Digital Credentialing

What Are Digital Credentials?

Digital credentials represent a new way to certify educational achievements that are smaller in scope than a full degree programme. They serve as a quality mark for small volumes of higher education and skills training modules, simplifying the recognition of your learning outcomes by other institutions and employers. At the University of Groningen, we are currently experimenting with certifying ‘accreditation-worthy’ education through microcredentials and certifying skills training through proof of competence certificates, both issued by means of digital badges.

Why Digital Credentials?

For Individuals:

• Quality-Assured Education: Benefit from small, flexible courses that are quality-assured and certified.

• Career Progression: Enhance your career prospects or facilitate a career change.

• Personal Development: Tailor your education to your personal interests and professional goals.

• Future-Proof Your Skills: Stay ahead of emerging trends and industry advancements 

• Flexibility: Benefit from targeted learning that fits around your work and life commitments.

For Employers:

• Close Skills Gaps: Address skills shortages within your organization with recognized, verifiable credentials.

• Quality Standards: Trust in credentials developed and quality-assured by leading higher education institutions.

• Support Employee Development: Boost productivity and career progression within your workforce by incorporating digital credentials into your training programs.

Microcredentials

Microcredentials are digital certificates that allow lifelong learners to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired after completing a unit of education, smaller than a full degree programme. Unlike a private course, the microcredential represents accreditation-worthy education with traceable and verifiable learning outcomes. Microcredentials can be specially designed courses or units of existing degree programmes. The scope is 3 to 30 ECTS.

Due to legal restrictions, microcredentials in the Netherlands can only be awarded to professionals and not (yet) to regular students. In the context of the national pilot, the Ministry of OCW is currently exploring possibilities for anchoring MC in the Dutch Higher Education Act (WHW). In this context, possibilities to issue microcredentials to regular students will also be looked into.

For a microcredential, the same quality standards are applied as for accredited education.

According to the Council recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability, microcredentials are defined as follows on European level:

‘Micro-credential’ means the record of the learning outcomes that a learner has acquired following a small volume of learning. These learning outcomes will have been assessed against transparent and clearly defined criteria. Learning experiences leading to micro-credentials are designed to provide the learner with specific knowledge, skills and competences that respond to societal, personal, cultural or labour market needs. Micro-credentials are owned by the learner, can be shared and are portable. They may be stand-alone or combined into larger credentials. They are underpinned by quality assurance following agreed standards in the relevant sector or area of activity.

Related links

Proof of Competence

A proof of competence (PoC) is used at the UG to certify different forms of skill training. Whereas microcredentials are awarded for accreditation-worthy education, a proof of competence is issued for teacher training or summer schools.

A proof of competence is a (digital) certificate with a stand-alone value which can be used by a learner to demonstrate skills acquired as part of a training course. It is subject to quality standards such as the use of learning outcomes and assessments.

Examples of training courses certified with a proof of competence can be found here.

Microcredentials

• Summer School Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Social Sustainability, Faculty of Spatial Sciences (in English)
• Leergang Digitaal Leiderschap, Campus Fryslân (in Dutch)
• Leergang AI voor beleidsmakers, Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI/Campus Fryslân (in Dutch)
  

Proof of Competence

• Student Teaching Qualification (StuKO): Didactical Training and Practical Application, Department of Educational Support and Innovation (in English and Dutch)

• EQUiiP - inclusive teaching in diverse classrooms, Teaching Academy Groningen (in English and Dutch)
• Arts in Health Summer School, Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health/University College Groningen (in English)

• Foundation Course: Teaching at the University of Groningen, Department of Educational Support and Innovation (in English)

The guiding principle in the design and development of the digital credentials at the UG is quality by design. This is reflected in our approach:

Teacher support

Teachers are guided by an education expert in developing an appropriate course design. This includes the formulation of learning outcomes, the testing of these learning outcomes and their alignment with the testing methods. 

Teaching staff involved in digital credentialing is required to have completed the University Teaching Qualification.

Quality assurance

UG digital credentials are subject to quality standards such as the use of learning outcomes as well as assessments.

For accreditation-worthy education certified with a microcredential, the exit level is guaranteed by a committee (the Microcredentials Committee), consisting of experts from the faculties and an education expert from the department Educational Support and Innovation (ESI). To facilitate the committee in this task, a Microcredentials Guide has been drawn up.

By applying quality standards, the digital credentials issued by universities distinguish themselves from those offered on the private market and can be more easily recognised by other institutions as well as employers.

Digital badge

Learners who have successfully completed a UG course that is certified with a digital credential can obtain a digital badge via the so-called Edubadges platform managed by SURF — the cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions. The digital badge is stored on the platform and contains so-called metadata, making the content, learning outcomes, study load, language of instruction and level of the educational activity clear and transparent. The digital badge is therefore verifiable and can be shared in a CV or, for example, on LinkedIn.

Examples of digital badges can be found in the Edubadges catalogue.

How to obtain your digital badge?

To acquire your digital badge, you have to complete the following three steps:

1. Activate your University of Groningen (UG) account. 

2. Create an eduID account and connect it to your UG account before it expires.

3. Access your Edubadges backpack and collect your digital badge.

To complete step 2 and 3, please follow these instructions.