Exploring the value and perception of microcredentials: a case study of the Universidade Aberta

Casanova, Diogo; Caetano, Fernando J. P.; Moreira, Darlinda

Publication

Exploring the value and perception of microcredentials: a case study of the Universidade Aberta

2023-10-04Conference object

datacite.subject.sdg	04:Educação de Qualidade	pt_PT
dc.contributor.author	Casanova, Diogo
dc.contributor.author	Caetano, Fernando J. P.
dc.contributor.author	Moreira, Darlinda
dc.date.accessioned	2023-12-27T11:13:53Z
dc.date.available	2023-12-27T11:13:53Z
dc.date.issued	2023-10-04
dc.description.abstract	The Universidade Aberta (UAb) – the Portuguese Open University - has extensive experience inproviding continuous professional development courses for adult learners, ranging frompostgraduate certificates to short learning programmes and MOOCs. In 2021, the UAb initiateda new portfolio of short learning opportunities leading to micro-credentials, driven by anationally-funded project called "Impulso Adultos" which aims to reskill and upskill the adultpopulation either already in work or looking to transition to a new professional opportunity.Micro-credentials are a form of recognition for learning that are based on short, stackable, andfocused learning blocks, leading learners to develop specific skills or competencies. The conceptof micro-credentials has gained popularity in recent years, initially in North America andAustralia, and more recently in Europe (Brown & Mhichil, 2022). When publishing its EuropeanSkills Agenda, the Commission set out policy priorities and actions aimed at increasing theemployability of citizens and boosting the skills for the workplace (European Skills Agenda forSustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience, 2020). In its action 10, theCommission set the ground for the relevance given to Micro-credentials. According to theCommission, Micro-credentials should: (i) encourage the take-up of flexible and quality-assuredcourses; (ii) make learning more visible and understood; (iii) be validated and guided; and (iv)should be easy to store and communicate through Europass. The UAb's portfolio of micro-credentials comprises over 20 courses, which have been offered tomore than 2,000 students over a period of two years. These courses cover various thematicareas, including distance and digital education, language and communication, sustainabledevelopment goals, and digital transition and transformation. All of these courses are deliveredonline and often involve collaborative development with industry and organizations. They aredesigned to be short (ranging from 1 to 4 ECTS) and cater to working students, typicallyrequiring around 7 hours of learning per week. Moreover, the assessments for these coursesare usually applicable within students' professional settings. UAb decided that the courses arepredominantly asynchronous to take advantage of the flexibility that online learning promotes.Students can access content anytime and from anywhere the flexibility of online learning suitsstudents’ needs and personal and professional commitments (Kumar, 2019) which is particularlyrelevant for adult learners that are, at the same time, employed. This communication will present an evaluation study of the UAb micro-credentials project, witha focus on assessing students' satisfaction, their perception of the relevance of the learningexperiences, and their views on the pedagogical approach and the framework employed. Giventhe limited research available on substantial cohorts of students attending micro-credentialsand their perception of the value of this type of recognition, this study aims to shed light on howstudents perceive and value micro-credentials. Furthermore, the findings of this research willprovide evidence that can inform other projects and institutions in shaping their strategicobjectives and initiatives in this domain.	pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorship	Impulso 2025, PRR, Portugal	pt_PT
dc.description.version	N/A	pt_PT
dc.identifier.citation	D. Casa Nova, F. CAetano, D. Moreira, Exploring the value and perception of Microcredentials: A case study of the Universidade Aberta, Innovating Higher Education Conference 2023, 04 - 06 October 2023, Istanbul, Türkiye	pt_PT
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/15294
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	no	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	Mirocredentials	pt_PT
dc.subject	Life long learning	pt_PT
dc.subject	Digital transformations	pt_PT
dc.title	Exploring the value and perception of microcredentials: a case study of the Universidade Aberta	pt_PT
dc.type	conference object
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Istanbul, Türkiye	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Innovating Higher Education Conference 2023	pt_PT
person.familyName	Casanova
person.familyName	Caetano
person.familyName	Moreira
person.givenName	Diogo
person.givenName	Fernando J. P.
person.givenName	Darlinda
person.identifier.ciencia-id	E11C-54F0-4049
person.identifier.ciencia-id	DE17-708E-317F
person.identifier.ciencia-id	281C-10F6-8406
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-8586-0370
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-6821-1694
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0003-4138-4509
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	25654637500
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	7004474824
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	57188837672
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	conferenceObject	pt_PT
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