The global economy and labor force are at a turning point. Organizations in the public and commercial sectors are increasingly confronted with new economic and manpower mandates for the future in the wake of the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. Additionally, recent developments in the high cost of higher education, employer worries about graduate skills and abilities, and student dissatisfaction with the lack of job opportunities have all prompted universities, independent credentialing departments, and representatives of positive amount benchmark frameworks to reconsider the broader credentials continuum. Micro-credentials are short credentials that demonstrate a student’s expertise in a particular sector. They are also known as digital badges or nano degrees. In contrast to traditional college degrees, which require a lengthy period of study over a wide range of courses, micro-credentials can be achieved through a quick, focused education that focuses on certain abilities in specialized fields. They are frequently purchased online and are affordable. Other post-secondary universities offer these services on their own, and some are forming partnerships with independent learning providers to offer micro-credentials. Micro-credentials can demonstrate that students have mastered a certain skill, but their level of rigor and market value might differ greatly. We need to think about whether micro-credentials are more than just the newest “bright new toy” for policymakers or just another fleeting educational fad in the context of this expansion. To answer societal and industrial demands, should universities be worried about the development of micro-credentials and their role in developing and expanding a larger and more responsive credential ecology? New kinds of skills are becoming more important as a result of expanding knowledge economies and shifting digital societies. We want you to think about how micro-credentials might be used to establish new learning paths and as a form of recognition to acquire these different abilities and future talents. This claim forces us to think about and analyze the value propositions that micro-credentials could have for stakeholders in higher education, industry, and learners.
