None of these credentials, however, will be successful without answering the question of validity. Are the microcredentials offered credible and valuable in the marketplace, both to the learner and to the employer or institution? To answer this question, educational providers who seek to institute microcredentialing programs — and the learners that seek them out — need a framework for evaluating the quality of those programs to ensure that they are worth their time and effort. Here are three key factors of that framework.
Monday, May 29, 2023
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Rutgers to offer reduced tuition on high-quality training for professionals charged with improving accountability and transparency of state government - Yahoo Finance
Rutgers Business School and the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) are partnering to make two online graduate-level academic programs more accessible to NASACT members interested in academic training and professional development. Rutgers Business School will provide NASACT members reduced tuition of 25 percent on courses offered through the Online Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting Program and the Online Certificate in Government Financial Management Program. The incentives will be offered in the form of scholarships as part of a three-year pilot program
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Four trends in professional & continuing education - Rowena Clima, Continuum College University of Washington
The rise of alternative credentials, building partnerships with other higher education institutions, the adoption of digital tools to improve the student experience and navigating the new normal are four trending topics in professional and continuing education in 2023.
Friday, May 26, 2023
Microcredentials - HKU Space Hong Kong
Stackability
Microcredentials are "stackable". Learners may accumulate them to earn a certificate or diploma. The awards will carry the title of Certificate / Diploma in Professional Practice or Certificate / Diploma in General Studies depending on the nature of the Microcredentials.
Flexibility
Most Microcredentials are short courses of about 30 contact hours, usually 6 or 9 credits, though a few are longer. They can be accumulated and are normally valid over a 5-year period.
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Career Ready Micro-Certificate - FIU Adcademic and Student Affairs
What a great way to launch the FIU Career Ready Micro-Certificate! Yesterday the Office of Microcredentials along with several DASA and FIU departments discussed micro-credentials, badges, career development and more. There were giveaways and pizza…always irrestible to our students! Thanks to our partners Career and Talent Development, MITRE, QEP, the Ombuds Office, and the Financial Wellness Program for representing your programs yesterday.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Google & Coursera Launch New Career Certificates That Prepare Students for Jobs in 2-6 Months: Business Intelligence & Advanced Data Analytics - Open Culture
First, the Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate builds on the original Data Analytics Certificate and “delves into machine learning, predictive modeling, and experimental design to collect and analyze large amounts of data.” Featuring seven courses in total, the program takes roughly six months to complete.... With the Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate, students can participate in a shorter program that focuses on transforming data into actionable insights for organizations. Consisting of three courses (and lasting about two months), the program helps students learn skills like data modeling, data visualization, and dashboarding–skills that have wide applicability in our data-driven age.
https://www.openculture.com/2023/05/google-coursera-launch-new-career-certificates.html
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Reasons Your Modern College Needs Modern Credentials Why - ModernThe traditional degree pathway is becoming less relevant to the modern learner every day, and so are the credentials they produce—often too generalized and not responsive enough to fulfil learner and employer needs. On top of this, degree pathways demand money and time that learners looking at traditional two-year programs frequently don’t have. This can be a challenge for community and technical colleges. The days of learners graduating and holding one job in a career are fast disappearing, and declining enrollments throughout higher education are signalling the need for change. Time and resources aren’t as abundant for the average college learner as we once thought, and the shifting labor market isn’t kind to those without postsecondary education. This need presents an exciting opportunity for transformation, though. The door opens for new structures and approaches that support outcomes-driven learning and credentialing. Colleges whose delivery models provide clear entry points for newcomers to postsecondary education—that lead to clear and sustainable career pathways—will have an enormous advantage over other institutions and education providers in the market. 22 Campus
The traditional degree pathway is becoming less relevant to the modern learner every day, and so are the credentials they produce—often too generalized and not responsive enough to fulfill learner and employer needs. On top of this, degree pathways demand money and time that learners looking at traditional two-year programs frequently don’t have. This can be a challenge for community and technical colleges. The days of learners graduating and
holding one job in a career are fast disappearing, and declining enrollments throughout higher education are signalling the need for change. Time and resources aren’t as abundant for the average college learner as we once thought, and the shifting labor market isn’t kind to those without postsecondary education.
Monday, May 22, 2023
Are universities the best place to earn micro-credentials? - Wan Chang Da, University World News
There are at least five specific objectives of learning through micro-credentials: acquisition of knowledge, acquisition of skills and-or competences, lifelong learning, life-wide learning, and employment preparation. The crucial question to consider therefore is: are universities capable of providing learning across these five diverse objectives of learning?
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Scaling Up: Increasing Apprenticeship Programs - Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed
The City University of New York will add 12 apprenticeship programs to its associate degree programs starting this fall. The additional offerings will support hundreds of students across 10 CUNY colleges. A $2 million investment from New York governor Kathy Hochul will expand apprenticeships for two-year-degree seekers at 10 CUNY colleges. New program offerings starting in this fall will support students with paid work experience, networking within their desired field and faculty mentors while keeping them on track toward degree completion.
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Macro need for microcredentials: Get your dream job by sprucing up your resume - Ayesha Singh, New Indian Express
Coursera’s findings published in its recent report—Advancing Higher Education with Micro-Credentials—states that employers are recognising and valuing industry microcredentials, with 88 per cent of the respondents agreeing that a professional certificate strengthens a candidate’s application and 72 percent are more likely to hire a candidate who has earned a microcredentail, whereas 77 percent of employers are already using or actively exploring skills-based hiring. It’s not surprising then that the number of such courses offered by Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, etc. in 2022 rose to 2,500 from about 1,500 in 2021.
