty and university senates as central to their success in credited programs.

We look forward to working with government, institutions, and other stakeholders in the post-secondary sector on the development of the provincial micro-credential framework.

For further information or comment please contact CUFA BC Executive Director Annabree Fairweather at 604-367-5856 or [email protected].

CUFA BC represents over 5,500 faculty members (professors, academic librarians, lecturers, instructor), at five research-intensive universities in British Columbia, which include University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, Royal Roads University and University of Northern British Columbia.

CUFA BC has existed for fifty years and works closely with the Faculty Associations at each institution. Our purposes are to support high-quality post-secondary education and research in British Columbia and to advocate for the interests of our members.