Theory-Based Design of an Entrepreneurship Microcredentialing and Modularization System Within a Large University Ecosystem

The theoretical design framework and implementation of the Entrepreneurship Microcredentialing and Modularization System at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, is described, one of the largest programs in the world with 75 different entrepreneurship courses, 10 on-campus incubators, several masters degrees, undergraduate degrees, majors, minors, and cocurricular levels of credentialing. Over 6,500 students per year receive an entrepreneurship course credit and over 2,000 of these accumulate microcredentials to achieve this course credit. To reduce the likelihood that students merely accumulate random modules and microcredentials, it is critical to use an integrating framework so that these modules build toward a greater integrated whole (i.e., a curriculum). This article describes how a Microcredentialing and Modularization System is currently used in six courses which build toward different credentials and program learning outcome measurements for accreditation purposes. University resources and integrating mechanisms are described as well as lessons learned during implementation. The primary theoretical contribution of this article is to extend the theoretical framework used for accredited program-level design for small cohorts of entrepreneurship students into a university-level ecosystem design. The primary practical contribution of this article is a detailed case study description of one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive university entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Putting paraeducators on the path to teacher certification

In response to local districts’ needs for certified teachers with community roots who understand local schools and students, the authors developed an innovative alternative route for paraprofessionals based on a traditional bachelor’s program. Their goals were to provide a rigorous, research-based program that allows paraprofessionals to get a university degree and, in the process, to get course credit for skills and knowledge gained on the job. This article describes both the challenges involved in developing the program and its successes.

Cash or Credit? Compensation in Psychology Studies: Motivation Matters

It is common practice for psychology researchers to recruit their sample of participants from the undergraduate student population. Participants are typically compensated with partial course credit or a monetary payment. The current study reveals that the motivation to participate in a study (cash versus course credit) can relate to performance on a behavioral task of rewarded memory. In Experiment 1, undergraduate participants were recruited and compensated for their time with either partial course credit or cash. Potential performance-based cash rewards were earned during a rewarded memory task, where correct recognition of half the stimuli was worth a high reward and the other half a low reward. Memory for high reward items was better than low reward items, but only for the cash group. The credit group did not modulate their performance based on the value of the stimuli. In Experiment 2, undergraduates were compensated with partial course credit for their time and given the opportunity to earn a bonus credit for performance on a memory test. The findings were in line with the results from the credit group of Experiment 1, suggesting that the modulation of performance in the cash group of Experiment 1 cannot be accounted for by congruency between motivation to participate and reward for task performance. Of methodological importance, the findings indicate that recruiting and compensating participants with cash versus course credit may influence the results on a rewarded memory task. This factor should be taken into consideration in studies of reward motivation.