Could micro-credentials compete with traditional degrees?

what if universities offered students shorter-term courses for in-demand skills (software, cybersecurity, data skills and others making up the global skills gap), and then have employers or recruiters pay for a part of their tuition if they are hired or placed? Those employers could even bring them on board through apprenticeships and learn in the ... See more

There are sites — notably Degreed and Accredible — that adapt existing notions of the credential to a world of online courses and project work. But there are also entire sectors of the innovation economy that are ceasing to rely on traditional credentials and don’t even bother with the skeumorph of an adapted degree. Particularly in the Internet’s ... See more

Among these changes, employers seem to double down on educational credentials, which universities are uniquely positioned to offer: 64% of employers agreed that the need for continuous lifelong learning will demand higher levels of education and more credentials.

The most important shift may be that credentials matter less than they have, and proving that you can do the work matters more. Between YouTube, Udemy, Replit, Optilistic, and a wide range of online educational resources, anyone smart and motivated enough can learn practically anything they want.

David Perell said “I think my Twitter account is worth more than my college degree,” and in many ways he's right. As more platforms emerge that enable you to “show your work” new credentials will emerge where skills are quantifiable (and, thus, easier to validate), in-demand, and ever-changing. Competency-evaluation could be the key to verticalized... See more

Of all the research I’ve done about higher ed tech, I’m most reluctant about the pure play online space. If people are going back to school to make a career change, they want to get a job at the end of the experience (shocker, I know). Right now these online courses don’t count for college credit, and don’t have employers waiting to hire students a... See more