Since 2023, the University of Twente has been participating in the national pilot Microcredentials. We have issued one micro-credential to 5 professionals who successfully completed the course ‘Introduction to Quantum Computing’. Next to the UT, another 33 higher education institutions are also involved. And starting from this calendar year, several vocational education institutions are also participating. Microcredentials are the digital proof of an achievement after a short learning experience. Because it is a digital recognition, it contains more information than a regular paper certificate. The microcredentials in the pilot are (currently) only issued to professionals and (still) not to students following initial education. The issued microcredentials comply with national agreements that have been aligned with other educational institutions in the Netherlands. This ensures that employers can rely on the education received being of high quality, meeting European quality standards, and that the learning objectives have indeed been achieved.
Why a Microcredential?
Microcredentials make it possible to visualize the learning journey of a professional and therefore it’s one of the elements of Life Long Learning. The University of Twente offers various forms of education, such as a (post)masters, training, and master classes. But not every type of education results in an official diploma. Microcredentials could exist alongside traditional qualifications. They add a quality mark that provides certainty and insight into the achieved learning goals. This allows professionals to shape their own development path and still reliably demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired after completing a certain educational program. Employers and other educational institutions can thus trust that the professional with the microcredential possesses the corresponding knowledge or skills. The intention is to have a national registry in the future so that the learning outcomes are nationally registered, traceable, and verifiable.
When do you receive a Microcredential?
Microcredentials are primarily intended for short-term education. It involves education that is comparable to 3 EC to a maximum of 30 EC. The learner must have successfully completed the education. The microcredential describes, among other things, the achieved learning outcomes, the method of assessment, type of assessment, the level of the course, language of the course, etc. There are European standard elements agreed upon to describe a micro credential. This makes is easier to compare the various micro credentials which are issued by various educational institutions. .
What’s next?
The next step is to gain more clarity at the UT regarding the issuance of microcredentials and for which types of education we intend to issue microcredentials and for which it is not meaningful. To take the next step, we must have quality assurance well in place since we need to meet high standards. On the other hand, quality assurance must also be efficiently structured. The LLL expertise group, including the Quality Assurance and Certification group, will be responsible for this. If you have any questions, you can contact Sonja Borst (quality assurance) and Karen Slotman (microcredentials).
