1.1.3. The Role of Transparent Assessment
Considering the aim of creating standards for MicroCredentials, it needs to be realised that, apart from formal criteria and requirements, the focus is on the content:
What should the learner know and be able to after the accomplishment of the MC? This is not trivial, even if the MC would cover a simple introduction in basic health and safety rules of the university.
Like in more comprehensive learning units, the learning outcomes of MicroCredentials are in the center of attention within the process of curriculum development and instructional design. Interlinked with this aspect is their recognition for further study or employment by government authorities, higher education institutions and employers. This is one of the most critical issues related to MCs. Without recognition they cannot be integrated into national and international learning ecosystems.
Recognition of certificates needs assessment. It is obvious that the level of grading related to the achievements has to be delineated when designing a MC.
For setting up a MicroCredential it is essential to indicate the link between learning outcomes, assessment and grading. The concept of Constructive Alignment (see e.g. Biggs, J., Tang, C., & Kennedy, G. 2022) provides for a suitable foundation.
Fig. 1.7. Concept of Constructive Alignment
The adequacy of the assessment method as well as the scope, the degree of complexity and the overall difficulty of the assessment tasks need explicit disclosure. This is a fundamental task of educators being experts in their subjects.
Two preceding training units in the DigiProf project are dedicated to digital assessment methods as well as to support and involvement of students, based on evidence generated by learning analytics. Their purpose is to give guidelines for creating transparent digital assessment, which is an essential element of Micro-Credentialing.