Topic outline
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Great that you are keen on getting in touch with the topic of MicroCredentials in Higher Education. Welcome to this self-paced course!
The training material offered in this unit, provides functional guidelines and suggestions on how teachers can design a course according to the idea of validated small learning units, which are eligible for recognition. If considered from the beginning, following the ‘European Framework of Micro Credentials’, the standard of the respective course will guarantee various advantages for the learners in your HE institution. Transparent assessment and the use of learning analytics data will help to create a meaningful digital credential for regular Study Courses as well as for LifeLong Learning: a MicroCredential (MC).
This practical course aims for equipping and empowerment of educators in order to apply the concept of MicroCredentials to their portfolio of learning units. There are tools and templates to support the process of the design. A range of exemplary practices will illustrate the implementation of MicroCredentials in different areas. Several self-reflective questions and practical tasks will give you the opportunity to check out the transfer to your teaching reality.
By the end of the course, you will be able to describe:
what a MicroCredential is
how MicroCredentials can be used for enabling recognition of learning outcomes
the structure of the model and data of a European MicroCredential
how transparent assessment and learning analytics contribute to the creation of a MicroCredential
how to describe the elements for a European MicroCredential, linked with a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
how to issue a digital MicroCredential based on a VLE
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The basement of understanding the idea of a MicroCredential (MC) is to know about it’s elements, features, scope of practical application and it’s limits. With this unit, we want to set the scene for planning of and making informed decisions regarding future-proof transparent digital assessments within the micro-credentialisation ecosystem.
One of the roles of educators is preparing adequate learning offers with useful description and transparent assessment-methods. This aspect of teaching gains more and more importance considering the differentiation within the educational system, no matter if face to face or in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Many new formats evolved over the past years, and we will start with this topic before we shed light on the key features of MC and, in Unit 2, on their development for implementation, e.g. as part of a regular curriculum.
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1. Which basic feature distinguishes the usage of a MicroCredential? (answer credit/non credit bearing)
2. Which stakeholders of MCs can you identify in your educational environment? (e.g. Learners, Education Providers, MC Issuers, Platforms, Employers, Government, Quality Agency, IT provider, …)
3. What is, in your view, the most important benefit of MicroCredentials?
4. How do you see the future development of assessment methods if there is a distinct and transparent link with the learning outcomes?
Team DigiProf would appreciate to see aspects of your answers wrapped up as a blog contribution on the Project-website or in the social forum for sharing and supporting.
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1. Where do you see the advantages of MicroCredentials
a) for your University?
b) for your learners.
2. Which barriers for introduction of MicroCredentials can you identify in your teaching environment? With whom could you discuss these issues?
3. Assignment: Please reflect on the general criticism regarding MicroCredentials and find your personal stance.
4. Which property/ies do you consider most important for the long-range success of MicroCredentials?
5. Assignment: Please envisage areas of provision of MicroCredentials which
a) could contribute to your HE-institution’s objectives
b) mirror your personal idea of teaching in HE.
Team DigiProf would appreciate to see aspects of your answers wrapped up as a blog contribution on the Project-website or in the social forum for sharing and supporting.CONGRATULATIONS!
You worked your way through DigiProf Training on MicroCredentials
Unit 1
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Within the process of implementation of MicroCredentials (MC), one of the critical issues is their recognition for further study or employment by government authorities, HE institutions and employers. Quality of learning content and assessment is a determining factor. Without recognition, MCs cannot be integrated into national and international learning ecosystems.
In the past, short-term courses and other small learning programmes were less regulated in terms of essential standards for quality and descriptive data. The EU works on setting up a compulsory and comprehensive data model for documentation of features as well as criteria for international recognition of MicroCredentials.
In this unit, we will address some aspects of quality assurance related to MCs. Further on, the prevalent and binding EU Model for Digital Credentials (including MicroCredentials) will be introduced. The last section focuses on the preparation for issuing a digital MC based on the EU data model, including the description of transparent assessment.
Eventually, teachers and faculty members in HE should be able to design and implement MicroCredential programmes based on learning objectives and outcomes, pedagogical considerations, delivery modalities, transparent assessment and adequate learning resources.
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1. Assignment: Please outline the benefits of the EQF.
2. Which of the three quality aspects mentioned is the most challenging for you?
3. What is, in your view, the most important role of the teacher in the development process of a MicroCredential?
4. Assignment: Think about your personal learning offers for HE. Which self-containing units would be applicable for development of a MicroCredential? Describe the key learning outcomes and link them to ESCO. Please consider and outline which assessment method would be adequate for this unit.
