Learning must become more flexible and self-determined! To make this succeed, many continuing education professionals are increasingly relying on micro-formats. Learn in this article why micro-credentials have long been useful not only at universities, but also for education providers and larger companies.
Definition: What "Micro-Credential" means
In the world of adult education, everything is becoming increasingly detailed: microlearning is the keyword that has also occupied us here in the blog for a long time. We in the blink.it editorial team first read the term "micro-credential" in the Trendmonitor 2022: In the study, 77% of respondents agreed that micro-credentials in principle increase the attractiveness of informal learning. But what is behind the term?
A micro-credential (also called microcredential, microdegree, or nanodegree) is both a term for a certificate of participation in a compact educational course and a term for a compact educational course itself.
Wikipedia
A micro-credential is therefore a mini-certificate for a learning unit or a small course. What this concept can mean for education providers and HR developers in companies, we now summarize clearly in a kind of profile.
Under the magnifying glass: Micro-credentials profile
What is a micro-credential?
In short, a micro-credential is a certificate of a specific skill. The content and the corresponding course are kept as specific and short as possible.
It is important that a micro-credential should be generally valid and the content should therefore be easy to understand and comparable.
Why are micro-credentials useful for learning?
In principle, every certificate has two purposes that run in parallel:
Incentive and reward for the learner, for example through gamification
External, formal confirmation of a level of knowledge or a skill
Certificates for detailed ("micro") learning units are also particularly low-threshold and practical. They are designed to increase the efficiency of education and make learning in general easier and more self-directed.
Where can I use micro-credentials?
Originally, micro-credentials were intended for use at universities: degrees were to become internationally comparable and more flexibly feasible. Perhaps you remember the political debate surrounding the Bologna process at the turn of the millennium. Across Europe, university degrees were to be made comparable. Mobility, international competitiveness, and employability were the main goals of the international transition to Bachelor/Master.
More and more in recent years, education providers and larger companies have also recognized the value of micro-credentials. The principle that makes university degrees comparable in the EU can also work in companies with multiple branches!
Which concepts are related to micro-credentials?
The world of microlearning is expanded seemingly daily by new learning methods. They all rely on similar concepts that are related to each other:
Lifelong learning
Informal learning
Self-directed learning
All of these learning concepts are based on one idea: What has been learned should be anchored in the long term and successfully put into practice.
For which topics are micro-credentials suitable?
The mini-certificates are particularly well suited for hard skills, as these are exceptionally comparable. For example, language skills, knowledge of an office program, or similar.
For which participants are micro-credentials suitable?
In principle, micro-credentials are of course suitable for anyone who wants to learn a hard skill and have it certified. However, some target groups are particularly suitable, as the SVEB (Swiss Association for Continuing Education) states as part of a project:
Due to the low-threshold nature of the offers, experts assume that primarily low-skilled individuals, people without a vocational qualification, as well as disadvantaged population groups such as migrants and refugees could be potential target groups for micro-credentials.
SVEB on the "Micro-Credentials" project
Practical tips for companies and education providers
As an institute or education provider, you could offer courses with micro-credentials that enable a very specific certification. The target groups mentioned above are particularly exciting here, for example those with a low educational standard. But some courses are also particularly suitable for micro-credentials in terms of topics, such as language courses.
For companies with multiple branches, the micro-credential concept is particularly exciting: unite employees from different locations, possibly even internationally, using uniform certificates – meaning micro-credentials. A specific topic, one certificate, for everyone everywhere and generally valid.
Conclusion
Micro-credentials are compact proofs of clearly defined competencies and can thereby make continuing education more modular, flexible, and transparent.
While the concept originally stems primarily from the higher education sector, it can also be transferred to corporate continuing education and the offerings of education providers. Particularly suitable are clearly defined skills whose acquisition can be verifiably confirmed.
For companies with multiple locations, uniform micro-credentials can additionally help make acquired competencies visible and comparable across teams and locations. This fits well with learning concepts in which employees increasingly design their learning process independently and according to their needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are micro-credentials?
Micro-credentials are compact proofs of specific skills or clearly defined learning outcomes. The term can refer to both the certificate and the associated compact educational offering.
What advantages do micro-credentials offer?
Micro-credentials make individual learning successes visible and can serve as an incentive and formal confirmation. Due to their limited scope, they also support flexible and self-directed learning paths.
For what learning content are micro-credentials suitable?
Particularly suitable are clearly defined and easily verifiable skills, for example language skills or skills in using specific software applications.
How can companies use micro-credentials?
Companies can use micro-credentials to document the acquisition of certain competencies in a uniform manner. This can be particularly helpful for multiple locations when comparable learning offerings and competency proofs are to be created.
