Dean Terri Camesano Presents on Career Readiness and Credentialing System at ASEE Northeast Regional Meeting

Dean of Graduate Studies Terri Camesano gave a presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Northeast Regional meeting at the University of Bridgeport, CT, on March 22, 2025. The presentation focused on offering strategies that provide graduates with career readiness and essential skills needed to compete in a global economy.

In her talk, “WPI Systems Engineering Awareness Digital Badge Program: Pilot program in Micro-credentials,” Camesano provided an overview of the current career dynamic, including how graduates will have 12 or more jobs in their careers. As a result, she discussed how employers are struggling to find talent and how education must align with career pathways to deliver value.

Camesano provided ways to address these challenges, including offering an overview of the alternative credentials and digital badges in higher education. Digital badging refers to virtual emblems to recognize and showcase specific skills, knowledge, or achievements earned through various learning experiences. Camesano then discussed a credential framework draft, the types of digital badges awarded to WPI graduate students, and several digital badging use cases. She also discussed lessons learned along the way, including the importance targeting the right audience, various pricing models,  marketing strategies, and employer recognition for alternative credentials.

Co-authors on this work were Elizabeth Wilson, an adjunct teaching professor in WPI’s Systems Engineering program, and Valerie Smedile Rifkin of the WPI Academic Technology Center.

For more information, visit www.wpi.catalog.instructure.com/browse/systems-engineering-awareness.