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Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Taps Into Digital Badges to Elevate Engagement in CBA Student Clubs
CPP News
Campus clubs are one of the best ways for students to build leadership skills, gain hands-on experience, and connect with peers. However, maintaining engagement and initiative has proven to remain a challenge. To support student involvement in a more meaningful way, the College of Business Administration is introducing digital badges as a new form of recognition for club participation.
Led by the Innovation Incubator, digital badges are shareable credentials that recognize specific skills, contributions or accomplishments. Unlike traditional certifications, badges are tied to clear criteria and can be displayed on platforms such as LinkedIn, allowing students to showcase their involvement, leadership, and professional growth beyond the classroom. For clubs, badges provide a way to motivate members, recognize behind the scenes work and create clearer pathways for participation and growth.
Published February 04, 2026
Celebrate Student Innovation at the 8th Annual Fall PolyX FYE Showcase
CPP News
The Innovation Incubator will host an event to highlight the creativity, originality and dedication of first-year students.
The will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ursa Major.
The showcase will feature an in-person poster session where students present their PolyX projects, culminating in months of exploration and collaboration. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in interactive Q&A sessions, allowing them to engage directly with students about their ideas, processes and impact.
Published November 20, 2025
Spring Pop-Up Course Explores the Psychology of Misinformation in the Digital Age
CPP News
The is launching a new this upcoming spring titled, “Drowning in BS: Conspiracies, Urban Legends and AI Slop in the Digital World.” This course will examine how misinformation spreads in online spaces, why people believe it, and how it shapes society, politics, and democracy, all while satisfying GE Area 4A and E requirements in social sciences.
Offered under CPU 1540, the three-unity hybrid asynchronous course meets Thursdays from 10to 11:15 a.m. and includes both in-person and virtual components. Randy Stein, Shonn Haren, and L. Lin Ong will lead instruction.
Published November 06, 2025
CPP Kicks Off New Year with Celebration, Collaboration and Connection
CPP News
In her opening address as Interim President at Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, Iris S. Levine shared a video message of celebration, collaboration and purpose to start the 2025-26 academic year. The message kicked off Fall Conference Week, an annual tradition during which faculty and staff connect with colleagues, celebrate achievements and prepare for the year ahead.
In the , Levine reflected on how Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ had become her academic and professional home, and how each role, from professor to provost, shaped her commitment to student success and the campus community.
Published August 21, 2025
Summer Conference Offers Faculty and Staff Opportunity to Reimagine Education with AI
CPP News
The Office of Academic Innovation will host its annual summer conference welcoming faculty and staff from Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and beyond to explore the theme, “The AI-Driven Future of Higher Education and Work.”
This two-day conference event, set for June 4-5, invites educators to engage in critical conversations at the intersection of artificial intelligence, pedagogy, and workforce development.
Participants will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights from academic experts as they share cross-disciplinary strategies for navigating the AI-driven evolution of education and work. In recognition of learning and professional growth, attendees will earn a digital badge to commemorate their participation. In addition, the conference offers meaningful networking opportunities, bringing together educators, researchers, and industry professionals from various universities to build collaborative connections and share best practices.
Published April 25, 2025
CPP Launches Micro-Internship Program Based on a $1.7 Million Grant
CPP News
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ what you learned inside the classroom to the real world by enrolling in a course that includes one of Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s micro-internships.
Hosted by Innovation Incubator, micro-internships are short-term, paid, project-based, and flexible to a student’s schedule. Students can participate in a variety of multidisciplinary micro-internships that range from 20 to 40 hours and can earn up to $600 per project. The popular option is micro-internships embedded into pre-existing courses, but students can work on these separately. Students also have the choice to work remotely. Some current micro-internships include writing for the , working with patients at the Motor Development Clinic, and collecting information at the San Bernardino County Museum.
Published February 18, 2025
Celebrating Innovation at the 7th Annual PolyX Showcase
CPP News
Hosted by Innovation Incubator, the 7th Annual PolyX Showcase will provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate how they have applied the university’s learn-by-doing philosophy in practical, real-world contexts.
The event, set for Thursday, Nov. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, will spotlight an impressive range of interdisciplinary projects, from engineering prototypes and architectural designs to innovative business solutions and impactful community service initiatives. Each project represents the culmination of rigorous academic work and hands-on experiences, highlighting how students are translating classroom knowledge into tangible outcomes.
Published October 14, 2024
Higher Education Trends, Academic Successes, New Initiatives Showcased at Fall Conference
CPP News
University President Soraya M. Coley reflected on the challenges facing high education, outlined future plans for Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, and celebrated the successes of individuals and teams on campus during her .
The Aug. 19 event, which was the first event of Fall Conference, kicked off this week’s start of a new academic year. Coley shared that she spent her summer reading articles about the challenges in higher education from continued barriers for underserved students to a demographic shift pointing to a downward trend in the number of typical 18- to 21-year-old college-going students. The percentage of high school graduates considering a four-year degree is down from 66 percent to 52 percent over the past four years, Coley said.
