Micro-credentials and digital open badges in Higher and Continuing Education: How to facilitate flexible and deep learning behaviours
17.09.2024 klo 13:30 - 17:30
Description of the workshop
The workshop is part of the ECTEL conference 2024 in Krems, Austria, 16 - 20 September 2024.
The workshop explores how to foster flexible and deep learning with micro-credentials and open badges in Higher and Continuing Education. Additionally, we discuss how to create more flexible and personalized education, and facilitate smooth learning journeys with learning design and technology-enhanced learning.
The workshop features top experts who introduce the topic with relevant and engaging case examples and exchange their insights. The participants alternate between listening to the presentations, having lively discussions, and working together.
We share good practices and learn from colleagues in a changing world. We discuss how to help learners set goals, build confidence and self-regulate, and examine the opportunities of small educational modules, micro-credentials and well-defined profiles. We want to learn how technologies can improve learner-centred design in global collaboration and show and share some tools and technologies that Higher Educational Institutes currently use or develop.
1.Identify and discuss forms of instruction needed to facilitate learner goal-setting, self-efficacy and self-regulation in learning with micro-credentials and open badges.
2.Explore the opportunities that emerge with a system of small educational modules, micro-credentials and well-defined profiles (a meaningful stack of skills recognized by the market/society).
3.Understand the potential of technologies enhancing learner-centred learning design in international collaboration and how educational institutions use technology to orchestrate, promote, administer and accredit micro-credential courses/programs. Showcase tools and technologies (eg AI, Web3) that can be used in micro-credentials or to deliver micro-credentials to help learners stay motivated, self-regulated or to find the next micro-credential.
13:30 Welcome – short briefing to the activity, presenting the organizers
Break-out rooms: Group assignment to introduce yourself and organisation, what’s your goals for this workshop on MC’s?
14:00 Section 1 (learner)
14:45 Section 2 (workplace)
15:30 Break
16:00 Section 3 (staff)
16:45 Conclusions and take-home messages
17.15 Closing the workshop
Section 1: Learner motivation and engagement. How to help learners in setting goals, building confidence and self-regulating learning with micro-credentials?
Duration: 15 min presentation + 20 min group work + 10 mins observations = 45 mins total
Chair: Oliver Kessler
Presenters: Timo Halttunen and Katja Mäkinen, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Interaction: group brainstorming in the Miro platform, with focus on individual learners
Discussion about the observations 10 mins
Section 2: Role of micro-credentials in updating skills of university teachers and lecturers
Duration: 15 mins + 20 mins + 10 mins observations = 45 mins total
Chair: Christina Hell
Presenter: Isabell Grundschober, University of Continuing Education Krems, Austria
Interaction: group brainstorming in the Miro platform, with focus on academic staff competence development
Discussion about the observations 10 mins
break for 30 minutes
Section 3: Institutional strategies, policies and practices – making it work
Duration: 15 min + 20 min + 10 mins observations = 45 mins total
Chair: Katalin Szondy
Presenter: Christina Hell, University of Continuing Education Krems, Austria
Interaction: group brainstorming in the Miro platform, with focus on higher education institution level
Discussion about the observations 10 mins
Why is the workshop of particular interest at this time?
More and more higher education institutions seek ways to make their study programs flexible. Flexibilization contributes to some higher goals: making education more personalized, improve student mobility ("seamless learner journeys"), and offer short educational programs for re-skilling and up-skilling. Micro-credentials and stackable degrees have been suggested as ways to reach this goal. However, studies have shown that motivational elements in micro-credentials and open badges need purposeful learning design. Moreover, numerous organizational and technological challenges exist (such as recognition and accreditation, quality assurance, cost and sustainability, integration with traditional Programs, implementing a LLL infrastructure, legal and regulatory compliance, market competition, etc.). Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, collaboration across departments, and ongoing evaluation and adaptation of micro-credential programs within HEIs.
In educational policies, micro-credentials and open badges are considered promising ways for learners to demonstrate mastery of skills and knowledge at a granular level. Increased motivation and engagement in learning are conceived central to these promises. However, in research (Alt, 2021; West et al., 2020), the impact on motivation has been found inconsistent across studies. Furthermore, researchers (Cheng et al., 2023) have found that learners’ goal setting, self-efficacy and self-regulation behaviours result in different experiences of motivation and engagement. In this vein, the authors of this workshop proposal have identified a gap in understanding how recent technological developments, including AI and Web3, can contribute to learner motivation and engagement, and how these technologies can be integrated to the learning design and instruction.
Alt, D. Who benefits from digital badges? Motivational precursors of digital badge usages in higher education. Curr Psychol 42, 6629–6640 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02002-0
Cheng, Z., Wang, H., Zhu, X., West, R. E., Zhang, Z., Xu, Q. (2023). Open badges support goal setting and self-efficacy but not self-regulation in a hybrid learning environment. Computers & Education, Volume 197, 2023, 104744, ISSN 0360-1315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104744
West, R.E., Tawfik, A.A., Gishbaugher, J.J. et al. Guardrails to Constructing Learning: the Potential of Open Microcredentials to Support Inquiry-Based Learning. TechTrends 64, 828–838 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00531-2
Workshop format
Short presentations (15 min) based on selected experience reports, discussions in small groups and sharing good practices take turns in the face-to-face workshop. Participants of the workshop will be invited to share their experiences on how micro-credentials and open badges have been implemented in higher education institutions. The workshop will identify common challenges and ways to overcome them.
Open call for participation
We will invite short experience reports on implementations of micro-credentials and open badges in higher and continuing education to be shared during the workshop. Some of these will be selected as case studies to be published in the white paper after the conference.
- Call for contributions: 1 June – 24 June
- Deadline for submissions: 24 June
- Notifications of acceptance: 31 June (Authors will be notified and invited to prepare short input presentations for the workshop.)
- Instructions and link for submissions: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/CD7B83204AAE2876
Workshop organizers
- Timo Halttunen, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland, timo.a.halttunen@turkuamk.fi
- Mika Suutari, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland, mika.suutari@turkuamk.fi
- Christina Hell, University for Continuing Education, Krems, Austria
- Tobias Ley and Katalin Szondy , University for Continuing Education, Krems, Austria
- Oliver Kessler, HSLU (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Switzerland