Microcredentials · Editorial
Microcredentials for Excellence: A Practical Guide
Rebecca Ferguson and Denise Whitelock have launched their latest book ‘Microcredentials for Excellence: A Practical Guide’ published by Ubiquity press.
Rebecca Ferguson and Denise Whitelock have launched their latest book ‘Microcredentials for Excellence: A Practical Guide’ published by Ubiquity press. As it is published in open access the full book, or individual chapters, can be downloaded free of charge, or you can purchase the paperback via Amazon or Waterstones.
Ferguson, R. and Whitelock, D. 2024. Microcredentials for Excellence: A Practical Guide. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/bcz. License: CC BY-NC 4.0
The book is based on the authors’ experience of setting up a microcredentials programme at their own university, The Open University UK (OU). By the summer of 2023, the OU had developed 29 microcredentials and registered over 12,000 learners on these courses.
What are Microcredentials and what do the authors say about them?
Microcredentials are short courses, usually offered online, with an emphasis on the needs of the workplace. More targeted than typical degree courses, they cover role-specific knowledge and help with essential workplace skills. They enable learners to study alongside their work, refreshing and updating their skills. With microcredentials, individuals can access the qualifications they need to get the jobs they want, retraining and upskilling whenever necessary.
These are exciting possibilities, but how can they be achieved? Written for everyone with an interest in the policy, practice, or production of microcredentials, this book takes a realistic look at what is possible. Rooted in experience, research and practice, it identifies what makes these new courses distinctive and provides guidance on how to go about producing them and supporting learners.
Chapters identify relevant pedagogies, suggest innovative and successful production processes, introduce ways of assessing and evaluating these courses, and discuss learner wellbeing. The book ends with visions of the future – how this field is likely to develop nationally, internationally, and within individual institutions.
What did the reviewers think from Spain and Canada?
Recently the European Commission established a European approach to microcredentials with the aim of supporting their development, implementation and recognition across institutions, businesses, sectors and borders. This book is therefore very timely. The authors are prominent scholars and bring considerable knowledge of the topic, rooted in experience, research and practice.
‘Their publication offers a ‘guide on the side’ for anyone wanting to take greater advantage of the microcredentials phenomenon, by developing and using more flexible, learner-centred forms of education and training in their institutions. It is a masterpiece in the achievement of bridging the gaps between academy and industry to recognize the upskilling and reskilling our society is demanding.’
Albert Sangrà Morer
Director for the UNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change
‘Learners need short, affordable, and flexible courses. Time is suitable for the idea of micro-credentials as an innovation in teaching and learning that brings both flexibility and relevance to the learner. Micro-credentials are short courses that are often stackable to attain higher certificates. Such modularization of course offerings has existed in distance teaching situations worldwide for several years. Rebecca Ferguson and Denise Whitelock from The Open University in the United Kingdom have previously experienced modular stacking of courses and have been pioneers in designing and offering micro-credential courses on the FutureLearn platform. As the title reflects, they present a practical guide to designing, developing, and ensuring micro-credentials’ quality. If you are looking for a simple, one-stop source not only to understand but also to apply learning into practice, there is no book other than this one. It is a must-read for distance and online and continuing education professionals’.
Sanjaya Mishra, PhD
Education Specialist (Technology-Enabled Learning)
Commonwealth of Learning, Canada