Common microcredential framework
1 like854 views
The document discusses microcredentials and the European Microcredentials Consortium (EMC). The EMC was founded to increase awareness and use of digital education. It aims to make microcredentials a widely considered option for employers and workers through increasing their credibility and building complementary course offerings. The document also notes the rise of alternative digital credentials and reasons for their growth, including that traditional transcripts do not serve the workforce and skills-based hiring is increasing. It proposes a common microcredential framework to standardize credentials and addresses next steps such as launching first microcredentials later in 2019.
![“The old model of doing a degree and
then getting experience [has been
replaced by] a model where we keep
going back to school to learn.
If your job is not going to exist in 12
months, what can you do to retrain to
work within the organisation? And/or what
qualifications would you need to apply for
a job outside the organisation?”
Nick Van Dam, global chief learning officer at McKinsey
5](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/commonmicrocredentialframework-190501124138/85/Common-microcredential-framework-5-320.jpg)
Common microcredential framework
- 1. EMC and Microcredentials April 30th 2019 CC-BY 4.0 1
- 2. CC-BY 4.0 2
- 3. CC-BY 4.0 Founding partners 3 u FutureLearn u GIP FUN-MOOC u Miríada X u EduOpen u OpenupEd
- 4. CC-BY 4.0 Aim EMC 4 u Increase awareness and use of digital education and MOOCs within universities u Increase impact of each of its partners on educational policy u Make MOOCs a widely considered option for employers and workers u Increasing the credibility and visibility of MOOCs u Build a complementary offer of courses u Collaboratively build and conduct a research agenda on MOOCs in Europe
- 5. “The old model of doing a degree and then getting experience [has been replaced by] a model where we keep going back to school to learn. If your job is not going to exist in 12 months, what can you do to retrain to work within the organisation? And/or what qualifications would you need to apply for a job outside the organisation?” Nick Van Dam, global chief learning officer at McKinsey 5
- 6. Rise of Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) “By providing fully digital, workplace- relevant, and information-rich records of an individual’s skills and competencies, ADCs will render traditional university transcripts increasingly irrelevant. Universities and colleges that do not adopt in some measure the ADC movement will begin to experience a slow decline in market position and patron support”. Gary Matkin, Irvine Dean of Continuing Education Source; Edscoop 6
- 7. Reasons for growth of alternative credentials u Traditional transcripts are not serving the workforce u Accrediting agencies are beginning to focus on learning outcomes u Young adults are demanding shorter and more workplace relevant learning projects u Traditional higher education can’t keep up with the pace of technological change u Hiring practices will increasingly depend on digital searches u The ADC ecosystem is beginning to develop, such as the early stage Credential Engine a registry to show every degree, certificate and microcredential represented in terms of competencies, assessment rigour, 3rd party endorsements, etc. CC-BY 4.0 7
- 8. Who are microcredentials serving “If I've been working in a management role, and all of a sudden I need to have fluency in data, or fluency in cyber security because those are becoming core to how I can effectively execute on my management agenda, it means there's a set of skills I need to acquire. And that isn't necessarily degrees. That's where alternative credentials come to be extremely important” CEO of Burning Glass 8
- 9. CC-BY 4.0 9 60% of LinkedIn Insiders* believe that more employers will move to skills-based hiring by choosing candidates based on what they can do, rather than their degree or pedigree. *Source: LinkedIn Learning’s Insider Survey that gathered its information from a panel of 30 to 45 notable learning and development experts, including corporate learning executives, leaders from educational nonprofits, and industry analysts focused on enterprise training and development.
- 10. 10 Universities are facing new competition
- 11. Demand for a more standardised credential There is major variation within credentials and between them. Employers need a common standard to support lifelong learning CC-BY 4.0 11
- 12. CC-BY 4.0 12 The opportunity for universities to compete against new entrants in this emerging market
- 13. CC-BY 4.0 13 New Zealand Qualification Authority has launched a microcredential system as integral part of their education system to address skills gaps and the changing nature of work
- 14. Ambition of the EMC with microcredentials EMC founding partners have voluntarily agreed a shared definition of a microcredential. We hope this will: u Lay the foundations for a new qualification to address the needs of employers and learners looking for smaller units of study that develop relevant skills u Enable courses to be recognised towards formal qualifications u Enable courses to be stackable across different higher education systems in Europe and beyond In time, we hope to see this framework used more widely by European universities and agencies to facilitate collaborations. CC-BY 4.0 14
- 15. Common Microcredential Framework (CMF) u Have a total Workload (or study time) of no less than 100 hours and no more than 150 hours u Be levelled at Level 6 or Level 7 in the European Qualification Framework or the equivalent levels in the University’s national qualification framework u Provides a summative assessment that enables the award of academic credit, either directly following successful completion of the Course or via Recognition of Prior Learning upon enrolment as a student on the University’s course of study u Operates a reliable method of ID verification at the point of assessment u Provides a transcript that sets out the learning outcomes for a Course, total study hours required, EQF level and number of credit points earned CC-BY 4.0 15
- 16. Other design parameters for microcredentials under CMF u Courses should be designed so that the number of hours per week is manageable around their busy lives u Courses aimed at employees or workplace skills should combine theory and practice to ensure their learning directly relevant in the workplace CC-BY 4.0 16
- 17. Next Steps u Launching first micro-credentials later in 2019 u EMC and EADTU, and their member institutions, will continue dialogue on the future of microcredentials in furtherance of our ambitions CC-BY 4.0 17
- 18. Contact CC-BY 4.0 18 Parkweg 27 6212 XN Maastricht The Netherlands Tel: +31 43 311 87 12 E-mail: secretariat@eadtu.eu