Eugene Clark

WHILE there is no agreed definition on what a micro-credential is, and they take many forms, it is clear their growth in recent years has been exponential. Leading the way in these new educational offerings are employer-driven platforms as well as general providers such as edX and Coursera.
In general, these qualifications are conferred for short course training, often known as "digital badges" across a wide range of subjects and skill areas, especially in technology related areas such as coding, cyber security, AI applications, software engineering applications, and other vocationally oriented areas. These qualifications are often tailored to meet job specific needs in particular industries.
Still other micro-credentials focus on more generic and readily transferable skills that help future-focused students in a range of careers and a rapidly changing, fluid workplace environment. Examples of such generic capabilities include: communication, problem solving, cultural EQ, innovation, leadership, project management, design thinking, creative thinking, etc.
They often provide more up-to-date knowledge and greater flexibility to students than traditional university courses. Their focus is on applied knowledge and students typically use their workplace as the context in which they develop and apply their new skill acquisitions. Micro-credential courses are usually delivered online and are individually tailored to student and workplace needs. They can be undertaken as stand-alone courses.
Micro-credential courses are a way for large companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, to motivate and improve staff development. They also serve as a useful means to identify talent. As the world enters the "Fourth Industrial Revolution," micro-credentials offer the promise of helping industry and government meet society's educational needs for this new environment.
While the growth in micro credentials has exploded, concerns remain that education that is too specialised will de-value the important values inherent in a traditional "general education" promoting good citizenship and other more generic life skills and values.
Presently, in contrast to the trust and common language and mutual recognition enjoyed by traditional university education, there is no uniform or agreed standard governing micro-credentials. Thus, they often lack the currency and trust found in traditional educational pathways.
The quality of micro courses can vary considerably. For this reason, it is unclear whether employers in particular industries will find micro-credentials to be suitable for the relevant employment setting. Indeed, many employers know little or nothing about them.
There is at this time no overarching regulatory framework provided by governments that will ensure quality, develop a common set of criteria, protect students, and satisfy the concerns of all the stakeholders involved.
While models and standards are slowly emerging in the U.S., EU, Singapore, South Korea and China, there is a need for an international skills and qualifications framework and mutual recognition regime that will provide quality assurance, transferability and trust. Such a framework must also deal with issues such as fraud, privacy and other legal issues.
It will be interesting to see how much the micro-credential movement will disrupt and change the landscape of traditional tertiary education or be integrated with them and become part of a less linear, more flexible, cost effective and tailored form of lifelong learning better designed to meet the needs for constant re-skilling of the workforce for a Fourth Industrial Revolution and Information Age.
- China.org.cn