Microcredentials are evolving to help different student groups in higher education demonstrate expertise and capabilities.

The Noncredit Research Collaborative combines top researchers to share and publish research on noncredit opportunities in higher education.

Multi-State Data Collaboratives are coalitions of state workforce, education, human services, and other agencies working...

Strada supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between education and employment in the U.S., with a special focus on helping those who have faced the greatest challenges securing opportunity through postsecondary education or training.

Neil, Morgan, and Phil start a mini-series looking at an early 2024 roundup of online education with a view on products. Specifically, how should we view the multiple reports about microcredentials and noncredit offerings as a key strategy for online education moving forward, and are efforts from co…

Microcredentials open up possibilities for just-in-time, highly personalized learning, which is exactly what both students and employers need to meet workforce demands.

Although MOOCs platforms offer a unique way to provide information for a large cohort of participants, only a small percentage of participants complete MOOCs. The high number of dropouts in MOOCs is a key challenge, and the literature suggests that it can be affected by participants' motivation. However, it is not known how and to what extent motivation influences participants’ dropout in MOOCs. There is a need to provide an overview of the role of motivation in MOOCs’ retention. In this study, we aimed to identify motivational factors and theories that affect participants’ retention in MOOCs and explain how does motivation supports participants to complete MOOCs. To do so, a systematic review was conducted using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and a set of relevant keywords and databases which resulted in 50 relevant publications. Our analysis led us to identify six main motivational factors that influence participants’ MOOCs completion including academic, social, course, personal, professional, and technological motives. These factors were divided into two main categories including need-based motivation and interest-based motivation. The results showed that academic motives play the most important role in participants’ MOOCs retention compared to the other factors. It was also found that self-determination theory was used as the most dominant theory to support participants’ motivation for MOOCs completion. In addition, the results revealed that the motivational factors not only impacts participants’ MOOCs retention directly, but also this impact is mediated by participant satisfaction, self-regulation, attitude toward using MOOCs, performance, engagement, and level of participation. Based on the results, further implications for practice and future research are provided.

A survey examines non-college-bound youth's perspectives on education and career plans and reveals that many are taking nondegree pathways.

Webinar held on October 16, 2023

The case for trust innovation in learning credentials.

Education innovation will transform lifetime learning in two main ways: compacting instruction into digestible bites and standardising how microcredentials are used and delivered in (and beyond) higher education

Five actions states and colleges are taking.

Thousands of providers of all kinds are stepping up to create and deliver microcredentials, and learners are embracing them in increasing numbers – that much we know. What is far less clear is how the quality and value of these credentials stack up against the associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees learners are more familiar with.Join Inside Higher Ed Editor Doug Lederman and Reporter Sara Weissman for a thought-provoking webcast that examines the emergent, chaotic credentialing landscape from a variety of angles and perspectives.

I had the pleasure of being on a team that designed microcredentials at a previous institution and published about our work. We informed early definitions of terms, creation of metadata standards and the development of a review process for new microcredentials at the institution. The challenges we experienced at that time are not dissimilar to […]

How to make sense of the explosion of alternative credential providers.

Higher Learning Commission

This roundtable series will help you understand the complicated alternative credential landscape and identify areas of opportunity for your institution.

A new research report, 'Enabling Learning for Life: New Realities for Work and Education,' by global technology company D2L, suggests that while American workers are interested in upskilling in their careers, they have little understanding of the value of microcredentials and how to go about obtaining them.

The Project on Workforce at Harvard Summer Fellowship Series This report is a product of the Project on Workforce’s Summer Fellowship Program, a short-term research and policy opportunity for Harvard graduate students and recent alumni from the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Summer fellows are placed in interdisciplinary, cross-school project teams over the course of the summer and complete projects focused on pressing policy or ope