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What is a micro-credential?

A micro-credential is a certification of assessed learning associated with a specific and relevant skill or competency. Micro-credentials enable rapid retraining and augment traditional education through pathways into regular postsecondary programming.

eCampusOntario is a provincial leader in the micro-credential landscape, with proven successes with initiatives at more than half of the colleges and universities in Ontario that utilize our Framework for ensuring workforce relevance.

Framework

Issuing Body

Issuing Body

Micro-credentials will be issued by an established agency, organization, institution, or employer.

Summative Assessment

Summative Assessment

Micro-credentials will require evidence of achievement of outcomes. Evidence will be embedded and visible to employers.

Competency Skills

Competency/Skills targeted

Micro-credentials will adhere to harmonized skills and competency language and will be aligned with a common competency framework such as ESCO1.

Transcriptable

Transcriptable

Micro-credentials will be compatible with traditional transcripts, where possible.

Outcomes

Outcomes

Micro-credentials will recognize performance competencies explicitly aligned to underlying knowledge, attitudes and skills.

Partner Endorsement

Partner Endorsement

Micro-credentials will be validated by industry partners/external bodies, where possible. This validation will confirm 1) the competency is in demand by industry and; 2) the established assessment is reflective of job performance in that industry.

The eCampusOntario micro-credential framework guides educators, employers and policy makers in the development of new micro-credential initiatives. Co-developed by representatives from post-secondary institutions and workforce partners, this proven framework provides a common standard on which to collaborate and create micro-credential programming that fills an identified skills gap.

The Framework is a living document. Partner organizations and institutions are encouraged to test this framework in their contexts and share their findings publicly to enable the development of a healthy micro-credential ecosystem that serves all Ontarians.

eCampusOntario supports and encourages the adoption of the framework for new and existing micro-credential initiatives both in Ontario and beyond our borders.

News

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eCampusOntario to collaborate with partners on Ontario’s Micro-credential Strategy

eCampusOntario joins colleagues from across the Ontario post-secondary education sector in congratulating the Government of Ontario on the release of Budget 2020: Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect – Support – Recover.

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eCampusOntario announces Micro-credential Forum 2021

Don’t miss eCampusOntario’s fourth annual Micro-credential Forum! This cross-sectoral event brings together leaders and practitioners from education, community, industry and government to imagine new pathways for flexible, portable learning.

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New micro-certification in patient care teaches valuable skills amidst pandemic

When a team from Ontario Tech University (Ontario Tech) and Durham Region’s Lakeridge Health developed a micro-certification for patient care, they had no idea how invaluable it would be when a pandemic hit the region.

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Micro-credential Forum 2021

Pilots

With the support of the Government of Ontario, eCampusOntario has launched thirty-six micro-credential pilot projects at Ontario colleges and universities. Each pilot project represents a unique partnership with an industry partner and a collaborative response to an identified skills gap. Download this document for a full list of pilots.

Whatever the conditions, eCampusOntario is your partner in driving the evolution of education through micro-credentials at both the local and systemic level. Upgrading learning through micro-credentials offers digital and creative solutions to meet rapid needs while building longer-term economic resilience.

Research

Ux Design

Coming Soon: eCampusOntario Research on Micro-credentials

eCampusOntario is advancing the state of postsecondary education through targeted research into new models of learning, specifically micro-credentials and their relationship to competency-based education, labour market preparation and mobility, and how these are enabled by a wholesale shift to digital learning. Our research is focusing on the principles of trust, value and exchange in the micro-credential landscape.

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Micro-certification Business Models in Higher Education

This qualitative scan of international practice in micro-certifications in late 2019, is part of a systems approach to fostering shared approaches for flexible learning and recognition practices. The intent was to provide a strategic planning tool to help Ontario institutions build their own sustainable micro-certification initiatives and to help encourage the development of a shared recognition ecosystem in the province. The focus was on digital credentials for ongoing recognition rather than for gamification and learner engagement.

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Micro-certifications: Policy and Regulatory Context in Ontario

This report analyses the current regulatory framework in Ontario—the set of policies and directives of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and the various provincial-level quality assurance processes—as the framework applies to micro-certifications. The report is intended to provide information to colleges and universities about how the current framework enables or might constrain the use of micro-certifications.

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eCampusOntario is a not-for-profit centre of excellence and global leader in the evolution of teaching and learning through technology.