We now live in a time that is more open to rethinking college and university credentials. We are witnessing experimentation with competency-based education, through which students earn credits by demonstrating skills instead of spending time in courses. We are also seeing discussion of free or reduced tuition, along with subscription pricing that lets students take as many courses as they like for one low cost.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Monday, July 11, 2022
Microcredentials a ‘new frontier in higher learning’ – report - Julian Owen, EdTechnology
The UK’s tech skills gap can be vastly reduced via the widespread adoption of microcredentials, according to a report published today (8 June) by the Lifelong Education Commission. While there is currently no single definition, microcredentials, are essentially small units of learning that can be delivered online or face-to-face. The flexibility of their short-form nature, allowing the course-taker to quickly learn a specific skill, is thought by many to hold the key to overcoming the UK’s ongoing skills gap.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
3 reasons microcredentials are poised to go mainstream - Rusty Greiff, eCampus News
Two in five working-age adults have completed a non-degree credential and more than 80 percent of executives, supervisors, and HR professionals now say that alternative credentials bring value to the workplace. At a time of significant disruption in the economy, institutions, employers, and workers are all finding they must embrace a philosophy of continuous lifelong learning. It’s a shift enabled by the proliferation of short-term microcredentials. Over the past decade, the number of such offerings has sharply risen. There now exist at least 1 million different credentials, spanning apprenticeships, certificates, digital badges, industry-recognized certifications, and licenses.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/06/27/3-reasons-microcredentials-are-poised-to-go-mainstream/
Saturday, July 9, 2022
Does Microcredentialing work? - Gilbert & Tobin
Microcredentialising has been described by the EU’s vocations training authority as a “megatrend”. The Australian Government’s National Microcredentials Framework says that "technological change coupled with rapid transformation brought by Covid-19, has elevated the potential for microcredentials to rapidly upskill and reskill the workforce." One of the first empirical studies of the impact of microcredentials has found their impact to be less transformative, more nuanced than the hype suggests, but nonetheless a valuable ‘signal’ for an employer of an employee’s ability to do the job.
https://www.gtlaw.com.au/knowledge/does-microcredentialing-work
Friday, July 8, 2022
How two institutions tackle microcredentials - Laura Ascione, eCampus News
Microcredentials are bite-sized educational courses with a more specific focus. They could take months or weeks to complete. Because of their convenience, microcredentials appeal to employees looking for a highly personalized, flexible, and cost-effective way to further their education. Here’s how two institutions are leveraging their microcredential programs to help students with different goals, personal responsibilities, and professional obligations further their education.
https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/06/20/how-two-institutions-tackle-microcredentials/
Thursday, July 7, 2022
DO WE NEED A MICRO-CREDENTIAL DEFINITION ANYWAYS? - eCampus Ontario
In reviewing micro-credentials presented by eCampusOntario, the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (2021) and UNESCO (2021), the overarching consensus is that shared characteristics involve collaboration between an accredited educational institution and an employer or industry sector. Together, they can identify, create, and review workplace relevant training that is of value to the learner and the employer or industry sector. Micro-credentials should demonstrate that depth, rather than breadth, of a specific skill or area of focus, and that learners are assessed to ensure that new skills and competencies have been gained. However, ongoing questions involve how to assess mastery and related quality assurance of micro-credentials offerings with academic post- secondary institutions. Taking these common characteristics into account, the definition provided in A European Approach to Micro-Credentials (Futures et al., 2020) may be a good starting point for those newer to micro-credential development :
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Online learning to be ‘big part’ of college business - Darren Taylor, Soo Today
“In the past five years there’s been tremendous growth in e-learning. I can’t say that we predicted it but in the pandemic a lot of people were displaced from their jobs and we were positioned very well to help those individuals get retrained in a very short time frame, right around that same time the government came out with what’s called microcredentials.” Kirkwood said there are over 30,000 registrations in Sault College microcredential courses. “It’s not big business for us but certainly in the future there is anticipation that this type of short duration training will become a bigger part of our business,” Kirkwood said.
https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/online-learning-to-be-big-part-of-college-business-5513466
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
External Engagement and Communications Officer - Maynooth University - Times Higher Ed
The Irish Universities Association (IUA) is the representative body of the university sector. It has recently secured funding for a major new project to develop a micro-credentials system in Irish Universities, providing a coherent national framework for quality assured and accredited micro-credentials. This full-time contract position is funded by this project.
Monday, July 4, 2022
Meta Launches Five New Professional Certificates on Coursera - Sue Gee, I-Programmer
Meta is expanding its training offering on Coursera with five new professional certificates for those wanting to embark on a programming career - for the web, for mobile or as a database engineer. Pre-enroll before the starting date to enjoy your first 30 days free. Recognizing the need to recruit new entrants into developer roles Meta, as Facebook is now known, has announced online training aimed at job seekers who don't have a college degree.
Sunday, July 3, 2022
It Pays To Get Certification - Sue Gee, I-Programmer
The Open Source Jobs Report 2022, published today, reinforces the message that gaining certification is very worthwhile for developers. Meanwhile the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022, published today, reveals that over half of developers engage with the video-based online courses that lead to certification. Being encouraged to acquire new skills via online courses is something that appeals to developers. Findings from Stack Overflow's 2022 survey, which gathered information from 73,268 software developers from 180 countries around the world, indicated that almost half (46.63%) respondents had learned from Online Courses or Certification. With over two-thirds of hiring managers more likely to hire certified open source professionals it does seem that gaining a credential from an online course provider is a really good idea.,
https://www.i-programmer.info/news/150-training-a-education/15521-certification-.html
Saturday, July 2, 2022
Credential stacking drove 1.1% increase in undergraduate degrees earned last year - Rick Seltzer, Higher Ed Dive
Undergraduate credential earners totaled 3.7 million. That’s up 1.1%, or about 39,000 people, from the number reported in each of the last two years. Growth came from students with prior awards who were stacking credentials. About 1 million students graduating in 2020-21 had prior awards, up 3.9% or 37,800 students from 2019-20. First-time graduates, meanwhile, held steady at 2.69 million after dropping from 2.71 million in 2018-19.
