Abstract
The QAA (2022) outline that micro-credentials are credit-bearing against a recognised level
of the national qualifications frameworks, should have no upper or lower limits on the amount of credit, but should not usually be a full macro-credential award. Global agencies and governments are advocating the use of stackable micro-credentials as a solution to promote access to life-long learning opportunities. Through this provision, learners should have more control over their education and skills development by combining credentials to align with their personal and professional goals. Micro-credentials can tackle barriers such as
affordability and flexible engagement with specialist knowledge, making them accessible to a
broader range of learners. The QAA (2022) in their guidance suggest that micro-credentials
may be standalone or combined into more extensive macro-credentials via a stackable
approach. This stackable model is focused on allowing learners to acquire knowledge, skills,
and competencies in coherent pathways of learning that can lead to a recognised university
degree qualification in a subject discipline over time.
As stackable micro-credential certificates and stackable programmes become more widely
recognised, trusted and respected, they can transform national and international higher
education by offering learners more flexible and tailored pathways to learning success.
However, without robust quality assurance, there is a risk that micro-credentials are viewed
as diluted versions of traditional degrees and that industry leaders and employers may not
understand the value of these credentials. National governments and higher education
quality assurance institutions such as the UK's Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, 2022) are
starting to address this challenge by producing clear definitions and guidance on the
standards needed to develop, implement and review micro-credentials (e.g., Varadarajan et
al. 2023; Brown and Nic-Giolla-Mhichil, 2022, Shapiro et al., 2020). Whilst the terminology of
micro-credentials may be new, the concept is not, as smaller formal and non-formal training
bundles and short courses have been an essential part of adult education, and HEIs have a
long history of offering short courses aimed at various audiences (Hudak and Camilleri,
2021).
of the national qualifications frameworks, should have no upper or lower limits on the amount of credit, but should not usually be a full macro-credential award. Global agencies and governments are advocating the use of stackable micro-credentials as a solution to promote access to life-long learning opportunities. Through this provision, learners should have more control over their education and skills development by combining credentials to align with their personal and professional goals. Micro-credentials can tackle barriers such as
affordability and flexible engagement with specialist knowledge, making them accessible to a
broader range of learners. The QAA (2022) in their guidance suggest that micro-credentials
may be standalone or combined into more extensive macro-credentials via a stackable
approach. This stackable model is focused on allowing learners to acquire knowledge, skills,
and competencies in coherent pathways of learning that can lead to a recognised university
degree qualification in a subject discipline over time.
As stackable micro-credential certificates and stackable programmes become more widely
recognised, trusted and respected, they can transform national and international higher
education by offering learners more flexible and tailored pathways to learning success.
However, without robust quality assurance, there is a risk that micro-credentials are viewed
as diluted versions of traditional degrees and that industry leaders and employers may not
understand the value of these credentials. National governments and higher education
quality assurance institutions such as the UK's Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, 2022) are
starting to address this challenge by producing clear definitions and guidance on the
standards needed to develop, implement and review micro-credentials (e.g., Varadarajan et
al. 2023; Brown and Nic-Giolla-Mhichil, 2022, Shapiro et al., 2020). Whilst the terminology of
micro-credentials may be new, the concept is not, as smaller formal and non-formal training
bundles and short courses have been an essential part of adult education, and HEIs have a
long history of offering short courses aimed at various audiences (Hudak and Camilleri,
2021).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Online |
| Publisher | Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2023 |