Oliver, B. (2021). Micro-credentials: A learner value framework. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(1), 48- 51. 48 The Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability ISSN: 1838-3815 (online) Journal Homepage: https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/jtlge/ Provocation Subject to Editor review, Provocations are intended to be short and showcase thought leadership and expert commentary on the future of credentials for work in a disrupted world. Micro-credentials: A learner value framework Beverley Oliver1 Corresponding author: Beverley Oliver (b.oliver@deakin.edu.au) 1Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. ORCID: 0000-0002-2971-714X Introduction Much has been made of micro-credentials, and the ‘craze’ (Ralston, 2021) and ‘hype’ (Roy & Clark, 2019) they generate. One of the barriers to their success is that a definition of micro-credentials has not been widely agreed (Kato, Galán-Muros, & Weko, 2020). However, to succeed, micro-credentials need not just a definition, but a way to ensure they are valued, and bring value to key stakeholders: particularly learners, employers1 and providers. To this end, this provocation proposes a micro- credential value framework that sets out their key benefits and costs for learners. Gallagher asserts that a “more standardised taxonomy and a common language for naming, describing and communicating new forms of credentials would be helpful in accelerating adoption and ensuring value for both students and employers” (2016, p. 170, emphasis added). Some relevant micro-credential frameworks have been suggested: Oliver (2019) offers a simple typology to elucidate the main elements of micro-credentials (what they are intended to signify, where they are offered, and so on). Taxonomies of micro-credentials were investigated in Ifenthaler et al. (2016); however, these are predominantly concerned with badges, digital portfolios and interactive gaming. On the topic of value, Rossiter and Tynan state that the micro-credential learner [first] enters a period of discovery, information gathering and understanding, exiting with a good grasp of the value proposition of the micro-credential (2019, p. 8, emphasis added). However, little research has been done to understand the common elements of such a value proposition, or indeed the actual value derived from a micro-credential. This provocation draws on the marketing literature: if a customer value proposition is a strategic tool that is used by a company to communicate how it aims to provide value to customers (Payne, Frow, & Eggert, 2017, p. 467), then for micro-credentials, such a 1 Not all micro-credentials are employment-related, but those that are need to be understood and valued by potential employers. https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/jtlge/ mailto:b.oliver@deakin.edu.au https://orcid.org/ORCID Oliver, B. (2021). Micro-credentials: A learner value framework. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(1), 48- 51. 49 definition might be reworded as ‘a strategic tool that is used by an education provider to communicate how it aims to provide value to learners’. The framework The micro-credential learner value framework proposed here is based on the assumption that value is derived when the benefits of a credential are equal to or outweighed by the costs incurred in its attainment: that is, the VALUE of a micro-credential equals BENEFITS realised minus COSTS incurred. However, for learners, benefits and costs depend to some degree on an individual’s motivation, circumstances and preferences: what one learner sees as a benefit (for example, challenging assessment), another might see as an imposition. To ensure they deliver expectations, providers should know and understand as much as feasible about the target learners’ motivations, previous education, and circumstances, as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Learner Motivation, Education, Circumstances and Preferences that Influence Perceptions of Credential Value Motivation Seeking to credential new skills or prior skills Seeking a credential for career advantage (finding or securing work), or for personal interest Education Previous educational qualifications Quality of previous educational experiences Eligibility re pre-requisites Prior knowledge and experience Circumstances Life stage Career stage Capacity to pay or secure funding Capacity to invest time in learning Capacity to engage in the mode of delivery (eg online, onsite) Competing obligations Preferences Preference for mode of delivery, assessment type, peer engagement Notwithstanding learner differences, this provocation proposes a framework (set out as Table 2) that maps the principal learner benefits and costs of engaging in micro-credentials. Learners are categorised as those seeking career advantage and those seeking personal interest learning (not all benefits and costs will apply equally to both types, and sometimes personal interest leads to career advantage and vice versa). The framework sets out eight headline benefits of micro-credentials: outcomes, certification, signalling power, interoperability with other credentials, quality and standards (including industry endorsement or accreditation, if relevant), assessment and feedback, engagement and convenience (whether the micro-credential can be achieved on demand, or not). These are weighed against the two costs: money and time (effort required, time lost in travel, and whether the learner could have been using their time more effectively). Comments and questions prompt the reader to understand what each of these might entail. Oliver, B. (2021). Micro-credentials: A learner value framework. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(1), 48- 51. 50 Table 2: The Micro-credential Learner Value Framework Learners seeking Career advantage Personal interest Explanatory comments and questions about a micro-credential B E N E F IT S Outcomes Knowledge/skills Includes new knowledge skills or insights that are validated Employability Includes recruitment, promotion, salary, job security Certification Type of attestation Includes paper, digital certificate, badge or a combination Portability Is it recognised elsewhere (professionally, geographically)? Security Is the certification tamper proof and verifiable? Signalling power Provider brand What is the standing of the provider including in industry? Partner brand If there is a partner provider, what is their standing? Interoperability Micro- credentials Does it lead to other micro-credentials? Macro- credentials Is it a (credit) pathway or supplement to a qualification? Quality and standards Quality assurance Is the provider accredited and quality assured? Industry- accredited Is it recognised and accredited by industry? Assessment and feedback Assessment What is the quantum and quality of assessment? Identity verification Is academic integrity assured? Main assessor Is assessment mainly by educators, peers, technology? Feedback Is formative feedback provided? Engagement With educators Is there meaningful engagement with educators? With peers Is there meaningful engagement with peers? With industry Is there engagement with industry? Career advice? Convenience Flexibility Scheduled or on demand; synchronous or asynchronous? C O S T S Financial Course fee Financial cost, loan, scholarship or sponsorship? Payment method Is cost upfront or is delayed payment available? Temporal Effort What is the likely quantum of effort required? Travel time Fully onsite; mostly onsite; mostly online, fully online? Opportunity Could the learner use this time more effectively elsewhere? This provocation aims to be a conversation starter with regard to what a micro-credential learner value framework might entail, and more importantly, how it might be refined and used by providers to ensure maximum value, and thereby success, through micro-credentials. Oliver, B. (2021). Micro-credentials: A learner value framework. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(1), 48- 51. 51 References Gallagher, S. R. (2016). The future of university credentials: New developments at the intersection of higher education and hiring. Cambridge: Harvard education Press. Ifenthaler, D., Bellin-Mularski, N., & Mah, D.-K. (Eds.). (2016). Foundation of digital badges and micro- credentials. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. Kato, S., Galán-Muros, V., & Weko, T. (2020). The emergence of alternative credentials. Paris: OECD Publishing. Oliver, B. (2019). Making micro-credentials work for learners, employers and providers. Melbourne: Deakin University. Available at: http://dteach.deakin.edu.au/microcredentials/ Payne, A., Frow, P., & Eggert, A. (2017). The customer value proposition: evolution, development, and application in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(4), 467–489. Ralston, S. J. (2021). Higher Education’s microcredentialing craze: a postdigital-Deweyan critique. Postdigital Science and Education, 3, 83–101. doi:10.1007/s42438-020-00121-8 Rossiter, D., & Tynan, B. (2019). Designing and Implementing micro-credentials: A guide for practitioners. Commonwealth of Learning: Knowledge Series Roy, S., & Clark, D. (2019). Digital badges, do they live up to the hype? British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(5), 2619–2636. http://dteach.deakin.edu.au/microcredentials/