18. Maria Kelo: The big new world of micro-credentials

Just imagine an educational system that is student-centred, flexible, virtual, quality assured, and that increases the employability of students and adult learners alike. This is what micro-credentials promise to be, and what policymakers are pushing for. 

Although micro-credentials have been around for some time now, their large-scale adoption is still in an early phase. At least on paper, their disruptive potential is enormous. In many respects, the thrilling mix of excitement and uncertainty surrounding micro-credentials is similar to that experienced by the higher education community when MOOCs came about one decade ago. 

Will micro-credentials live up to the expectations? How will higher education be transformed, and how will institutions adapt? Only someone at the forefront of the policy debate can attempt such an exercise in foresight. In our latest podcast episode, we are joined by precisely such a person. Tune in and listen to our conversation with Maria Kelo, Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, in this episode of the podcast.

For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Microcredentials.eu: contains key outputs from the recently completed MicroHE project and ongoing MICROBOL project.

→ A European approach to micro-credentials (European Commission)

→ Micro-credentials and the role of external quality assurance (ENQA webinar)

→ Employability for the 21st century (EAIE Forum)