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President's Message: What’s All This About Microcredentialing?

Sherry Pagoto, PhD, SBM President

SBM is exploring the possibility of developing a microcredentialing program that would provide professionals outside of our field the opportunity to learn the science of behavior change. I’m excited to share more about this potential opportunity.

What is a microcredential? A microcredential is an objective, third-party validation of a specific skill or competency. Microcredentials differ from traditional degrees or certification programs in that each “microcredential” is very narrowly focused and so takes less time to earn. Microcredentials break learning into ""chunks"" that are mapped onto specific, practical skills. They are often offered in “stacks” that can be combined to master a broader skill set. For example, earlier this year Northeastern University launched a microcredentialing program in computer science for professionals in Silicon Valley. They offer microcredentials in machine learning, data mining, network security, cloud computing and more. Microcredentialing credits can even be applied toward Northeastern’s Master degree program in computer science, so those interested in deeper learning can use the microcredential as a step in that direction. Microcredentials are an increasing trend in fast evolving fields that require diverse skills sets that do not map well onto traditional degree programs (e.g., Ph.D.).

Why should SBM consider a microcredential program? We are in an exciting time where workers in so many sectors are interested in learning about behavior change. The digital health industry has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry. The health coaching and personal training industries are also in a time of massive growth. Not to mention, healthcare professionals are showing more interest than ever in helping their patients make healthy lifestyle changes. SBM’s membership has an extraordinary vault of knowledge that these groups could use to increase the impact of their work. Dr. Gina Merchant, an SBM member employed at Resmed, a world-leading connected health company explains, “The biggest need I see is for industry professionals to learn the fundamentals of behavioral science including concepts such as experimental design and Type I and II error. This is especially true as companies embrace today’s hot terms like machine learning and AI. Solutions are being designed daily aimed at improving patients’ lives with often little to no grounding in behavioral science. When I unpack colleagues’ hypotheses and project goals there is often an “ah-ha” moment wherein they realize how hard it is to achieve long-term behavior change and the strength of an intervention required to observe change. There’s a saying in UX “you are not the user,” and I think when it comes to behavioral design, “you are not the human,” applies.” A microcredential program on the science of behavior change could meet the needs of an evolving marketplace as well as give us an exciting opportunity to disseminate our knowledge.

Do we risk replacing ourselves with people who have only basic training and skills? No, I believe the potential is for the contrary, or increased opportunities for behavioral medicine professionals. Consider this analogy. Behavioral scientists take courses in statistics but this in no way has put biostatisticians out of work. If anything it has kept them employed because we know enough to recognize problems that require us to bring in the real expertsise. As a result, they are our most essential collaborators. In fact, every one of us knows how hard it can be to get the time of a biostatistician---they are so busy with tons of requests for collaboration!

Is SBM just trying to make money? A microcredential program has the potential to generate revenue for SBM, although this is not our driving force. The main purpose of a microcredential program would be to disseminate our knowledge and skills to sectors that share our mission of improving public health. We do not gain much by keeping this knowledge to ourselves, and someone will certainly address this market need -, the question is: will it be us?  In terms of SBM turning a profit in this microcredentialing endeavor, it would likely take years. In fact, we will have to invest money to develop a microcredentialing program. Our modest goal is to develop a plan that would at the very least allow us to break even in the next 5 years. Any profit beyond that we could use to support and grow our other initiatives, such as our policy work, webinars, website maintenance, and other activities that require an investment but do not bring in enough revenue to cover the expenses they produce.

Does taking industry money threaten our integrity/credibility? Interacting with industry is a new concept for many in behavioral science because historically we have not had a “sister” industry like we do now in the digital health industry. We also felt at cross purposes with many industries like tobacco and soda who sell products that create the very health problems we are trying to solve. For this reason, “industry” has been a dirty word for us. Many modern industries in the health space actually share our goal of improving public health via behavior change. We would be remiss to not build bridges between academia and industry as has long been the history in the fields of engineering, computer science, and medicine. The good news from an ethics and integrity standpoint is that SBM’s management company, EDI, has tremendous experience managing conflicts of interest within professional organizations. Using standard procedures, they review all conflicts of interest on the SBM Board on a regular basis and serve as an advisory if ethical issues arise.

I welcome your thoughts and questions about an SBM microcredential program. For now we are just evaluating the market interest and the type of skills workers in other sectors would like to learn. If you would like to be involved in the microcredentialing subcommittee or have insights or experiences to share, please reach out to me at sherry.pagoto@uconn.edu. Everybody’s input is welcome!

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