Published: August 20, 2024
Student Innovation Idea Labs Hosts Successful Summer Entrepreneurship Camps
CPP News
The Student Innovation Idea Labs recently concluded five highly successful week-long Summer Entrepreneurship Camps, designed to teach children aged 8-12 how to transform their startup ideas into reality. The teaching team consisted of leads from Student Innovation Idea Labs, Innovation Incubator, and student teachers from the College of Education and Integrative Studies who are in the teaching credential program. Together, they worked to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in young minds, providing them with essential skills and hands-on experience.
Published: July 22, 2024
Innovation Incubator's Micro-Internship Program Celebrates First-Year Gains
CPP News
Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s Micro-Internship program, in its first year, saw a surge in participants and bested its enrollment goal. According to the Micro-Internship team, there has been an increase in student participation and an expansion in corporate partnerships. About 623 students participated in fall 2023 and spring 2024, which is a 160 percent increase from December 2023 to February 2024, according to preliminary data. This surpasses the first year's goal of serving 500 students. Spring 2024 semester is on track to have about 570 student participants, drawing from 30 upper division (junior and senior level) courses.
Published: March 27th, 2024
Micro-Internships Highlighted at the 2024 Academic Innovation Winter Institute
The PolyCentric
The recently held Academic Innovation Winter Institute, organized by the Office of Academic Innovation in partnership with Innovation Incubator centered on the theme of “Exploring Micro-Internships: A Guide to Understanding and Successfully Implementing Short-Term Work Experiences”.
A significant highlight of the institute was the focus on micro-internships as short-term, paid work experiences, a program Innovation Incubator is piloting. These internships are designed to provide students with practical, hands-on experiences in their field of study while also compensating them for their work.
Published: January 25th, 2024
Innovation and Academic Excellence Celebrated at the 6th Annual PolyX Showcase
The PolyCentric
The 6th Annual PolyX Showcase, hosted by Innovation Incubator, recently highlighted the work of 531 students across various disciplines, symbolizing a commitment to nurturing creativity and academic prowess. The showcase provided a platform for students to present their comprehensive research through engaging poster displays, fostering lively discussions and interactions among attendees. It was a celebration of scholarly achievement, where students demonstrated their expertise, creativity, and innovation solutions, empowering them to address challenges within their respective fields.
Published: December 5th, 2023
Students See Legal System at Work Through Judicial Internship
CPP News
The Judicial Internship, one of the university's signature polytechnic experience (PolyX) courses, was launched 20 years ago and is divided into two parts - the twice-weekly visits to the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Courthouse to see the law in action and a class every other Friday for students to discuss what they observed. The interns also talk to lawyers and meet with judges among other activities. In May, the class participated in a mock trial staged at the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Courthouse, with students playing the parts of lawyers, defendants, and witnesses.
Published: November 30th, 2023
Lydia Chen Shah Appointed Interim Director of the Center for Community Engagement
CPP News
Professor Lydia Chen Shah, a faculty member in the College of Business Administration, has been appointed the interim director of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) within the Office of Academic Innovation.
With an extensive background in academia and a commitment to community engagement, Professor Chen Shah is set to make a significant impact on the university's outreach efforts.
"Participating in community engagement has the power to transform how students view future career paths. The unique and intentional experiences change mindsets and behaviors. Along with meaningful relationships, they lead to opportunities for sustainable development and shared purpose," said Chen Shah.
Published: October 5th, 2023
CPP INVESTS Program Granted $581,511 for STEM Student and Faculty Stipends
CPP News
n a significant boost for STEM education and research, the CPP INVESTS program has been awarded a grant of $581,511 in supplemental funding.
The CPP INVESTS (Innovative Ventures and Emerging Sciences Through Students) program has been making strides in promoting innovation, research, and learning within the field of STEM. This five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will enhance the program's ability to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students while also supporting faculty to incorporate practical experiences into their curricula.
The project, which was recently launched in Spring 2023, emerged as a collaborative endeavor involving Professor Olukemi Sawyerr, assistant vice president of Academic Innovation, and Professor Winny Dong, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Published: September 11th, 2023
Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s Office of Academic Innovation Receives Funding to Demonstrate ‘Micro-Internship’ Concept
The PolyCentric
Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s Office of Academic Innovation has been awarded $1.7 million in grant funding for its Community Partnership for Student Success project focused on micro-internships to create innovative learning practices and drive educational advancement for Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students over the next 3 years. Micro-internships offer shorter, more accessible alternatives to traditional 10-week summer internships.
Published: August 14th, 2023
Digital Badging, First-Year Experiences, and Mentoring Highlighted at Faculty & Staff Summer Conference
The PolyCentric
The Office of Academic Innovation recently organized the highly anticipated Faculty & Staff Summer Conference aimed at fostering collaboration and exploring innovative approaches to education. Attendees were treated to an array of engaging presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities, centered around the theme “Pathways to the Future: Exploring the Intersection of Learning, Work, and Community.” With three tracks provided over the course of the conference, participants learned from various speakers about digital badging, first-year experiences, and mentoring.
