KC Counts speaks with NMSU Global Microlearning Innovation Manager Erika Genty to learn how the partnership can benefit students and business professionals. Here is a transcript of their conversation:
KC:
Let's talk about the development of the global campus and who are your ideal students?
Erika:
Our ideal students are a variety of individuals. They are working adults who don't have time to access normal, I guess traditional education. They are homemakers, they are business owners that want to upskill or reskill, but don't have the time to take away from their responsibilities.
KC:
So what does microlearning mean?
Erika:
Microlearning is literally learning in small portions. It's a modern approach to building new skills, staying current with industry trends, fostering ongoing growth. It breaks complex information down into bite sized pieces, so it allows learners to acquire knowledge and skills in manageable portions.
KC:
What will a student experience through one of these programs? Does it work on the traditional semester schedule?
Erika:
Microlearning courses are very short courses that can be accessed anytime, anywhere on the go. They fit easily into small pockets of down time, like sitting in a car, waiting to pick your kids up from school, without needing to take any time away from your current responsibilities. They are very engaging. They have videos and quizzes and games. They make learning fun and exciting. They're very, very short. The individual modules are no more than 10 to 15 minutes, usually no longer than a TikTok video or a YouTube video. And that helps learners retain their knowledge.
KC:
Let's talk a little bit about interest from the business community in terms of - there's a partnership announced with the BBB. What advantages are there for the business community to support these types of programs?
Erika:
Well, I'm really, really honored to work with the Better Business Bureau of New Mexico and Southwest Colorado. We've partnered to launch a professional certificate program that provides several courses especially in the area of generational business transition. That is one for planning for your business when it's time for you to retire. Other courses are in the areas of management and finance and operations. All of these are designed to reach small business owners in New Mexico.
KC:
What will this mean in terms of the benefits to students?
Erika:
For the for the business owners, it will definitely benefit them in their businesses, giving them timely, important information to improve their business, whether it's marketing or social media, or how to do finances, or how to transition when they retire, we have courses in several different areas, including AI and VR, and a lot of emerging technologies as well as leadership courses and building teams and things like that that will give skills to people that they need to be successful.
KC:
Tell me about the emergence of these types of programs and this type of learning.
Erika:
Well, modern employers are now prioritizing skills over degree programs, and so what micro learning does is it's fitting into this niche here by giving people the skills that they need and that makes them more competitive for jobs, makes them more competitive for promotions, and it's much like what you might see on Coursera, LinkedIn, these short, short, focused courses, they give people the skills that they need.
KC:
Can you tell us a little bit about how students are paying for learning like this, would these classes be eligible for traditional methods of payment, say even I won't say use the word traditional because the opportunity scholarship is so new, but do they qualify?
Erika:
Well, we are embedding several of our micro learning forces into degree programs. So that as a student goes through a degree program, they can take these micro learning courses. Get these certifications along the way which adds value to their degree and so for those students they can use traditional financial aid in order to pay for them. For the general public, right now, they are just offered at full price on our storefront. We are looking into options for financing, because while somebody may be able to afford a $39.00 class, they may not be able to afford a $1500 class and so that is something that we are working on right now.
KC:
What else do you think is important for our listeners to know about the global campus, micro learning and the new partnership just announced?
Erika:
Well, one important thing is that whenever somebody completes a course, they receive a digital badge that can be shared on social media, their LinkedIn profile, their resume. This gives people a sense of accomplishment right away, and we also serve as verifiable proof of skill mastery, and they're really valuable for career growth. The partnership with the BBB. is great because their mission closely aligns with ours in terms of support and education for business owners, and we are aiming at preparing emerging leaders for business ownership and management.
You can learn more about NMSU Global right here.
