Professor Mark Brown discusses the challenges and potential of integrating micro-credentials into Canadian post-secondary education, likening the relationship between micro-credentials and traditional degrees to oil and water. He emphasizes the necessity of choosing appropriate tools, addressing gaps, and understanding the varying perceptions of micro-credentials' value in educational institutions. The document highlights the importance of collaboration and the need for a transparent framework to successfully implement micro-credentials in modern education.

1. Professor Mark Brown
Dublin City University
10th March 2022
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Making Micro-credentials:
Are We Mixing Oil and Water?

2. “I would like to begin by acknowledging the Indigenous
Peoples of all the lands that we are on today. While we
meet today on a virtual platform, I would like to take a
moment to acknowledge the importance of the lands,
which we each call home. We do this to reaffirm our
commitment and responsibility in improving
relationships between nations and to improving our own
understanding of local Indigenous peoples and their
cultures.”

3. Professor Mark Brown
Dublin City University
10th March 2022
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Making Micro-credentials:
Are We Mixing Oil and Water?

4. “Just as water can’t mix
with oil, don’t expect
new micro-credentials to
easily mesh with trusted
macro-credentials from
traditional institutions
without getting your
hands dirty!”
(Mark Brown, 2022)
Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash

5. Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash
Photo by visuals on Unsplash

6. A) Yes - as they simply don’t mix
B) No – they can be successfully added to the mix
C) Depends - on whether we’re willing to get our hands dirty
D) Too early to say – we need to wait to see where they settle
E) Other – [Please explain]
1. Are we trying to mix oil and water in our efforts to rapidly
infuse micro-credentials into Canadian post-secondary
education?

7. https://irelandseducationyearbook.ie
Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

8. Growth of micro-credentials evidenced by Google search traffic
2022 The Year of the Micro-credential?

9. @mbrownz
1. Choosing the right tools
2. Where to find the good oil
3. Plugging gaps and fixing leaks

10. State of the Art Literature Review on Micro-credentials

11. 11
https://www.dcu.ie/nidl
87% of
sample already
in MC Observatory

12. Methodology…

13. @mbrownz
1. Choosing the right tools

14. (Brown et al., 2021)
54%

15. MOOCs
Employers
HEIs
(Brown et al., 2021)

16. Report launch in March 2021…

18. Level of interest in micro-credentials for employee training and development
(The Australian Industry Group, 2021)

19. TWIG, 2021
500,000 Canadians annually seek to complete St. John’s certificates
Since 1833

21. Special Purpose Awards - Credit-bearing

23. “A micro-credential is a proof of learning outcomes
that a learner has acquired after a short learning experience.
These learning outcomes have been assessed
against transparent standards”

24. (Brown et al., 2021)

25. What word best encapsulates your view?

26. Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash
Photo by visuals on Unsplash

27. A) Alternative
B) Complementary
C) Supplementary
2. What single word best describes the positioning of micro-
credentials in your institution or organisation?
D) Embedded
E) Disruptive
F) Reimagined

28. @mbrownz
2. Where to find the good oil

31. 31
12.5%

32. Canada
Good Oil?

33. Lifelong Learning
§
§
Employability
65%
48%
(Brown et al., 2021)

34. Equity
SDGS
(Brown et al., 2021)

36. (Presant, 2020)

37. Photo by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash
Sole Institution
(Brown et al., 2021)

38. Discounts
for students
from developing
countries
Bursaries
for students
from developing
countries

39. 01/12/2021

40. OECD, 2021
Increasing Supply

44. https://search.ecampusontario.ca/micro-credential-search

45. https://www.iua.ie/ourwork/learning-teaching/microcreds/

46. (Brown et al., 2021)

47. (Brown et al., 2021)

48. €7m

50. 50
“Microcredentialing is an
outgrowth of the neoliberal
learning economy. In this
economy, education resembles a
commodity, a product, or service
marketed and sold like any other
commodity” (p. 2).

52. Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash
Photo by visuals on Unsplash

53. 3. In making micro-credentials are we in danger of further
eroding the true value of a traditional degree?
A) Yes - there is more to education than getting a job
B) No – just ask students wanting to get career edge
C) Too late – universities just have to get with the times
D) Too early to say – could be a lifeline for universities
E) Other – [Please explain]

54. @mbrownz
3. Plugging gaps and fixing leaks

55. Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash
“Not all oil is
created equal,
“short-term
credentials are not
all created equal”
(Craig, 2021)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2021/06/11/credentials-must-be-stackable-not-sleestak-able/

56. Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
• State of the art vs. state of the actual
• State of the demand vs. state of the supply
• State of the real benefits vs. state of the claims
Three gaps…
Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

57. (Selvaratnam & Sankey, 2020)
https://www.acode.edu.au/pluginfile.php/8411/mod_resource/content/1/ACODE_MicroCreds_Whitepaper_2020.pdf
Actual…

58. OECD, 2021
Small Employers
Demand side…

59. Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash
Benefits side…

60. New Zealand
Ireland
Canada

61. (Hollands & Kazi, 2019)
§

62. A data desert!
Photo by Delfino Barboza on Unsplash

63. @mbrownz
Final comment…

64. “Oil is not supposed to mix with water.
But then someone invented
mayonnaise, and wham – instant
mixing!”
(Jackie Morse Kessler)

65. Are you willing to get your hands dirty making micro-credentials
work in Ontario and beyond?
A) Yes - this is the future of education
B) No – it’s just lots of hype and empty rhetoric
C) Depends – if they start to gain real currency
D) Too early to say – we need to wait for the evidence
E) Other – [Please explain]
Bonus question:

67. Go raibh maith
agaibh!
Thank you