Published: June 21st, 2023
Innovation Incubator Announces New Pop-Up Course on Misinformation in the Media
The PolyCentric
Back by popular demand, Innovation Incubator is excited to announce its fall 2023 pop-up course called “Lies, Damned Lies, and Politics: Confronting the Threats of Misinformation, Conspiracy, and Polarization” (CPU 1540). This course will tackle how to navigate media bias, the psychology of why people believe in misinformation and conspiracy, and the technologies and politics driving us apart.
Published: March 23rd, 2023
Academic Innovation Hosts Faculty & Staff Winter Institute on Digital Badging
The PolyCentric
The Office of Academic Innovation hosted its annual Faculty & Staff Winter Institute to highlight the digital badging initiative and its benefits for students’ career readiness. More than 90 participants heard from industry, student, faculty and staff panelists who shared the value of this initiative and how it can ensure the success of Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students after graduation. Attendees participated in group brainstorming to bridge the information gap on the new initiative.
Published: February 10th, 2023
Digital Badges Enable Students, Faculty and Staff to Build on Skills
The PolyCentric
A new digital badging program offers Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students, faculty, and staff a way to enhance their skills and knowledge through certified courses and activities.
The Innovation Incubator, which established the digital badging initiative on campus, and the Office of Academic Innovation, plan to get the word out about the program by hosting a Faculty and Staff Winter Institute Jan. 18-20 to introduce the program, provide insight from other campuses who have incorporated digital badging, and learn from an industry panel on it’s benefits in the workforce.
Published: January 9th, 2023
Liberal Studies Dept. Partners with CEMaST to Present First-of-its Kind Art Exhibition
CEIS News
An award-winning generative art design created by liberal studies major Anna Rios has been selected for public exhibition in the College of Science’s Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (CEMaST). Generative art (GenArt), symbolic of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) pedagogy, refers to art that is made in part by using an autonomous computer system, and can be described in this context as making art with code.
Published: November 30th, 2022
The PolyX Showcase highlights student academic motivation and future of education at CPP
The Poly Post
Students, faculty and community members across various departments gathered on Thursday Nov. 17 to celebrate the academic successes of Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s first year students at the annual PolyX First Year Experience Showcase. The program’s goal is to provide the opportunity for incoming broncos to explore career options within their own major through research, mentoring and personal projects.
Published: November 22nd, 2022
Students to Showcase Research Projects at the PolyX FYE Showcase
PolyCentric
The PolyX FYE First Year Experience Showcase allows students in the FYE program to present the Signature Polytechnic Experience (PolyX) they complete in their first semester to the campus community. This year, the event formerly known as the LTD FYE Showcase, returns to fully in-person, enabling first-year students to directly engage with guests and share the results of their learn-by-doing projects. The showcase takes place on November 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.. in the Bronco Student Center’s Ursa Major A, B and C.
Published: November 9th, 2022
Micro-Internships Offer Opportunities for Career Advancement
PolyCentric
Micro-internships bridge the gap for those who are interested in testing out different industries prior to launching their careers. They are short-term, paid, and professional projects that are open to all students and recent graduates. One of Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s campus-wide initiatives promoted through the new Innovation Incubator is micro-internships. Students interested in launching their careers, exploring career paths and building their networks as they seek the right full-time position are encouraged to apply for micro-internships on , a site they can access through the Innovation Incubator web page.
Published: November 9th, 2022
Badge Summit 2022
The Employee Express
On August 1st and 2nd, members of the Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Innovation Incubator and Employee and Organizational Development and Advancement, Human Resources Operations attended and participated in the 7th annual, 2022 Badge Summit at CU Boulder, Colorado. 200 eager participants engaged in thoughtful conversations with higher education leaders, government representatives, non-profit organizers, and cultural associations across the globe to support inclusive access to learning and partnerships on everything about badging and micro-credentials.
Published: August 25th, 2022
Cal Poly Students Move Important Projects Forward
CHERP
This spring, the Community Home Energy Retrofit Project (CHERP) had the wonderful privilege of working with two groups of Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students during their Environment, Technology and Culture (Honors, Service-Learning, ) course with Dr. Jay Blair. One group took photos of every step involved in making solar panels (and got to do each step themselves!) and helped design factory work instructions, which was needed for CHERP's factory certification. The second group helped research and design digital badges that will be issued to employees as they move through CHERP's workforce development program, giving them a significant boost as they pursue careers after their time at CHERP.
Published: May 24th, 2022
Student Organized Code-A-Thon teaches students how to create GenArt
The Poly Post
On April 28 Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s first ever student-run Generative Art Code-A-Thon, a GenArt PolyX Community Code-A-Thon, showcased Maya Stovall’s Generative Art PolyX Hub course teachings through her students. The event detailed some of the content learned in Arts Integration II, the class where student organizers learned the GenArt concepts demonstrated in the event.
Published: May 10th, 2022