By crafting a narrative of their accomplishments, students earn credentials that help them stand out to potential employers

Sean Corp, Communications Lead

The University of Michigan graduates students who excel in their fields of study. Their success at Michigan is about more than what they learn in the classroom; it is about all the things they learn and the skills they develop during their years at U-M. Many of these same skills are at the top of the list of what employers value most—leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and resilience. 

Despite their academic achievements, students often struggle to articulate their professional skills in ways that resonate with recruiters and employers. Spire, a competency-based learning platform launched in Fall 2021, addresses this gap, including new features that more easily allow students to reflect on their growth, track their progress, and confidently share their stories. 

Spire was initially developed by the Center for Academic Innovation and its partners. It was tailored to the needs of U-M students in the Ross School of Business, Michigan Medicine, and the College of Engineering. Each school identified the core professional competencies their students would need to excel in their professions. Examples include leadership, equity-centered knowledge, and creativity. 

Through a structured progression system, students can “level up” as they document and reflect on new experiences inside and outside the classroom. Leveling up often involves a mix of in-course assignments, co-curricular activities, and written reflections on competency growth. 

Students who achieve mastery of competencies can earn badges that can be shared as LinkedIn credentials validated by the University of Michigan. This badge represents not just personal growth but also a credential that employers value.

For students like Matthew Brown and Briggs Damman, Spire has become more than just a tool for documenting experiences—it’s a platform that builds confidence and helps them stand out as they consider starting their careers. 

The Power of Reflection

Matthew Brown, a junior at Michigan Ross, earned badges in Leadership and Equity-Centered Knowledge. While he initially approached Spire as a way to boost his resume, earning those badges became a learning experience in itself.

“My first reflection for Equity-Centered Knowledge got kicked back two or three times,” Brown recalled. “I was discouraged, but the feedback pushed me to dig deeper. By the time I passed, I realized how much I’d grown. It wasn’t just about the badge—it was about understanding my journey.”

Brown said he has sent out many resumes and while he is hoping the badge will help him in his job-seeking effort, earning the badge had its own benefit. Reflecting on competencies provides value by forcing him to synthesize what he’d learned in his clubs and impact organizations. In the end, the biggest thing he learned about was himself. 

“By the time I finished writing my reflection on all the leadership skills I had developed, I understood so much more about myself,” Brown said. “I feel like now in my career, I’m more confident I will do better because I realize what I’m learning and how it is all applicable across various potential careers.” 

For junior Briggs Damman, a double major in engineering physics and computer science, Spire provided a lens to better quantify his work with the Solar Car Team and a research group on swarm robotics. His three chosen competencies were creativity, accepting and managing risk, and systems thinking. Damman said he hoped building those skills and highlighting them on his resume would help him stand out in a crowded field of job applicants.

“It gives you that edge in the game,” Damman said. 

Soon, though, he started appreciating Spire’s role in helping him recognize ways he was building skills in ways he didn’t initially anticipate. 

“It’s almost alarming to see how much you grow and you don’t even notice it,” he said. “Eventually, I started to see it as a personal growth tool because it allowed me to unlock opportunities and reflect on my experiences I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.” 

Making Competencies Meaningful

That sort of guided reflection and personal growth were fundamental to why leaders at Michigan Ross and Michigan Engineering launched Spire in their programs. Student leaders highlighted it as a needed emphasis, and employers were eager to see it in U-M graduates. 

“Self reflection is an amazing learning tool, and by creating opportunities to put students in self-reflective mode, we’re reinforcing what they’re learning in the classroom,” said Cathy Shakespeare, the Thomas C. Jones Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Michigan Ross.

Spire is a key component in Michigan Engineering’s overall emphasis on experiential learning, and John Callewaert, director of strategic projects for undergraduate education, says badging will help students stand out in ways employers intuitively understand.

“Employers told us they wanted something tangible. We want to help our students stand out. Ninety-five percent of students are doing some type of engaged learning like research, study abroad, internships or with a student organization. They are already doing a lot, and using Spire will help them articulate those experiences in ways employers want to hear,” Callewaert said. “The badge is a simple, visible credential that aligns with what recruiters look for in job candidates.”

Earning a badge isn’t easy, and that’s by design. Faculty and administrators have deliberately set high standards for achieving the top level. “We want students to do more than just participate,” said Callewaert. “The reflection component ensures they’re truly engaging with what they’ve learned.”

This emphasis on reflection resonates with leaders like Shakespeare. 

“Students often struggle to connect their academic and co-curricular experiences,” she explains. “Spire helps them think holistically about their growth and how it all fits together. It also helps them express it in the language recruiters speak in.”

While Spire is designed for students, it also benefits schools and colleges across the university. By embedding Spire into courses and co-curricular programs, educators can better align learning outcomes with career readiness goals.

“Employers aren’t just asking about technical skills—they want to know if students can lead, work in teams, and think critically,” said Callewaert. “Spire allows students to translate their experiences into competencies employers value.”

Looking Ahead

As Spire expands, the center is exploring new ways to engage students and enhance the platform, working closely with its U-M partners. 

Callewaert said he and his team are working closely with the center to better understand how students use the platform so they can make it an even more intuitive experience. He’s also interested in the data as more students engage with the platform.

“We’ve onboarded over 3,500 students, now we want to see how people are completing the competencies, expanding the way it works within our curriculum, and thinking about how to scale it up.” 

Shakespeare said the Michigan Ross team is in active discussions about how to build momentum. 

“We have shown that we know how to engage with the program and that it can be successful. Our next challenge is how we engage students, and how we can encourage more students to master their chosen competencies,” she said.

For Damman and Brown, Spire’s impact is already clear. What matters is not simply accomplishing things but in taking the time to pause and reflect on those accomplishments. 

“You’re always going so fast at U-M, there’s always the next thing to be looking at, another thing to do, and homework assignments to turn in. You get lost in the jungle of assignments and project deadlines,” Damman said. 

“You never see what you’ve accomplished until you’ve written it down and take the time to recognize how you’ve grown.”