CALS Innovator and Leader Scholar
This badge signifies the successful completion of the Pathways to Innovation and Leadership Innovator and Leader Scholar micro-credential pathway designed for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students and equips students with the necessary skills and knowledge to demonstrative effective problem-solving, innovation, and leadership competencies in research experiences.
The Pathways program offers a series of workshops, experiential learning projects, guided self-reflection activities, and community-building events. To earn this badge, participants have completed the Designing Career Success, Leading with Strengths, Creative Confidence for Innovation, Career Pathways, and Innovation and Leadership Research Impact Micro-credentials.
Skills / Knowledge
- Innovator
- Leader
- Research Impact
- Problem-Solver
- Leading Change
- Fostering Innvation
Earning Criteria
Required
Participants who have earned the CALS Innovator and Leader Scholar Program Certificate have successfully completed the following:
CALS Designing Career Success
This digital badge is designed to provide a basic understanding of career-readiness competencies and goal-setting skills during college by successfully completing the following:
Participate in a 15-30 minutes of consultation with peer leaders, academic advisors, or faculty or staff mentors.
Successfully map out or reflect on learning experiences for at least two academic years that align with their career and self-development goals.
Submit a written reflection and identify specific skills and competencies that supplement their plan.
CALS Leading with Strengths
This digital badge is designed to provide a basic understanding of leadership and its processes and how individuals leverage their strengths to lead others by successfully completing the following:
Attend two 50-minute workshops focused on leadership and personal strengths.
Take the CliftonStrengths assessment and reflect on their top five strengths and skills for leadership.
Complete a reflection and hands-on activities to practice their leadership and team-building skills.
Map leadership-specific learning opportunities that align with their career and self-development goals.
CALS Creative Confidence for Innovation
This digital badge is designed to provide a basic understanding of innovation and its processes and how individuals leverage their creative thinking for problem-solving by successfully completing the following:
Attend two 50-minute workshops focused on innovation and creative confidence.
Take the MyCreativeType assessment and reflect on their strengths and skills for facilitating innovative solutions.
Complete a reflection and hands-on activities to practice their creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
Map innovation-specific learning opportunities that align with their career and self-development goals.
CALS Career Pathways
The “Career Pathways” digital badge consists of the successful completion of guided reflection on a specific skill development, the Pathway Planner, and a mock interview with a career services advisor.
Complete a reflection on their specific skill development.
Attend relevant workshops optionally.
Practice skill demonstration through a 30-minute mock interview with a career services advisor.
Map skill development opportunities that align with their career and self-development goals.
CALS Innovation + Leadership: Research Impact
This digital badge is designed to provide an experiential learning opportunity to participants and help individuals leverage their personal strengths and skills in research projects relevant to agriculture and life sciences. Research can include, but is not limited to, undergraduate research and capstone projects.
Participants have successfully completed the following:
Participate in a research experience.
Complete a guided reflection on innovation and leadership competency development.
Map out skill development on the Pathway Planner.
Attend optional professional development workshops.
Present learning outcomes and innovation and leadership development publicly.