Friday, July 1, 2022
Accreditation and endorsement - eCampus Ontario
A micro-credential is a type of claim made by the issuer stating that a learner has achieved a quantum of learning. A micro-credential also contains evidence to support that claim about this learning, and sometimes includes direct evidence demonstrating how the individual learner achieved the learning outcomes. Beyond direct evidence, how can the consumer or viewer of the credential trust that the claim is true and significant?
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Micro-creential TRANSCRIPTABILITY - eCampus Ontario
Micro-credentials offered by institutions that are eligible to be on the student transcript will meet the criteria of the institution’s transcript policy and the standards of quality assurance that would include development, review, etc. For example, in Ontario “it is widely agreed that a micro-credential is ‘transcriptable’ meaning it will appear on a learner’s college or university transcript and will be deposited to her or his digital wallet or e-portfolio” (Contact North, 2020).
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/microcredentialtoolkit/chapter/transcriptability/
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
7 in 10 Employers Open to Hiring Inexperienced Coders Amid Talent Crunch - NTUC LearningHub
Almost nine in ten (89%) employers say there is a shortage of talent with the required coding skills to a "large" and "some" extent. About 7 in 10 employers are open to hiring candidates who may not have the relevant education degree (67%) or job experience (65%) but have industry-relevant micro-credentials and certifications in coding skills for a role. According to employers, the top three reasons for tech talent shortage is "difficulty in finding talent with the right requisite skills" (58%), "new technologies are outpacing supply of workers with the right skills" (49%), and "fierce competition among companies in hiring tech talent" (46%).
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Meta is launching 5 new professional certificate courses on Coursera to get a wider and more diverse talent pool into tech careers - Shriya Bhattacharya, Business Insider
There are almost 1 million IT positions open right now in the US. Some jobseekers don't have the degree or experience to land roles like software developers. Meta is launching new certifications on Coursera to help these people get into the tech industry. This article is part of a series called "Culture of Innovation" exploring how companies are setting the stage for innovation, transformation, and growth.
Monday, June 27, 2022
Micro-credential Proposal Approval Process - Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin Council approved the adoption of the European Council definition of micro-credentials on 1 June 2022 as follows:
'Micro-credential means the record of the learning outcomes that a learner has acquired following a small volume of learning. These learning outcomes have been assessed against transparent and clearly defined standards. Courses leading to micro-credentials are designed to provide the learner with specific knowledge, skills and competences that respond to societal, personal, cultural, or labour market needs. Micro-credentials are owned by the learner, can be shared and are portable. They may be stand-alone or combined into larger credentials. They are underpinned by quality assurance following agreed standards in the relevant sector or area of activity’.(European Council, 2021).
Sunday, June 26, 2022
A European approach to micro-credentials - European Commission
Within Europe, a growing number of people need to update their knowledge, skills and competences to fill gaps between their formal education and the needs of a fast-changing society and labour market. The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to accelerate the green and digital transitions also requires individuals to upskill or reskill. Maintaining and acquiring new competences is essential to enable active participation in society, to ensure continued personal, social and professional development and to boost employability and socio-economic innovation.
https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Microcredentials are poised for great growth in the global economy - Laura Ascione, eCampus News
Microcredentials aren’t new, but their potential is growing–and, in some cases, they may grow to be a preferred form of postsecondary education and training. Microcredentialing is among one of EDUCAUSE’s six key technologies and practices identified in its 2022 Horizon Report as having a significant impact on the future of postsecondary teaching and learning. The demand for upskilling and reskilling, driven in part by the growth of data- and analytics-based jobs, is also supporting the potential of microcredentials‘ impact.
Friday, June 24, 2022
Mohawk College faces backlash for shuttering one-of-a-kind Accessible Media Production program - Bobby Hristova, CBC
Mohawk College is facing criticism over its move to shutter Accessible Media Production — its one-of-a-kind program geared toward making Canada more accessible to people with disabilities. The eight-month, online, post-graduation certificate program teaches students how to create accessible content, like captions and described video, and delves into disability legislation and inclusive writing. It also includes a capstone project. While the Hamilton-based college says the program will be replaced by micro-credentials and no content will be lost, the program's creator, who is also the lead on developing the micro-credentials, is skeptical.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/mohawk-college-accessible-media-production-program-1.6481612
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Micro-credentials and digital badges are the latest technology to help students and employees "upskill" and "reskill" existing skillsets - Hayley Lemery, WGCU
“There are specific skills needed for individuals to really gain competencies that keeping up with this fast-changing environment in business and workplaces,” Dr. Aysegul Timur, the vice president and vice provost for Strategy and Program Innovation at FGCU, said. “So, we thought that we could create micro-credentials and digital badges to prepare our students for this.” The micro-credential program at FGCU currently has courses in cyber security, artificial intelligence, internet of things, cloud computing, data science, blockchain technology, quantum computing, and design thinking. “Once you complete a micro-credential you earn a digital badge."
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
21st Century Skills: Preparing Students for Future Workforce Needs - Susan Fourtané, Fierce Education
College education should contribute to the development of the right skill set. Such a skill set has been identified by executives and hiring managers across a wide range of industries as necessary for on-demand careers today and in the future. Skills such as creativity and critical thinking are increasingly sought after by employers. But, is the current higher education offer in sync with these and other 21st century skills which are what the future workforce needs?
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