Microcredentials ‘could be transformative for education’

Change ‘will depend on funding and agility’, says European Consortium of Innovative Universities

Microcredentials certifying the completion of short courses or attainment of skills could bring about large-scale changes for higher education, according to the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, a cross-border collaboration initiative involving 12 European universities.

“Microcredentials are an opportunity to fundamentally change the role of universities in transforming learning, as well as being a promising means of aligning universities with wider societal perspectives and valued social goals,” the ECIU said in a white paper on microcredentials published on 28 January. The paper is a response to European Commission proposals on the subject.