The North West Regional College (NWRC) in Northern Ireland is on a mission to tackle unemployment in Derry, Limavady, and Strabane, where economic inactivity rates surpass national averages, leading to social and economic challenges. Their innovative solution? Hybrid micro-credentials. In this blog, we delve into the pedagogical framework, implementation strategies, quality assurance and challenges of micro-credentials carried out during a Pathfinder project with the college.
Pedagogical Framework for Micro-Credentials
Micro-credentials come in various shapes and sizes, making a one-size-fits-all pedagogy impractical. To create effective micro-credentials, we need consider these key components:
- Competency Definition: Clearly define the specific competency.
- Teaching Method: Identify the primary method for achieving competency.
- Resources: Provide relevant research and resources supporting the method and competency.
- Evidence and Artifacts: Describe what learners must submit to demonstrate competency.
- Assessment: Develop a rubric and scoring guide for assessing evidence.
During the design phase, we should address these questions:
- Need/Driver: Are the skills in the micro-credential in demand? Why is it needed?
- Audience: Define the target learners.
- Value Proposition: What value does the micro-credential offer?
- Offering: How will the micro-credential be delivered?
- Assessment: What’s the accreditation’s value?
- Competencies: Enumerate the knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Evidence: Specify evidence to demonstrate competencies.
and also consider additional factors:
- Work Experience: Leverage learners’ relevant work experience.
- Flexibility: Offer flexible scheduling to accommodate various commitments.
- Support for Online Learning: Provide support for online learners, especially those new to it.
- Social Interaction: Foster opportunities for interaction and a sense of belonging.
- Diverse Learners: Accommodate learners from various countries and abilities.
- Stacking: Create frameworks for learners to stack micro-credentials.
- Assessment-Centered: Prioritise assessment design and real-world application.
Micro-Credential Implementation
Case studies on courses in the UK reveal numerous drivers, benefits and challenges associated with implementing micro-credentials. Benefits include:
- Skill Development: Helps students develop valuable skills.
- Active Learning: Encourages active skill development.
- Skill Breakdown: Identifies which skills need support.
- Preparation: Informs students about skills emphasised in the course.
- Expanded Access: Attracts diverse learners.
- Lifelong Learning: Supports post-graduation skill enhancement.
- Flexibility: Offers flexible learning options.
- Skill Improvement: Helps students identify areas for improvement.
- Personalisation: Allows tailored learning paths.
- Granular Skill Description: Enhances understanding of gained skills.
However, challenges must be considered:
- Skill Mapping: Ensure clear skill-to-outcome mapping.
- Distinct Skill Categories: Differentiate similar skill categories.
- Reflection and Assessment: Implement robust reflection and assessment.
- Academic Rigour: Match micro-credentials with university-level courses.
- Standardisation: Develop standardised learning outcome descriptors.
- Awareness: Raise awareness about micro-credentials’ value.
- Funding: Address cost barriers.
- Regulation: Regulate micro-credentials for quality.
- Professional Acceptance: Gain recognition from professional bodies.
- Volume of Learning: Define clear learning volumes.
- Transferability: Ensure credits can be transferred onto other qualifications to reduce repetition of learning and decrease costs for learners.
Micro-Credential Quality
Quality assurance is vital. Policies should cover assessment, interoperability, verification and security. Focus on:
- Authentic Assessment: Ensure credibility.
- Learner Feedback: Incorporate learner input.
- Recognition: Establish recognition mechanisms.
- Portability: Enable credential portability.
- Regulation: Develop regulatory frameworks.
Micro-Credential Challenges
Aside from the challenges listed above for implementation of micro-credentials, further challenges hinder micro-credential adoption and use:
- Resistance to Change: Stakeholders may resist new credentialing approaches.
- Lack of Definition: Inconsistent definitions confuse learners and employers.
- Volume of Learning: Unclear learning volumes affect micro-credential value.
- Security: Digital credentials raise security concerns.
- Regulation: Micro-credentials lack standardized regulation.
- Professional Acceptance: Professional organizations require more depth in micro-credentials.
- Awareness: Limited public awareness hinders adoption.
- Funding: Lack of financial support deters learners.
- Cost Responsibility: Defining cost responsibilities is challenging.
- Workload: Creating granular degree courses may increase assessment workload.
- Stackability: Clarify how to accumulate micro-credentials into qualifications.
Jisc’s Role
In pulling together this outline for a framework, the Pathfinders team discovered a gap in the micro-credentials market for a consistent and standardised piece of guidance. We are liaising with our advice team, and working together with NWRC to develop pedagogical guidance that we can supply to the sector. We hope this may lift a barrier to HE and FE providing more micro-credentialled courses.
Micro-credentials have the potential to impact on education and workforce development. By addressing pedagogical concerns, ensuring quality, and overcoming challenges, we can harness the power of micro-credentials to empower learners and drive professional growth.