Invited Presentation at EUNIS 2021, 1st June 2021.

1. Playing with Micro-credentials:
Going Beyond the Sandbox
Professor Mark Brown
Dublin City University
1st June 2021
Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

2. Photo by Aaron on Unsplash
Everywhere and nowhere!

3. Photo by Chaiyaporn Atakampeewong on Unsplash

4. Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

5. Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash
• What is a micro-credential?
• Why such an increasing focus on them?
• How is Europe responding to micro-credentials?
Framing Questions…

10. 1. What is a micro-credential?
Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

11. What?

12. What?

13. What?

14. “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?

15. Beyond “Warm Body” Badges
What?

16. Credit Bearing
Non Credit Bearing
Bundled Unbundled
Credential
Ecology
Macro-credentials
Formal Accredited
Degrees
What?
(Brown et al., 2020)

17. 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
What?
(Brown et al., 2020)

18. y Axis
Vertical
Life-Long Learning
Formal & Semi-formal
Stackable
Credit-bearing
What?

19. x axis
Horizontal
Life-wide Learning
Informal & Non-formal
What?

20. Diagonal
Career Focus
Non-formal & Informal
What?

21. What?
Importantly, this
micro-credential
schema recognises
that they may be
issued directly by
employers and
relevant industry
bodies (Oliver,
2019).

22. 2. Why such a focus on them?
Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

23. 23
Why?
11.1%

24. 24
Pre
COVID
Why?

25. (AACU, 2015)
Why?

26. Why?

27. Why?

28. Why?

29. Why?

30. 30
Why?

31. Why?
(Duklas,2020)

32. Why?

33. 33
“The so-called ‘microcredentialing
craze’ could be no more than a
fad, marketing hype, or another
case of ‘learning innovation
theater.’
New Learning Economy
Why?

34. 3. How is Europe responding to
micro-credentials?
Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

35. How?
(Presant, 2020)

36. 1,200+ 30/11/2020
How?

37. How?

38. How?

39. How?

40. How?
2021

41. How?
2021

42. How?
2021

43. How? DCU Futures

44. How?

45. 2021
Report launch in January 2021…
How?

46. How?

47. How?

48. How?

49. How?
PPMI

50. How?

51. Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash
Final remarks…

54. 54
https://www.dcu.ie/nidl
https://www.dcu.ie/nidl

55. Go raibh maith
agaibh!
Thank you