Developing an Institutional micro-credential ecosystem Professor Gregor Kennedy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Teaching & Learning

Classic Credentials Tension … Yes ... But ...

Why Change? With these classics why do we need anything new?

Context has Changed Changes in the higher education landscape: Increasing participation; moving to “mass” participation State allocating proportionally less to Higher Education Universities looking for funds beyond the public purse Partial or full deregulation of course fees Students paying a greater proportion of the costs of studying More students – reasonably – wanting tangible outcomes More vocationally oriented education system More competitive national and global higher education market

Rise of Alternative Credentials

Same Page Micro-Credentialing: A generic term for a range of credentials for units of learning smaller than those covered in subjects/units/courses and degrees. See also ‘nano-degrees’, ‘micro-master credentials’, ‘certificates’, ‘MOOC certificates’ and ‘badges’. As part of a “digital ecosystem” micro-credentials represent discrete, portable, sharable, stackable, warrants of specific “things” that students have learned.

To What Degree?

Three Uses Micro-credentials are used as: Evidence of specific graduate attributes, skills and capabilities. Stackable credit or recognition of prior learning in order to widen access and filter into traditional university programs. A more formal warrant of continuing professional development or continuing professional education.

Micro-Credentials: Use 1 Evidence of specific graduate attributes, skills and capabilities

Classic (Old) Credentials Tension … Yes ... But ...

Current Practice Tension … Yes ... But ... Knowledge and Understanding Professional Expertise Generic Skills Specific Skills

Value of Degree? Tension … Yes ... But ...

“Trust Bust” “Trust Bust” “We’re facing a trust bust – both from the employer community and our learners. They no longer accept “trust us” with regard to our faculty’s ability to teach well or the skills contained with a degree … The academic record of the future needs to show what students can do – transcripts are too opaque and are no longer being used by businesses ... This all adds up to a loud call, a wake up call if you will, to the higher education community to drastically rethink how we demostrate students’ learning and credential achievment” (Morrison, 2016, WCET)

Graduate Skills & Capabilities What is Future Ready? Degrees and transcripts do not “reveal” or correspond to the … Content expertise and an familiarity (or understanding) of material that employers think should be covered in the curriculum. “They don’t have enough anatomy” “They haven’t read Marx” Specific skills, competencies and qualities in graduates that employers think are required in the workplace that should allow both the individual and the industry to develop and thrive.

Micro-Credentials for Employability Graduate Skills & Capabilities What is Future Ready? Micro-Credentials for Employability (World Economic Forum, 2015)

Micro-Credentials: Use 2 Stackable credit or recognition of prior learning in order to widen access and filter into traditional university programs. University Verified Assessment University Award MOOC Specialisation

Micro-Credentials Funnel & Filter as Micro-Credentials: Use 2 Micro-Credentials Funnel & Filter as

Cut Out The Middle-Man Micro-Credentials: Use 3 As a more formal warrant of continuing professional development or continuing professional education Cut Out The Middle-Man

Micro-Credentials “New” Recognition for Micro-Credentials: Use 3 Micro-Credentials “New” Recognition for

An Ecosystem

An Ecosystem Melbourne Teaching Learning & Assessment

UoM Trial University Verified Assessment T&L

An Ecosystem Melbourne Teaching Learning & Assessment

Build an Ecosystem Universities will increasingly need to develop sophisticated credentialing ecosystems that: Respond to the needs and wants of students and employers. Can issue credentials for a range of forms of teaching, learning and assessment (traditional curriculum, co-curriculum, online learning, MOOCs, short courses, CPD, etc). Provide credential options that are portable, sharable, secure for a range of learning outcomes. Capitalise on the inevitable advance of technology in both teaching and learning, and assessment methods.

Thank you ...