Microcredentials are digital certificates that have become increasingly popular among employers. As a result, many higher education institutions have begun offering them, and educators frequently seek out these opportunities to advance their careers.
That's also why Rita Finnelly-Atkinson, senior director of Credentials at Digital Promise, says students from preschool through high school should be recognized for their expertise with microcredentials.
“There is a lot of debate about employment at the moment and how difficult it is for people to get into the job market, especially if they are at the beginning of their career,” she says. “So anything that can help show that you are motivated and that can give you an advantage will be helpful.”
To help foster and facilitate access to microcredentials for K-12 students, Digital Promise recently launched “The promise of microcredentials and learning and employment record technologies for youth and primary and secondary schools.” The report was accompanied by A framework for implementing many of the strategies covered in the report and A video summarizing ways K-12 students can successfully leverage microcredentials.
What is a microcredential and why is it important?
Digital Promise defines microcredentials as a digital certification that recognizes an individual for having a specific competency or skill, says Finnelly-Atkinson.
“Our education system has a lot of inequalities,” she says. “There are a lot of barriers to entry. And one of the barriers and challenges that many students face is that even if they have skills and competencies that they have acquired, they have not been recognized for them.”
One way those who receive microcredentials can share is through a Open BadgeBasically a digital certificate that comes with a badge image and information about who earned it and the organization or entity that issued the badge.
These digital credentials give people more control over how they present their skills to employers and colleagues. “Unlike a transcript, they don’t have to apply for it or pay for it. So it changes the dynamic and the control that the learner has, which is really powerful,” says Finnelly-Atkinson.
“Even though microcredentials have been around for about 10 years, there are still a lot of people who don’t know about them,” says Finnelly-Atkinson. “One of the most important things educators can do is raise awareness that there are many different ways for students to be recognized for their skills and that they should take advantage of the opportunity.”
Finnelly-Atkinson adds that another advantage of microcredentials is that they are bite-sized. “Unlike a degree program, where it might take you a few years to complete, this is something you can complete in a short amount of time,” she says. “And you can get recognition for having a specific skill and start using it right away.”
Tips for educators on guiding students toward microcredentials
In some settings, it may make sense for a school or district to develop its own microcredentials based on the skills they want to highlight in students. But it’s not always necessary. There are already many very high-quality microcredentials out there, Finnelly-Atkinson says. “One consideration is, ‘Do we need to reinvent the wheel?’ If a microcredential already exists that accomplishes what you want, I highly recommend integrating it and making it available.”
Finnelly-Atkinson says that regardless of whether you develop in-house or work with an existing microcredential program, Digital Promise’s research has consistently shown over the years that the more options you can provide to students, the better. For example, she recommends giving students access to a collection of 15 microcredential courses and encouraging them to choose five.
“Giving students the opportunity to choose what they want to do and how they want to do it is a very, very powerful thing,” Finnelly-Atkinson says. “It’s one of the most exciting aspects of microcredentials.”