The Universal Micro-credential Framework

Abstract

The presentation summarized the Universal Micro-credential Framework (UMF), a globally innovative solution to enable granular achievement to be recognized within existing education and employment contexts and to enable more seamless lifelong and lifewide learning and earning. The framework has been discussed in journal paper articles and book chapters as well as an invited article for UNESCO's Cloud publication. The presentation provided key concepts and points regarding current and future use of the framework. 

The presentation began by introducing the purpose and development journey of the UMF,  together with the key concepts underpinning it, including the  Capability-Competency Chasm, 21st Century Skills, 21st Century  Skills Hours, the quality assurance mechanisms for badging and micro-credentialing, and the role of Design Patterns in enabling the institutional change necessary to fully implement the  UMF. 

The main aims of the UMF are to: 1) better link learning to earning, by connecting existing curricula to labor market data; 2) better link earning to learning, by enabling labor-relevant activities and micro-credentials to be incorporated within educational provision; and 3)   provide a universal mechanism to move back and forth from learning to earning, enabling lifelong learner-earner pathways throughout traditional curricula and employment. 

The first concept defined in the chapter is the ‘Capability-Competency  Chasm,’ a term used to summarize the traditional barrier preventing learners and earners from moving with ease between education and employment, and vice versa. The term learner-earner is a coined catchphrase used primarily in non-academic contexts to describe individuals balancing education and employment, either at the same time or consecutively throughout their lives. Addressing the  Capability-Competency Chasm with Skills Profiling and micro-credentialing is critically important if educational institutions are to increase accessibility and effectiveness for learner-earner journeys successfully. Equally important is the ability to accomplish these objectives without creating or funding new roles to manage micro-credentials or expecting faculty assessment loads to increase, especially for institutions already strapped for resources. 

 A second core concept underpinning the UMF includes 21st Century Skills (i.e., skills enabling learner-earners to effectively navigate and function in the modern world). The 21st Century Skills can be considered from multiple perspectives; for example, through subjects and thematic areas or in terms of ways of thinking and working. For this reason, no definitive definition exists for 21st Century Skills that can be applied to all contexts. For example, UNESCO and OECD take slightly different approaches. Elsewhere, multiple interpretations exist both in terms of skills and competencies. In the UMF, 21st Century Skills are defined as competencies gained by learners that enable them to self-reflect,  self-regulate, and self-optimize their capabilities within and across highly emergent contexts. 

A third concept that enables the UMF to function effectively is the 21st Century Skills Hour, or more simply the Skills Hour—a 21st Century Skills equivalent to the credit hour, which enables the skills within education and employment to be understood and compared. To demonstrate this quality assurance mechanism in action, Reece's (2022) models for micro-credentialing within UK higher education were considered. Reece's models were used in the UK as part of a national project that explored different types of micro-credential models implemented in UK universities and how they might be applied internationally. Importantly, Reece's models enabled a way to see how skills profiling can facilitate each of the micro-credentialing models, and how to think strategically about micro-credentials regardless of which models an institution of higher learning may implement. Quality assurance is important to consider in this context because it invites greater rigor into micro-credential implementation. In the UK, quality assurance refers to systematic processes and oversight mechanisms that ensure universities maintain high academic standards, as well as guaranteeing consistency, credibility, and public trust in degree programs. Skills profiling methods are therefore designed to uphold consistent value across educational contexts, an important consideration when it comes to institutional policies addressing micro-credential governance. 

The fourth and final concept of the UMF is design patterns, a term used by computer scientists as a way to identify repeatable solutions to commonly occurring problems. In the context of micro-credentials in education, and the UMF, design patterns can guide the implementation of specific elements of the framework across different educational contexts. The concept of design patterns supports that the UMF is fundamentally a change management effort and design patterns leverage existing research to minimize guess work and maximize customization to preserve what is unique about each institution. 

Keywords: microcredentials, innovation, assessment, skills, badges, skills profiling, Reece’s models, Universal Micro-credential Framework 

Reece, S. (2022). Exploring assessment workload in microcredentials: Read the findings from our Collaborative Enhancement Project. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/news-events/news/exploring-assessment-workload-in-micro-credentials-read-the-findings-from-our-collaborative-enhancement-project