5. Assignment: Please check out the two ‘historic’ case studies (Examples 9. and 10.), or other case studies from the NADEOSA-publication, regarding their quality criteria. Which of them are still relevant?
Team DigiProf would appreciate to see aspects of your answers wrapped up as a blog contribution on the Project-website or in the social forum for sharing and supporting.
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1. Which advantages of EUROPASS do you see for your students?
2. Assignment: Please try out the EDCI EUROPASS Online Credential Builder: just take a course example from your teaching area and fill in the data, or create a fictional course. Are you satisfied with the functions?
3. Would you be able to issue a MicroCredential with this tool - in accordance with your institution’s rulebook?
4. What is, in your view, the most challenging task when designing and issuing MicroCredentials?
5. Do you find the ECCOE ‘How to …’ guides helpful a) for you b) for your institution? Would you have a proposal for another ‘How to …’ guide?
6. Where do you see the future needs for support by European authorities with regard to setting up and spreading the use of MicroCredentials? Would you speak out in favour of MicroCredentials?
Team DigiProf would appreciate to see aspects of your answers wrapped up as a blog contribution on the Project-website or in the social forum for sharing and supporting.
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1. How do you evaluate the representation of assessment in the ECCOE Model template? Are you content with the level of transparency?
2. What would you have commented if you would have had the opportunity to take part in the survey which was pursued by the ECCOE team in 2022? https://eccoe.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/03/O4-OPC-Visual_context.pdf
3. Assignment: Please take one of your teaching units, or a course, and generate the data required for the Assessment section in the ECCOE template.
Team DigiProf would appreciate to see aspects of your answers wrapped up as a blog contribution on the Project-website or in the social forum for sharing and supporting.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You worked your way through DigiProf Training on MicroCredentials
Unit 2
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This section provides information on the preparation of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and the implementation of the MicroCredential in VLE. First, you will get a brief introduction to the most common virtual learning environments. What are the minimum settings required to implement virtual learning environment Moodle in an organisation. What are the criteria used to create the fields required for the issuance of a microcredential.
As well there will be presented the Moodle 4.0 environment from which a digital microcredential certificate can be issued. You will learn what system administrator and teacher needs to prepare in order to issue a microcredential from a Moodle environment. How to select the correct settings and the parameters that can be adjusted. How to adjust the required parameters in the microcredential certificate to display the required fields such as learning outcomes.
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European higher education institutions have already for a long time organised online or blended learning and have their virtual learning environments in operation. Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a system that includes tools for delivering e-learning materials, organising learning activities, communicating and collaborating with learners. An environment where you can find core and supplementary learning materials, lecture recordings, slides, quizzes and assignments, and study at a time and pace. The most popular institutional, non-commercial virtual learning environment which is used by European universities is Moodle. It is an open-source platform which requires the institutional staff for administration. First of all, the environment is easy to install and can be updated whenever needed. The environment is always backed up (these settings are selected by the system administrator), so that lost courses or materials can always be restored if necessary. It provides the possibility to see and monitor learners' learning activity. In this environment, digital learning materials can be sorted into different categories. Therefore, it is possible to search for study subjects when necessary. Another feature of Moodle is its user-friendly communication and user interface. Moodle virtual learning environment can be used for online learning and face to face learning. There is a multi-dimensional community and virtual learning environment that is being actively developed. The last feature of the Moodle environment highlighted is security. It has all the security measures built in. In a virtual learning environment, all material is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. One of Moodle new function MicroCredential issuing. However the requirement to have it administered by institutional staff provides opportunities for its adaptation to institutional needs, and thus opens possibilities for flexible use of MicroCredentials.
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The virtual learning environment Moodle is a great place to share learning materials, a safe environment to do assignments to test knowledge. Learners are interested in obtaining MicroCredentials upon completion of the training in such place. Of course, it is very important that the MicroCredentials issued meet the required criteria. The digital MicroCredential certificate should contain information about the learner, the training received, the format of the training, the number of ECTS, the duration of the training, the mode of delivery, etc. Moodle 4 has the ability to host this data and display it in the MicroCredential.
The virtual learning environment Moodle is used to create MicroCredential and issue MicroCredential. This user guide was developed using Moodle version 4.
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For more information please contact institutional representatives of DigiProf project:
DHBW (Germany) - UrSula Göz, ursula.goez@heilbronn.dhbw.de
EDEN (Estonia) - Rimantė Čepauskienė, rimante.cepauskiene@vdu.lt
