They might just be the future of higher education.
Mini qualifications known as microcredentials. They’re bite-sized chunks of learning offered by universities, TAFEs or private providers. Think short courses in leadership, business or management. Or even diverse topics like space technology or sports coaching.
They’ve got to be at least an hour long (but not the length of a university degree) and complement or form a component of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) award.
And they’re starting to gain popularity across Australia. So much so, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) recently defined microcredentials with their own framework and, late last year, Universities Australia released a guidance document to make them more universal.
We like to think we’re pretty established thought leaders in the space, giving young people access to the short courses they need with our premium membership, Student Edge Plus. All the stuff we wish we knew in high school, like side hustles, financial freedom and uni prep. While they don’t quite qualify as microcredentials yet, they’re well on their way.
Which is great because Student Edge Chief Learning Officer, Josh Valeri, said microcredentials were signalling a shift in the education space.
“I don’t think it’s going to disrupt the industry in the way that other industries have been disrupted by this kind of thing. Like microcredentials are not going to spell the end of university,” he said.
“But what it will do is provide different entries into broader qualifications and alternatives to having to do another whole qualification. You know, if I’ve finished my undergrad degree, I don’t want to go back and do another three-year degree to learn about data science, but I can do this course this year, and that course another year, and they can stack up to become something bigger. And it’s recognised and verified as further learning.”
“There are lots of ways we can use this new form of assessment, but definitely pathways into bigger qualifications is one. It might even increase access for people who aren’t financially ready or able to make that commitment. It’s a really good way to improve access and equity.”
Josh Valeri, Chief Learning Officer
Josh added that microcredentials can be particularly useful for students who might want a taste of something before they pursue it further, who want to build on their qualifications or expand their skill set.
“There are lots of ways we can use this new form of assessment, but definitely pathways into bigger qualifications is one. If you can identify some subjects that are pathways into bigger qualifications as a taste, and allow students to do that one at a time until they’re ready to take the plunge and go into a full-blown Bachelor degree, that’s a really good way of doing it,” he said.
“It might even increase access for people who aren’t financially ready or able to make that commitment. It’s a really good way to improve access and equity.”
Microcredentials have always underpinned our strategy to help students make the best career and life choices for them. And Josh said we’re just getting started with everything we can achieve by using them.
“A good example is Ready, Set, Uni. Usually schools could start preparing students for university a bit earlier. We want to help with that and also help actually get them admitted into university. So, all of the courses within our pathway are badged and the badge is the thing that gives you the micro-qualification. Those badges will culminate with an assessment, and we’re working with universities at the moment to recognise that credential as part of the entry process into university. If we can do that without an ATAR requirement, that would be a game changer,” he said.
“Same thing with Get Job Ready. There are a lot of things employers need to do to vet people before they employ them, like do they know how to conduct themselves within a business? Do they know how to communicate with customers and colleagues? It takes time to figure that all out, so what we’re aiming to do is work with employers to validate all of these things. So, for all candidates that have completed Get Job Ready, let’s get them to the front of the queue for that interview.”
It’s pretty cool. But don’t just take our word for it. Head to our website and check it out for yourself.