Friday, May 19, 2023
Google Introduces its Online Cybersecurity Certificate Program: Here’s More About it - Sidharth Joseph, the Tech Outlook
Google’s all-new Cybersecurity Certificate Program is built by Google’s own cybersecurity experts and is designed in such a way that no prior experience is needed for learners to enroll for the program. The program is 100% online and learners are free to learn at their own pace. The course is designed to equip learners with job-ready skills that are required in the field of cybersecurity and on successful completion, endless opportunities will await them in many leading companies and services. The program is 100% online and learners are free to learn at their own pace. The course is designed to equip learners with job-ready skills that are required in the field of cybersecurity and on successful completion, endless opportunities will await them in many leading companies and services.
Thursday, May 18, 2023
University of Limerick hosts round table discussion about micro-credentials -Cathal Doherty, LimerickLive
One of the intentions of micro-credentials is to enable employees to personalise their learning journey that supports their career goals. Chairperson of CIPD Mid-West Lavinia Ryan-Duggan says while micro-credentials don’t “replace other education offerings”, they can offer another choice for both employers and employees that can support their work-life balance and career choices.
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Pricey college textbooks next on AI’s hit list? Professor says ChatGTP could replace them - WFIN
AI software like ChatGPT could be used to replace some university textbooks, transforming higher education and demanding a greater focus on critical thinking, a college professor told Fox News. “Certainly for an introductory undergraduate course, ChatGPT could be used to produce excellent course materials,” said Terence Day, a geography professor at Okanagan College in British Columbia. “Essentially, it could substitute for a textbook.”
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Scholars, researchers seek innovative distance learning - Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan, the National Online Learning
The event was the inaugural conference of the Open Distance and E-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN), in collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The conference with the theme, “Global spaces, local contexts: Digital transformations and creative innovations in open distance and e-learning (ODeL)”, was attended by over 200 participants from and outside Nigeria from 40 institutions of higher learning. Delivering the keynote address, entitled, “Micro-credentialing as an acceptable model for open, distance and eLearning – A path to developing a policy framework”, the Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olufemi Peters, called for embracing micro-credentialing as an acceptable model for open, distance, and eLearning in Nigeria.
Monday, May 15, 2023
Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills - qld.gov.au
Almost 150 participants have registered for a free seven-week Workforce Planning Course funded by the Queensland Government’s Jobs Queensland. The short-course helps small and medium sized businesses find the right people, with the right skill at the right time to support their business. The course is being delivered online and/or in person at the Caboolture and Sippy Downs campuses of University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) Helping small and medium sized business owners and managers develop an agile, flexible workforce plan is the aim of a free seven week course underway at the Caboolture and University of the Sunshine Coast’s (UniSC) Sippy Downs campuses .
Sunday, May 14, 2023
New plan promises experience outside the classroom will earn college credit in Delaware - Delaware ONline
Thousands of dollars and months of time could be shaved off university, college or other postsecondary education experience under a new state framework released Tuesday. The plan would allow certain skills, knowledge gathered outside the classroom to earn credits. The "Delaware Credit for Prior Learning Policy Framework" aims to guide Delaware's higher education institutions as they develop procedures for evaluating such experience, the Department of Education said in a press release. Credits could apply to college degree programs and more, while examples of this work include learning during military service or during apprenticeships. Students can receive credit for full courses, the department said, if "they can demonstrate they gained the equivalent knowledge and learning."
Saturday, May 13, 2023
College students still struggling to stay enrolled, Gallup research finds - Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Higher Ed Dive
The organizations polled more than 6,000 students seeking a credential, as well as thousands of adults who either stopped out of college or never enrolled in the first place. Not only did 41% of students mull stopping out, but also those shares were higher for Black and Hispanic students — 43% and 52%, respectively. More than half of students who considered stopping out attributed their thinking to emotional stress. A little under half reported they were considering stopping due to personal mental health reasons, and just under 30% said it was because of college costs.
Friday, May 12, 2023
Micro-credentials can help unlock economic opportunity. - Jeff Maggioncalda, World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023 forecasts that 61% of workers will require retraining between now and 2027.
A shifting labour market, enabled by digital connectivity, means employers are embracing skills-based hiring and micro-credentials to address skilled talent shortages at scale.
Skills-based learning can provide an equitable and fast-tracked path to new careers for job seekers while expanding and diversifying talent pipelines for employers.
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Unlocking Success with The League of Entrepreneurs’ Micro-Credential Short Courses - Maxwell Ampong, News Ghana
From a Ghanaian perspective, colloquially referred to as ‘short courses’, micro-credentials present a unique opportunity for professionals to stay ahead of the curve. This educational trend has emerged in response to the dynamic nature of the modern workforce, where the shelf life of skills is dwindling, and the need for continuous learning is imperative. As a result, Ghanaians quickly realise the immense value of these ‘short courses’, enabling many people to acquire new competencies, hone existing ones, and keep pace with the ever-changing demands of the job market.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
The Unmarked Potential of Lifelong Learning Across the Institution - Frederick Wherle, Illumination Modern Campus
Non-traditional credentials are beginning to get noticed by departments outside of CE, but oftentimes they’re creating this programming on the side of their desk. A centralized institution-wide approach to lifelong learning—lead by CE—is critical to deliver a modern learner experience. On this episode, Frederick Wehrle, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of California—Berkeley, discusses the need for a consolidated administration to deliver a seamless lifelong learning experience that students demand.
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Micro-credentials: their role in the economy and lifelong learning - Paul Grainger, FE News
In general qualifications, particularly vocational qualifications, are valuable things, much to be treasured by their possessor. How much good they do is variable. In what was is the content determined, how current are the skills, how does it integrate with economic activity? A further problem is how much learning is unnecessarily repeated to meet the formalities of the assessment process. Many of the vocational awarding bodies of the UK are the envy of the world, but they can be inflexible, needing due time for accreditation, and not always acknowledging existing learning and competence.
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