Continuing Education

online student

Career-Ready Skills. Future-Focused Education.

Today's employers seek professionals with specialized skills to help their organizations grow and innovate. Earning a University of Nebraska–Lincoln digital badge lets you gain these in-demand skills quickly, helping you stand out in a competitive job market. Our high-quality, non-credit badges offer targeted learning in specific skill areas, making it possible to enhance your career without the time commitment of a full degree program. Whether you are looking to advance your skills, change your career trajectory, or enhance your knowledge, UNL's digital badges are your key to personal and professional growth.

What is a Digital Badge?

A digital badge is a verified, online credential that showcases your expertise in a specialized area, allowing you to display your accomplishments to employers, colleagues, and your professional network. At UNL, coursework to otain a digital badge may be online, hybrid, or in-person. Be sure to read the course description for the method of delivery.

Browse Digital Badges

Nebraska Innovation Studio  College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources  Nebraska Extension  Center on Children, Families and the Law


 

Nebraska Innovation Studio

Collaborative Robot Welding

Explore robotic welding, automating your way through unique hands-on challenges with precision and efficiency.

Robotic welding is more in-demand than ever, with The American Welding Society predicting a job gap of 336,000 welders needed by 2026. This course familiarizes student of all skill levels with Vectis Automation’s Collaborative Robot Welding Cell, covering efficient welding task planning, designing fixtures, managing labor resources, ensuring high-quality welds, and culminating in a practical project where participants complete real-world welding tasks with zero human intervention.

Picture of robot welding

Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Bacteria as Friends and Foes

Plant Pathology

This digital badge is an online platform that will immerse learners in the wonderful world of bacteria and the overall discipline of bacteriology. Leaners will learn that bacteria are very different from us but follow the general principles of life like other organisms. Bacteria have evolved incredible strategies to thrive and survive in many different environments including non-living surfaces, and other living organisms. In this course, you will appreciate how bacteria can exhibit distinct lifestyles. Lessons include general concepts that are shared among groups on bacteria as well as explorations into detail strategies that particular groups of bacteria use to adapt to distinct environments.

Microbes

Nebraska Extension

Fit & Healthy Kids: Yogapalooza: Learning Strategies to Immediately Incorporate Yoga and Mindfulness into Your Early Childhood Classroom

Coming soon!

Bari Koral is a nationally recognized kids yoga educator and recording artist for children.

You’ll master many simple but powerful mindfulness tools, learn some child friendly yoga poses and understand the great benefits and physiology of yoga and mindfulness.

Fit and Healthy Kids YogaPalooza with Bari Koral

Fit and Healthy Kids: Yoga for Young Children's Health and Well-Being

Coming Soon!

Children's yoga during early childhood can play an important role in helping young children learn self-regulation strategies, enhance their health, and can make learning fun. Is your mind full or worries and thoughts that cause you stress? Learn the benefits of mindfulness and how mindfulness can positively impact your wellbeing and support you being more present in the moment.

Children doing yoga

Fit and Healthy Kids: Tinkering with STEM

Coming Soon!

 Tinkering helps children to understand you have to fail a few times, sometimes many times, in order to get the right answer. It is a safe way for children to go through the process of trial and error-which is an experience that children need, to develop the kind to higher-order thinking skills necessary in our rapidly changing world.

Children stacking blocks

Fit and Healthy Kids: The Importance of Sleep

Coming Soon!

The presentation will discuss what is known from research studies about how the amount of sleep and the quality of sleep influences behaviors in children, youth, and parents.
 

Child resting head on a pillow

Fit and Healthy Kids: Whole Grains for Health-Organic, Stoneground, Multigrain, Oh My!

Coming Soon!

What do all of those words on food packages mean? How do I tell if a food is a whole grain? Join us to answer these mysterious questions and more! Learn about the many benefits of whole grains along with ideas for preparing and serving whole grain foods children will love. 

Wheat grains on a table

Fit and Healthy Kids: One Norovirus, with a side of Salmonella, Please! Preparing Food Safety in Child Care Facilities

Coming Soon!

Safe storing, preparing, and serving of foods is just as important in childcare programs as serving a balanced diet. Many children and adults get sick from eating foods that are not properly handles or when food safety guidelines are not being followed. 

Food thermometer

Fit and Healthy Kids: Strategies for Young Children with Autism in Childcare Settings

Coming Soon!

The presentation provides learners with a brief overview of autism spectrum disorder. 
 

Child covering ears

Fit and Healthy Kids: Introduction to Autism in Childcare Settings

Coming Soon!

   This presentation provides learners with an introduction to autism spectrum disorder. 

Child sitting on the floor

Fit and Healthy Kids: Mind Full or Mindful-Who are You?

Coming Soon!

Is your mind full of worries and thoughts that cause you stress? Learn the benefits of mindfulness and how mindfulness can positively impact your wellbeing and support you being more present in the moment.

