1.
The Next Big Thing:
Is this the Year of the Micro-credential?
27 September 2022
Professor Mark Brown
Dublin City University
@mbrownz Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash

2.
Photo by Lucas Kapla on Unsplash

3.
Growth of micro-credentials evidenced by Google search traffic
Is this the Year of the Micro-credential?
?

4.
Growth of micro-credentials evidenced by Google search traffic
Is this the Year of the Micro-credential?

5.
Photo
by
visuals
on
Unsplash
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037
Is 2022, The Year of the Micro-credential?

6.
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037

7.
1. Why micro-credentials?
2. What is a micro-credential?
3. Where are the important gaps?
Outline…
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037

8.
https://www.dcu.ie/nidl
Largest repository
of micro-credential
literature
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037

9.
State of the Art Literature Review on Micro-credentials
(Brown et al., 2021)

10.
Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
1. Why micro-credentials?

11.
Why?

12.
Why?

13.
Why?

14.
Why?

15.
Why?

16.
Why?

17.
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash
Sheepskin Effect
Why?

18.
19
11.1%
Why?
6.2%
Turkey
EU Average

19.
Why?
Turkey
Ireland
New Zealand

20.
21
Why?

21.
Lifelong Learning
§
§
Employability
65%
48%
(Brown et al., 2021)
Why?

22.
Equity
SDGS
(Brown et al., 2021)
Why?
Neo-Liberal

23.
Why?

24.
25
“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).
Why?

25.
Why?

26.
Why?

27.
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
2. What is a micro-credential?
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037

28.
Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash
Older Newer
What?

29.
TWIG, 2021
500,000 Canadians annually seek to complete St. John’s certificates
Since 1833
What?

30.
Credit Bearing
Non-Credit Bearing
Bundled Unbundled
Credential
Ecology
Macro-credentials
Formal Accredited
Degrees
Micro-credentials
Formal & Semi Formal
Accredited & Stackable
Nano-credentials
Informal & Non-Formal
Digital Badges & Certificates
Non-status Awards
Semi-Formal Courses
Non-Accredited
(Brown et al., 2020)
What?

31.
What? (Presant , 2022)

32.
What?

33.
“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”
What?

34.
What?
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-9237-2022-INIT/en/pdf

35.
What?
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381668
2022

36.
(Brown et al., 2021)
What?

37.
What word best encapsulates your view?
What?

38.
Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
3. Where are the important gaps?
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037

39.
Looking for lost sheep…
Photo by Christian Bass on Unsplash
Gaps?
Photo by Ben Stein on Unsplash
• Calculating the
true costs
• Addressing the
demand-side
• Understanding
the real benefits
• Industry
• Business models
• Quality assurance
• Credential platforms
• National frameworks
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 5972 7177

40.
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
Gaps?
Costs
Direct
Indirect

41.
https://search.ecampusontario.ca/micro-credential-search
The demand-side…
Gaps?

42.
OECD, 2021
Increasing Supply
Gaps?

43.
(Hollands & Kazi, 2019)
§
Benefits…
Gaps?

44.
Gaps?
Micro-credentials do help but the benefits from
amassing multiple credentials diminished rapidly. After
about eleven credentials, additional ones no longer
made any difference at all.
http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2022/03/01/jhr.0519-10226R3.abstract

45.
Turkey
Ireland
Gaps?
New Zealand

46.
A data desert!
Gaps?

47.
Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
Final comment…

48.
@mbrownz
Photo by Zayn Shah on Unsplash
Micro-credentials
should be in the service of
big ideas,
not as a big idea
in itself!

49.
https://www.menti.com
The voting code 3246 9037
Poll Results

50.
Go raibh maith
agaibh!
Thank you
@mbrownz
mark.brown@dcu.ie