Universities nowadays have a significantly increasing tendency to offer their students and even professors short courses for evolving their skills in specific areas. It seems to be helpful and not so interrupting from the main program. However, this practice also has clear drawbacks.
On the one hand, students have available, entertaining lessons, which help them to get absolutely new, modern knowledge about the area of their work. Even tutors whom research area may differ from themes of presented programs can find it beneficial. These courses are also pretty much affordable for wealthy undergraduates. If the administration provide such types of additional lessons, hire specialists, it means that they find them essential for future Bachelors, Masters, and PhDs. For instance, if your main courses are about managment and familiar skills, it will be a preference to have knowledge about specific computer programs like Excel, Word etc. It will be a huge benefit for future career and professional growth because employers find these skills indispensable. Universities give you an opportunity to study them.
On the other hand, facultative courses supposed to be optional. It means that knowledge which students get from these courses is very shallow. Spend your personal time welth for information from open sources seems nonprofitable. If the lessons do not lead by the real professional in this particular sphere, which is unfortunately the common practice in mostly educational institutions, skills you get become very midiocre. It also leads to a deterioration in your general knowledge because you spend time, which you could use for mastering main courses on something not so important. Consiquently, you keep up with your fellow students and your marks become worse than before. For some educators it may be serios disadvantage.
To conclude, every student decide what is crucial for him or her by themselves. If you are ready to spend your time for micro-credential courses, nobody can stop you. If you prefer to focus on main information, and maybe struggle for your survival, it is also your decision. It means that everyone has the right to chose how to use their university years and the answer for optional lessons is also personal for each student.