Content
- Apply for a micro-credential
- Submit an initial application
- Pay the Assessment Fee
- Resubmit after a denial
p.s. The micro-credential assessment timeline is 14 business days - from initial submission to final award or denial. 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.
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Apply for a micro-credential
After clicking on the “Apply” button, you will be taken to a page where you can complete a submission for that micro-credential. If you would like to see the details of that micro-credential again, you may click on the “View Details” button.
- By clicking the “View Details” button, you will navigate away from the application page. This will cause any work you’ve done for that micro-credential application to be lost.
- Therefore, before you begin working on the application, we recommend that you open up the Details page on another tab, or save/print a copy of the PDF of the micro-credential (it can be found on the Details page with the name "View Printable Version"), so you can have the reference without drifting away from your application.
Learners may view and begin the application after pressing the “Apply” button.
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Fill out responses & upload artifacts
An initial micro-credential application usually has the following 3 components:
Part 1: Overview
Part one of the micro-credential application includes overview and context questions necessary for an assessor to effectively assess the submission. Learners must observe any word limit included in each prompt.
An example “Part 1” asks a learner for important contextual information
Part 2: Work Examples / Artifacts
Part two of the application requires the learner to upload and/or link any applicable pieces of evidence for their micro-credential submission. The required evidence is described directly above the “Attachment” and “Links” tools.
Please ensure any files shared via cloud storage (Google Drive, Microsoft Onedrive, Dropbox, etc.) have the permissions set appropriately. If the assessor cannot access the artifacts in this case, the issuing organization will have to deny it, and the learner will be able to resubmit with the open-access artifacts.
An example Part 2 gives learners the opportunity to attach files or URLs
Part 3/4: Reflections
Part 3 (and sometimes Part 4) of the application typically requires learner and/or student reflections. Learners must observe any word limit included in each prompt.
If learners have collaborated with others on this micro-credential, please share an individualized reflection in these sections, and note the collaborative nature of this work. This way, the assessor will be able to know this is a collaborative effort rather than a duplicate submission - which can cause confusion and lead to potential denial.
If a learner would like to attach a document and/or link responses to Parts 3 and 4 of the application, they can do so in Part 2 and explicitly reference any attached/linked documents in the respective prompts.
An example Parts 3 & 4 asks learners to share their reflections
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Save a draft before submitting
Learners can save a micro-credential application in the middle of their work, and return to it later by choosing the blue “Save Draft” button at the bottom of the application. It will display in the “Drafts” tab on the dashboard.
After saving the application, the next time the learner logs onto the Digital Promise Micro-credential Platform, they will see a “Drafts” tab on their dashboard. To continue working on the application, simply click on the draft. Learners may return to a saved application as many times as they need until they are ready to submit for review. We are currently in the process of building a “Favorites” feature, but this is a method that learners can use to remind themselves to come back at a later time.
Learners can access their saved drafts in the dashboard.
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Submit an initial application
Learners must complete all of the sections of the micro-credential before clicking the “Submit” button, including a review of the Student Privacy and Academic Integrity Statement. This statement consists of three agreements:
1. Ready for Review
Confirmation that the submission is complete, the artifacts’ permissions have been set appropriately, and the whole application is ready for assessment.
Once the application is completed, submissions are reviewed as-is and changes cannot be made unless the application is denied.
2. Confirm Release
Confirmation that the submission does not include any personally identifiable student information, and does not violate any federal, state, or local laws. . Please ensure that applicable district/state student privacy paperwork and/or releases are completed before the application is completed. Signed media releases for any students featured in this submission need to be completed, if necessary and appropriate.
3. Confirm Work
Confirmation that the work presented in the micro-credential submission is original. All artifacts and evidence contained in the submission are an authentic representation of the learner’s work. It should not include any work done by others, including other learners, unless it is a collaborative effort with consent, and it needs to be stated clearly in the submission response.
Learners must perform a series of checks before submitting their micro-credential application
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Pay the Assessment Fee
If the micro-credential has an assessment fee, the learner will be prompted to pay the assessment fee upon submitting their evidence. They may pay the assessment fee with a credit or debit card or they can waive the assessment fee via a coupon code.
Two ways to pay a micro-credential assessment fee, via card or coupon code.
Pay with a card
Learners can use a debit or credit card to pay the assessment fee by clicking on the “card” button. Once selected, the platform will securely and privately facilitate this transaction through our native payment system (powered by Stripe - see below).
To learn more about our system, or if the learner has any payment-related questions they may refer to our FAQ section on payments/transactions or submit a helpdesk ticket to reach out to a member of the micro-credential team.
The Stripe-facilitated payment system only requires information necessary to complete the payment
Pay with a coupon code
Additionally, learners may use coupon codes, when available, to offset or eliminate the cost associated with assessment by clicking on the “Coupon Code” option before they complete their submission (see below).
Learners may offset assessment fees by entering a coupon code
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Resubmit after a denial
In the event that an initial micro-credential submission is denied, the learner will receive an email notification that includes an invitation to reapply. The learner will have the option to click the embedded reapply link, or they may revisit the platform and prepare their resubmission application via their dashboard. Details on the resubmission procedure can be found in the next section of this guide.
Note: Any resubmissions that ultimately conclude in an award will erase numerical indicators of previously denied submissions.
An email notification of denial with a link to review and reapply.
Learners can improve or amend their evidence and resubmit at any time, resubmission applications submitted this way will contain a “Related Submissions” table that will keep track of each successive resubmission application. These applications can be referred to by the learner and/or issuing organization to improve their demonstration of competence.
What a learner will see if their micro-credential submission is denied by an issuer.
If an educator micro-credential application is denied, any applicable resubmission fee will also be clearly labeled aside from the “resubmission” call to action button.
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