In a time when the value of a college degree is under continuous scrutiny and the opportunity for alternate pathways to workforce readiness is ever-increasing, ensuring high-quality credentials is imperative. However, how can we reassure our students, employers, and other stakeholders that what we offer is high quality? To answer this question, we…

Micro-credentials are short, highly focused programs designed to provide in-demand skills that help students quickly advance their career, often in just a single semester. They have emerged as a way for students-many of whom are adult learners looking to change jobs-to acquire and demonstrate a core set of skills that can jumpstart their entry…

Purpose: The global labor market has been upended and a new landscape has emerged. New models for ensuring the value and relevance of post-secondary education are needed. Learners need better understanding of the value and relevancy which the education provides and more immediate return on the educational investment. Education providers must…

The OER Universitas (OERu) is a consortium of more than 30 higher education institutions on five continents. It was founded in 2011 to provide learners everywhere with learning opportunities and pathways to official recognition or credit. The OERu maintains a very economical base with very low expenses. It supports a sustainable learning…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a thriving partnership between Frostburg State University and the Garrett County Public Schools that aims to improve teacher effectiveness and retention through the implementation of a robust induction program. The initiative includes sustained, strategic mentoring; extensive professional…

Several concurrent trends are increasing the likelihood that short courses, microcredentials, and flexible learning pathways will become a regular and even dominant feature of education and training globally. This policy paper reflects on these trends with special reference to the post-secondary education sector, and explores ways to organize…

The Role of Micro-Credentials in Lifelong Learning and Development: Empowering Learners, Empowering Organizations serves as a comprehensive resource accessible to all interested in understanding micro-credentials. It focuses on several important aspects critical to understanding micro-credentials, starting with Digital Promise's definition of…

The pandemic has changed the way we look at our professional development opportunities. UNG's Distance Education & Technology Integration (DETI) made the decision to completely revamp our professional development options. In 2012 we first developed a self-paced fully online workshop to onboard new online/hybrid faculty quickly and efficiently.…

In 2023, China leads the world in the number of Open Online Courses (OOC, over 64500) and learners (over 1.88 billion). In this article, we provide a brief review of the development of OOCs in China and outline the current situation of Chinese OOC focusing on learning platforms, course size and structure, and micro-credential courses. We also…

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is helping to shape the futures of learning in diverse ways. In this paper, we describe a recently implemented micro-credential option for faculty and graduate students, the Essentials of Teaching and Learning Certificate Program. We also report findings…

This paper describes current trends and issues in implementing micro-credentials. The COVID-19 epidemic, combined with the increasing cost of higher education; employer concerns about graduate skills and competencies; increasing inequities in access; and student frustrations about lack of job opportunities have all been a catalyst for…

This article looks at the projections on the current state of the world's post-secondary education and a prediction of what will need to be addressed and in place by 2030, in order to prepare for a significant rise in student enrollment. UNESCO presented governments and higher education institutions with a call to action to implement policies and…

Capacity building for advancing climate-change leadership has become a critical workforce development requirement for both professionals and front-line workers. As the World Economic Forum Jobs 2020 report noted, there is an increasing need to provide short-timeframe opportunities for reskilling and upskilling that will keep step with the…