The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is proud to announce a new partnership with HigherEd+ to offer innovative microcredential on-demand programs designed to support both higher education undergraduate research professionals and undergraduate researchers. This collaboration introduces two comprehensive 12-course microcredential on-demand bundles, including one custom-tailored to higher education professionals advancing undergraduate research initiatives and one designed specifically for undergraduate researchers seeking to build career-ready skills.
As higher education continues to evolve, microcredentialing has been proven to demonstrate competencies and provide flexible, accessible learning opportunities. These new microcredentials allow learners to gain targeted expertise while earning digital badges that can be shared with their institutions and professional networks. For professionals, microcredentials offer a structured and evidence-based way to document professional development and demonstrate impact. For students, microcredentials provide tangible evidence of learning beyond traditional coursework and their inclusion on resumes has been found to increase post-graduate employment prospects.
As described by the founder and CEO of HigherEd+, Dr. Jay Singh, “The mission of HigherEd+ is to equip undergraduate-facing academic leaders with the professional development resources they need to advance their careers and to strengthen institutional outcomes in student enrollment, retention, post-graduation job placement, and graduate school admissions. Equally important, we are committed to ensuring that undergraduate researchers have access to meaningful training experiences that support their academic and professional trajectories.”
Through this partnership, CUR and HigherEd+ are expanding access to structured, high-quality learning experiences that align with the real-world demands of CUR’s undergraduate research community. The Higher Education Professionals on-demand microcredential supports faculty and mentors who contribute to undergraduate research programs, focusing on areas such as mentorship, grants and external funding, artificial intelligence, and leadership. The Undergraduate Researchers on-demand microcredential empowers students to develop essential research, communication, and career-readiness skills that prepare them for graduate study, the industry workforce, and lifelong learning.
“This partnership reflects CUR’s commitment to meeting our community where they are and equipping them with tools that matter,” said Lindsay Currie, CUR Executive Officer. “Microcredentials offer a flexible, meaningful way to recognize learning, support professional growth, and demonstrate the value of undergraduate research in today’s changing environment.”
By partnering with HigherEd+, CUR is able to leverage proven instructional design and digital credentialing expertise to deliver engaging, on-demand learning experiences that complement CUR’s mission and member benefits. Together, CUR and HigherEd+ are strengthening the undergraduate research community.
Singh explains, “We are proud to partner with CUR to provide evidence-based and expert-led professional development courses that upskill the next generation of undergraduate researchers and empower the allied professionals who support their success.”
Founded in 1978, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) focuses on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity. Among the many activities and networking opportunities that CUR provides, the organization also offers support for the professional growth of faculty and administrators through expert-designed institutes, conferences, and a wide-range of volunteer positions. The CUR community, made up of nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals, continues to provide a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research. CUR’s advocacy efforts are also a large portion of its work as they strive to strengthen support for undergraduate research. Its continued growth in connections with representatives, private foundations, government agencies, and campuses world-wide provides value to its members and gives voice to undergraduate research. CUR is committed to inclusivity and diversity in all of its activities and our community.
CUR focuses on giving a voice to undergraduate research with learning through doing. It provides connections to a multitude of campuses and government agencies, all while promoting networking and professional growth to its community.
HigherEd+ (www.higheredplus.org) is the premiere online platform for universities seeking to scale professional development and career advancement resources for undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty members, and academic leaders – all in one place. With 200+ expert-led courses across 30+ digital badge microcredentials, HigherEd+ integrates seamlessly into your existing LMS and directly supports key benchmark criteria in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications and the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Available in 10+ languages, HigherEd+’s On Demand content can be embedded into credit-bearing courses or used to build custom programs with your institution’s branding. HigherEd+’s curated library of end-to-end resources has been designed to meet evidence-based best practices in eLearning, resulting in curricula proven to increase scholarly productivity and positive career outcomes across disciplines and cultural backgrounds.
