Micro-credentials in a Minute Episode 19: What are the Different "Flavors" of Micro-credential?

May 8

Greetings friends ✨

In service to making the digital badge and micro-credential space more accessible to the broader community, the Micro-credential Multiverse team has launched a series of conversations with industry leaders in the space we’re calling “Micro-credentials in a Minute”.

Each episode of the podcast will be about a minute long and address critical questions on micro-credentials, digital badges, learning pathways, digital wallets, and more!

Introducing Micro-credentials in a Minute

Episode 19: What are the Different "Flavors" of Micro-credential?

Welcome to "Micro-credentials in a Minute," produced by Micro-credential Multiverse.

In this episode of "Micro-credential in a Minute," your hosts, Rob Bajor and Katie Sievers (Credly by Pearson), are diving into the world of micro-credentials and the various flavors they come in. They'll help you understand the different types of credentials and what they're used for, without any judgment about which one is better.

From credit-bearing and co-curricular activities in higher education to membership and contribution recognition by associations, and from internal learning and development opportunities to professional experiences like internships and apprenticeships in the business world, there's a credential for everyone.

And it's not just about measuring proficiency through formal assessments. Some credentials recognize an earner's experience or disposition, making it easier for learners to showcase their unique strengths and stand out from the crowd.

So, join your hosts and learn all about the different "flavors" of micro-credentials and how they can help you and your organization succeed in your personal and professional development endeavors.

Guests

Learn more about our guests

Featured

Katie Sievers

Katie Sievers joined Credly as a Customer Success Manager in 2019 after earning her M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she focused on education technology and alternative post-secondary pathways and credentials.

Robert Bajor

Robert Bajor is the founder of Micro-credential Multiverse.

Transcript

Micro-credentials in a Minute: What are the different "flavors" of micro-credential?

Robert Bajor: Hi, my name is Rob

Katie Sievers: and my name's Katie and we're micro-credential and digital badge experts.

Robert Bajor: Thanks for joining me, today, we're gonna talk about the different flavors of micro-credentials.

Robert Bajor: So, what do you think some of those flavors are?

Katie Sievers: I love that concept of flavors because it's non-judgmental and you know, sometimes we crave sweets. Other times we want something spicy. And I think about credential variety in the same way.

Katie Sievers: There's lots of different things recognized with credentials and I find it helpful to categorize them without placing a judgment about which is better.

Katie Sievers: Just different credentials, serve different purposes. So, one way I like to think about this is differences by issuer type and use case.

Katie Sievers: So for example, within higher ed we see micro-credentials, which validate everything from credit bearing, to co-curricular, to non-curricular activities.

Katie Sievers: We see certificates, especially within extension school programs; we see micro-credentials for faculty development.

Katie Sievers: All of those are different. Associations might recognize things like membership and contribution or things like continuing professional education credit, which is required to maintain active membership or industry expertise or leadership.

Katie Sievers: And on the other hand, employers, which are picking up momentum in the credentialing world, use credentials for internal learning and development opportunities, employee recognition, awards, and professional experiences like internships and apprenticeships, which hold real value.

Katie Sievers: So across all of these use cases, we see issuance based on knowledge, demonstrated skill, applied competency; that's a spectrum of assessed proficiency.

Katie Sievers: Not all credentials are in the business of validating proficiency.

Katie Sievers: We also see credentials that might signal an earner's experience or disposition, but you know, don't necessarily measure proficiency through any formal assessment. That might be things like awards or credentials based on participation or professional experience.

Katie Sievers: So that's my take on flavors.