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Table 1 A practical micro-credentials reference framework for university Leaders (McGreal et al., 2021)

From: A strategic reset: micro-credentials for higher education leaders

Definition

(Draft European Commission)

A micro-credential is a recognised proof of the learning outcomes that a learner has acquired following a short learning experience. These learning outcomes have been assessed against transparent standards

The proof is contained in a certified document that lists the name of the holder, the achieved learning outcomes, the assessment method, the awarding body and, where applicable, the qualifications framework level and the credits gained. Micro-credentials are owned by the learner, can be shared, are portable and may be combined into larger credentials or qualifications. They are underpinned by quality assurance following agreed standards. (p. 6) Debiais-Sainton (2020)

Types of micro-Credentials**

 Certificate

 Certification

 MOOCs

 Apprenticeships

 Coding boot camps

 Badges

 Micro-Masters

 Nano-degree

**These terms are defined in the Glossary

Cirlan and Loukkola (2020), Kurzweil (2020), OECD (2021), ICDE (2019), Australian Government (2020), DeakinCo (2017), COL (2019), Brown et al. (2021)

Characteristics

Focused on acquisition of skills and competencies

Offered online, face-to-face, and/or blended delivery modalities

Short termed as compared to traditional degrees and certificates; for example, micro-credentials could be 3-days to 9 months

Created to verify credential as an evidence-based validation

Awarded with academic credit or non-credit

Assessed through teer review (e.g., university, agency, professional body)

Consist of multiple skill levels (although not required), with competencies ranked by importance in each skill level and competency importance varying across levels

Aligned or mapped to existing qualifications and/or standards frameworks

Have a geographical footprint, where providers define their service region and critical skill areas are identified with employers

Characterized by autonomous transparency

Includes funding sources for development and assessment, resulting in cost to students

Identifies with an organizational entity to manage and provide oversight of micro-credentials

Stored in a digital repository (e.g., portfolio, digital wallet, third party vendor like Credly) for secure storage, verification, and stakeholder distribution. Debiais-Sainton (2020), COL (2019), ICDE (2019), Kato et al. (2020), Matkin et al. (2020), Oliver (2019), Selvaratnam and Sankey (2020) and SUNY (2020b)

Micro-Credential

Information and Validation Elements

Title of the micro-credential

Country/Region

Awarding body

ISCED field of education and training

Date when the micro-credential was issued

Notional workload

Level of the learning experience

Learning outcomes

Form of participation in the learning activity

Type of assessment

Supervision and identity verification during assessment

Quality assurance of the credential

Prerequisites needed to enrol in the learning activity

Grade achieved

integration /stackability options

1 Duration of validity

2 Further information

Australian Government (2019, 2020), Cirlan and Loukkola (2020), Debiais-Sainton (2020), European Union (2018), Matkin et al. (2020) and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (2019)