Content

Basics
- What are micro-credentials?
- Who can apply for micro-credentials?
Preparing for a micro-credential application
After earning a micro-credential

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Basics

What are micro-credentials?

Learning can happen anywhere - in classrooms, at work, in life…. How can we capture and recognize these learnings and skills, and easily show them to others?

Micro-credentials are a form of competency-based recognition that validates a learner’s skill. Each micro-credential is about a discrete skill. Micro-credentials are created and issued by organizations with content expertise in particular practices or competency areas, including non-profit and for-profit professional development organizations, edtech companies, institutions of higher education, and others.

A learner selects a micro-credential based on their needs and submits evidence to demonstrate their competence in that skill. A subject matter expert assessor reviews the submission and leaves feedback based on a publicly available rubric. Then, the issuing organization awards the learner if they determine that the submission meets the requirements.

When a micro-credential is awarded to a learner, the learner receives it in the form of a digital badge. The badge is owned by the learner themself, and they can share it with a potential employer, post it on social media, or attach it to their resume… to show the world that they have this endorsed skill.

Who can apply for micro-credentials?

They are for everyone! Many of the skills and competencies represented by the micro-credentials are applicable across many sectors.

While most of the micro-credentials on our platform at this moment are for educators, we are expanding our offerings to K-12 students, higher education students, and workforce from all industries. Micro-credentials are continuously added to our platform. We update our catalog as our work with industry-leading issuing organizations grows. Stay tuned!

Preparing for a micro-credential application

Do I need to attend a training, course, or other learning experience to earn a micro-credential?

No. Micro-credentials do not require learners to participate in specific learning experiences or training to earn them. It only examines the evidence you upload based on the rubrics to determine if you have the skill or not, and it doesn’t matter how you have attained that skill.

Additionally, there is no limit to the amount of time a learner can take to prepare their micro-credential submission.

How long does it take to apply for a micro-credential?

Usually, a learner reads through the chosen micro-credential, collects evidence and prepares responses based on the requirement of that micro-credential, and then submits the application.

The amount of time it takes depends on the particular micro-credential and the learner’s previous experience with the skill. It’s also very flexible based on the learners’ schedules. Some learners only spend a few hours on a submission, while others choose to take it slow and use weeks to prepare for a submission.

How long does the assessment take?

Once you submit your micro-credential, it goes through a double-blind assessment process by subject matter experts; this process takes 14 business days to complete at maximum.

If your submission has exceeded the window, please let us know by submitting a helpdesk ticket with your submission ID and we will follow up.

How much does it cost to earn a micro-credential?

There is no cost associated with creating a micro-credential platform account.

Currently, on our platform, there are lots of free micro-credentials that you can earn without any fees. There are also some micro-credentials with an assessment fee from $30 to $75 - some issuing organizations choose to charge a reasonable assessment fee to cover the cost of assessing a micro-credential submission.

Can I earn micro-credentials collaboratively with other educators?

We definitely encourage educators to collaborate on a micro-credential! However, when two similar submissions come in, if assessors don’t have the context, they might consider the submissions as duplicated ones and deny them.

Therefore, to give the assessor more context, we ask you to:

Make it clear in the submission that this work was a collaborative effort.
Share how exactly you collaborated with your teammates, how were the tasks delegated, etc.
While the artifacts you uploaded can be the same, please share an individualized unique reflection in the reflection section.

After earning a micro-credential

What can I do with my micro-credentials once I’ve earned them?

Once earned, micro-credentials can be shared through social networks, embedded in websites or learning management systems (LMS), emailed to colleagues, and downloaded as digital badges.

Micro-credentials comply with the open badges specification, which means they are unique to each earner and contain metadata recognized and supported by dozens of platforms across the web.

Can I re-apply for a micro-credential if I did not earn it the first time?

Yes. Please revise your submission based on the feedback from the assessor and re-submit all associated evidence for the micro-credential through the platform.

I was not awarded the micro-credential and would like to resubmit. Does it go to the same assessor?

We strive to make this happen for consistent assessment, but for a number of reasons this may not be possible. The assessor will have given you specific feedback to incorporate in your resubmission in order to achieve success.

Where can I go for help if I have questions about the micro-credential content or rubric?

Please submit a question as a ticket through this help system and Digital Promise will direct your question to the appropriate individual.

Related to

Micro-credentials 101: All you need to know