Micro-credentials Set New Milestones and Horizons for 2024 – Digital Promise

Micro-credentials Set New Milestones and Horizons for 2024

Illustration of people constructing micro-credentials on a computer monitor

January 30, 2024 | By

Digital Promise’s Micro-credential initiative has been the leading voice in competency-based badging since 2015. The Micro-credential Platform has the most comprehensive micro-credential library of its kind, and the largest public platform serving the education field. As we review our accomplishments in 2023, we are also looking forward to what 2024 will bring.

2023 Micro-credential Milestones

In 2023, 8,512 micro-credentials were awarded and 7,094 new users registered on our platform. This brings our lifetime totals to 24,997 for micro-credentials awarded and 40,076 for registered users.

The number of micro-credentials (MCs) and registered users exceeded our expectations for 2023 and helped us exceed our goals for the year.

As we step into the promise of 2024, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the remarkable journey that brought us here. For our team, 2023 was nothing short of extraordinary, filled with achievements that underscore our commitment to excellence in micro-credentialing. With 109 issuing partners and more than 600 active micro-credentials, our users earned 8,512 micro-credentials in 2023. To date, the Micro-credential Platform has surpassed 40,000 registered users and recently awarded its 25,000th micro-credential just after the new year.

112 new micro-credentials were added to the Micro-credential Platform in 2023. More than 130 unique assessors provided specific feedback to learners on each of their submissions. More than 600 micro-credentials that are no- or low-cost are currently active on the Micro-credential Platform.

With more than 100 micro-credentials added this year, users were able to find relevant micro-credentials and receive valuable feedback throughout the process.

With a focus on transparency, all micro-credential content on our platform is available for learners to browse without creating an account. Learners only need to register when they decide to apply for a micro-credential by submitting their portfolio of evidence.

New Horizons for 2024

While it’s gratifying to look back at our achievements, our eyes are firmly set on the future. As we step into 2024, we’re thrilled to share progress on some exciting upcoming projects that promise to expand the micro-credentialing ecosystem and enable us to be more responsive to the needs of learners of all ages.

Badging Coalition

Digital Promise officially launched a Badging Coalition to develop a badging alternative in the market to support like-minded organizations. In partnership with learners, industry experts, and practitioners, we are working toward co-designing an open-source badging solution, which will equitably center and support learners in having their skills recognized. The coalition strives to enable historically and systematically excluded learners to achieve postsecondary credentials that offer well-being, agency, and economic security.

While the work was launched last year, 2024 will see us engage in deep focus groups to capture the diverse needs of K-12 learners and frontline workers. We plan to announce many opportunities for further engagement with this work.

Sign up to receive up-to-date information on the exciting developments.

Micro-credential Platform Enhancements

Our development teams have been hard at work on projects that aim to revolutionize the way our users engage with our platform. From features that enhance user experiences to strategic partnerships that open new avenues, the upcoming year is set to expand opportunities and options for learners.

We understand that our users have diverse needs, and our upcoming projects are designed to cater to these evolving demands. Whether you’re a seasoned user or just joining our community, these initiatives are crafted with historically and systematically excluded learners in mind, promising a future where access to postsecondary credentials is more equitable.

Learn more about the platform updates we launched in 2023.

New Research and Pilots

Our micro-credentialing work is so impactful because every element has been designed with research-based practices. Digital Promise has a long history of innovative research on how adult learners engage with micro-credentials. In our efforts to continually center learners in our work, the Credentials team is conducting and collaborating on several research and pilot projects that will specifically center K-12 learners, postsecondary learners, and frontline workers.

We celebrate the achievements of the past year with a sense of gratitude for the trust our users have placed in us. Each new user, every awarded micro-credential, and the anticipation of upcoming projects fuel our passion to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in this space.

As we continue to focus on developing micro-credentials using a research-, competency-, and equity-based framework, we are positioned to engage in many different partnerships. If you are working on how to leverage micro-credentials as credit for prior learning, workforce skill recognition, continuous professional development, educator preparation certification, or supporting secondary student credentials, please contact us.

Try our Micro-credential Platform for yourself to explore the opportunities available to recognize your skills.

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