Overview

Institutions all over the world are setting up microcredentials in responses to calls from governments and industry. These are short courses, usually offered online, with an emphasis on the needs of the workplace. More targeted than typical degree courses, they cover role-specific knowledge and help with essential workplace skills. They enable learners to study alongside their work, refreshing and updating their skills. With microcredentials, individuals can access the qualifications they need to get the jobs they want, retraining and upskilling whenever necessary. These are exciting possibilities, but how can they be achieved? Written for everyone with an interest in the policy, practice, or production of microcredentials, this book takes a realistic look at what is possible. Rooted in experience, research, and practice, it identifies what makes these new courses distinctive and provides guidance on how to go about producing them and supporting learners. Differences in scale, funding, learners, and presentation are just some of the factors that mean microcredentials are not typical courses. Setting them up and sustaining them effectively requires thought and change in all areas of an institution, as well as new or extended partnerships with employers and professional organisations. Microcredentials for Excellence: A Practical Guide examines the range of roles that contribute to a successful microcredential as well as processes and frameworks developed to help with the development of a microcredentials programme. The book: describes approaches to teaching and learning that work well with these courses; identifies methods of course production and learning design that have proved successful when making the move to microcredentials; suggests ways in which learners can be supported during their studies, especially in terms of wellbeing, accessibility, and mental health; examines innovative practices in assessment and feedback that address some of the challenges for microcredentials in these areas; explores the internal and external quality standards that may be applied, together with ways of evaluating and developing courses to meet these standards; looks ahead to possible futures for microcredentials, taking into account the different visions proposed by those developing them and those influencing that development.

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9781914481482

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Reviews

""Recently the European Commission established a European approach to microcredentials with the aim of supporting their development, implementation and recognition across institutions, businesses, sectors and borders. This book is therefore very timely. The authors are prominent scholars and bring considerable knowledge of the topic, rooted in experience, research and practice. Their publication offers a 'guide on the side' for anyone wanting to take greater advantage of the microcredentials phenomenon, by developing and using more flexible, learner-centred forms of education and training in their institutions. It is a masterpiece in the achievement of bridging the gaps between academy and industry to recognize the upskilling and reskilling our society is demanding."" -Albert Sangrà Morer, Director for the UNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change ""Learners need short, affordable, and flexible courses. Time is suitable for the idea of micro-credentials as an innovation in teaching and learning that brings both flexibility and relevance to the learner. Micro-credentials are short courses that are often stackable to attain higher certificates. Such modularization of course offerings has existed in distance teaching institutions worldwide for several years. Rebecca Ferguson and Denise Whitelock from The Open University in the United Kingdom have previously experienced modular stacking of courses and have been pioneers in designing and offering micro-credential courses on the FutureLearn platform. As the title reflects, they present a practical guide to designing, developing, and ensuring micro-credentials' quality. If you are looking for a simple, one-stop source not only to understand but also to apply learning into practice, there is no book other than this one. It is a must-read for distance and online and continuing education professionals."" -Sanjaya Mishra, PhD, Education Specialist (Technology-Enabled Learning), Commonwealth of Learning, Canada

Author Information

Rebecca Ferguson is Professor of Learning Futures at The Open University, where she was academic lead of the University's microcredentials programme for two years. She has been actively involved in microcredential production, teaching, assessment, quality enhancement, and policy making - as well as completing a postgraduate microcredential as a learner. As lead academic of the FutureLearn Academic Network, she has also been involved in research, scholarship, and evaluation of this new type of credential. Denise Whitelock is Director of the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University, overseeing a curriculum that includes a well-established set of stackable microcredentials. She is a Professor of Technology Enhanced Learning and has over 25 years' experience of designing, researching, and evaluating online and computer-based learning in Higher Education. Her work has received international recognition, including visiting chairs at the Autonoma University Barcelona, and the British University in Dubai. She is currently Vice President of Research for the European Distance and E-learning Network (EDEN) and holds a Commonwealth of Learning Chair.

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