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IDEA Expeditions Microcredentials combine for-credit, co-curricular, and paid experiences that empower you to explore your interests, apply your creativity, and learn about different fields of study. They are short, competency-based recognition that enables you to document your skills in a particular area.
IDEA Expeditions Microcredentials enable you to build your skill set to better position you to make decisions about your curriculum, engage with faculty, and determine your career path. It is a mix of the arts, sciences, humanities and engineering paired with design, innovation, experimenting, and above all else – having fun.
Each is embedded with data that verifies your skills and achievements; and, validates your learning and practice of key components of the innovation process.
Why "Expeditions" and not "Badges"?
IDEA's focus on providing early experiential opportunities is grounded in supporting the undergraduate college journey with the particular purpose of exploration, design, and scientific research, in brief, an expedition.
Each microcredential expedition is visually represented by a badge. Earned badges reflect completion of an expedition. Badges are suitable for sharing on your resume, LinkedIn profile, or with persons interested in your achievements.
Recipients have completed a Design Lab and have a foundational understanding of the design thinking process. Design Labs are a half-day intensive experience where design methods are used by participants to identify where there is potential for innovation and identify solutions that can make a social impact. Recipients are able to utilize knowledge from community advocates to define a problem area and ideate solutions that are realistic and useful for the target community.
Recipients are able to apply participatory design to address complex societal challenges and develop community-based solutions. Badge recipients are able to work with community partners, conceive ideas based on interviews, and build and test prototypes.
Recipients are able to utilize federal open data and design thinking methods to prototype a digital product that addresses complex societal challenges and develop community-based solutions. Badge recipients are able to conduct user interviews, conceive ideas based on user research and data analysis, and design and test prototypes.
The IDEA Summer Design Program is a guided summer fellowship through which students work with industry partners on problem areas of interest to the company based upon corporate mission and/or philanthropic focus or area. Recipients of the badge have an understanding of qualitative research and analysis, professionial etiquette, time management, working on cross-functional teams, coordination, and complex problem solving.
IDEA defines innovation as the culmination of research, design processes, and entrepreneurship. The Expeditions Pathways was curated to illustrate different learning journeys. Pathways offer a map of what a student has done at Rutgers and which resources are related and available to do next.
Research = using the scientific method to build subject matter expertise
Design = community-engaged design methods and practices
Entrepreneurship = "the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled" (credit: Professor Howard Stevenson)
Criteria
Skills
Creative ideation | Problem solving | Design Thinking | Presentation | Collaboration
Criteria
The Expeditions Microcredentials offer a complement to your academic studies. Your college degree and transcript are the ultimate credential! Any major or minor will offer you a lens with which to explore innovation, design, and entrepreneurship.
If you are seeking suggestions for courses related to innovation, design, and entrepreneurship to enhance your academic transcript, check out the below programs as recommended by IDEA students.
Social Innovation Accelerator
Students pursuing the Social Innovation Accelerator badge will have earned the Emerging Innovator and Practicing Innovator microcredentials, or other approved alternate pathway.
Criteria