Micro, macro, alternative, badges, certificates & short courses – it’s hard to keep track of the trends (and hype) in this area.
What we know is that demand for learning outside of the traditional bachelor or postgraduate degree is up (Oliver 2020), and that Australian universities, especially given the recent opportunities to provide commonwealth supported undergraduate short courses, are adapting in order to engage with learners in the alternative credentials space.
In a 2020 whitepaper, Emeritus Professor Beverly Oliver makes 10 recommendations that could assist universities to rethink their approach to alternative credentials and employability:
Read the full Whitepaper Rethinking Employability Beyond 2020.
Text alternative to the 10 recommendations :
- Adopt a university-wide terminology and taxonomy for micro-credentials and test integration using a maturity model
- Become more “labour market demand driven”; find where jobs will grow and align credentials
- Provide employability pathways between credentials; include examples and robust data
- Develop internal employability indicators to enhance the signaling power of credentials
- Become employability focused employers: micro-credentials and employability pathways for staff
- Partner with industry to co-create “credentials + employment bundles” with access to jobs and placements for graduates
- Make labour market literacy core to all curricula
- Provide learners with more granular records of achievement and incentivise lifelong curation of achievements
- Rethink feedback as constructive advice on improving professional performance
- Ensure learners are ready for work in a digital-first world, beyond borders and across time zones
References
Oliver, B. (2020). Rethinking Employability Beyond 2020 10 recommendations for universities. Edalex Edubrief. Retrieved from https://www.edalex.com/whitepapers/rethinking-employability-beyond-2020 April 8th 2021