Icon of the brain

Fit and Healthy Kids: Music from the Heart

Coming Soon!

Music is a natural part of a child's everyday life. Not only does it help them develop language and social skills but forms a part of their play time. This training will explore music of the home-from play to sleep. Songs will include lullabies, outside play songs, songs on a rainy day and much more. 

Music book with red heart resting on the page

Fit and Healthy Kids: Caregiver-Child Math Engagement Adds Up

Coming Soon!

 This session will provide information on the importance of math development for young children. Participants will learn strategies for integrating math into children's routines, as well as fun and engaging games and activities that involve math concepts. 

Numbers in assorted colors laying on table

Fit and Healthy Kids: Blocks BUILDing Math Talk in Early Childhood Setting

Coming Soon!

Engaging in block play provides a vast array of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) concepts. This training is designed to aid participants in designing environments that promote STEM thinking through block play.

Colored wooden blocks stacked together on table

Fit and Healthy Kids: Beyond Challenging Behaviors

Coming Soon!

Learn the meaning behind behaviors and supporting early childhood mental health. Join us to explore challenging behaviors, warning signs, beneficial resources, and the importance of your role in the childcare environment. Learn about the importance of building partnerships with families and how to bring your concerns forward to parents. 

Young boy making a silly facial expression

Fit & Healthy Kids: The Importance of Process Art Experiences

Coming Soon!

Process art experiences can support a child’s growth and development in almost all content areas. Participants will have the opportunity to partake in the open-ended exploration of process art and explore strategies for creating an inviting process art experience!

Young child painting at table

Fit & Healthy Kids: Guidance and Discipline-Mistaken Goals of Misbehaviors

Coming Soon!

This workshop will look at the causes of children’s misbehavior and techniques to respond to their mistaken goals.

Parent and child talking eye to eye

Fit & Healthy Kids: Early Math Skills for Infants and Toddlers

Coming soon!

This program will give ideas, lessons, and resources for child care providers to enrich their environment for infants and toddlers to gain early math skills.

Children using a bead counter

Fit & Healthy Kids: Eat Healthy, Be Active

Coming Soon!

This course will increase participants’ awareness of the problem of obesity in early childhood, including statistics about obesity rates and causes and risk factors that contribute to childhood obesity. Participants will leave the class with a better understanding of strategies for addressing obesity in ECE settings, key concepts that preschool-age children can learn about healthy eating and physical activity, and handson activities to teach healthy eating and physical activity to 3- to 5-year-olds within the ECE curriculum.

Child eating an apple

Fit & Healthy Kids: The Importance and AWESOMENESS of Nature in Early Childhood

Coming Soon!

Join a Wildlife Educator with Northern Prairies Land Trust and NEbraska Game and parks Commission to gain knowledge in research on the effect of nature play on early childhood development as well as activities, tips and tricks to incorporate nature play with the kiddos in your life.

children gathered together looking at tree leaves

Fit & Healthy Kids: Feeding with the Fuss

Coming Soon!

Learn the science behind why some children are challenging eaters and discover ways you can help. This class also covers tips and tricks to make mealtime a more pleasant experience.

Children gathered at table eating family style

Fit & Healthy Kids: Inspiring Teachers to Strive for Excellence in their Approach to Curriculum from a New Zealand Perspective

Coming Soon!

Discover what is new in New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum with Kawerau New Zealand and Te Whariki from New Zealand. We discuss how we document the curriculum and the ways that it is applied to assessment and the standers of wellbeing and belonging. They will share stories about the positive impact for children, families and the importance of building a community of learners.

Teacher with preschoolers doing a lesson in a circle

Fit & Healthy Kids: Authentic Documentation Using the Floor Book

Coming Soon!

Listening to children’s voices is an essential part of creating meaningful curriculum in your classroom. Floor books are “tools to truly consult with children during the planning and documentation process.” Developed by Claire Warden, Floors books “encourage higher order thinking skills and help children influence their learning.” Join us to learn how floor books can transform your documentation practice and give children a voice in your curriculum.

Four children reading book at the table

Fit & Healthy Kids: Mindfulness for Kids-It's that IMPORTANT!

Coming soon!

Sometimes we forget that kids feel stress. Their brains are buzzing with worries about the past and future, which can make it hard for them to focus on what’s happening now or keep their emotions in check. Like most things, a mindfulness practice requires… well PRACTICE! We want to give children the tools that help them focus, practice compassion and empathy, and help them self- regulate their emotions

Children with arms stretched upward

Center on Children, Families, and the Law

Partner with UNL

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln partners with businesses, civic leaders, and nonprofits to provide a range of public programs that enhance quality of life. Let's discuss how UNL can help you achieve your learning objectives. Send us an email.

Whether you are looking to advance your skills, change your career trajectory, or enhance your knowledge, UNL's digital badges are your key to personal and professional growth.

Tuition benefits through the University of Nebraska Employee and Dependent Scholarship Program cannot be applied to micro-credential courses.