From micro to macro options at Ontario colleges MICROCREDENTIALS LEAD TO THE WAY TO THE FUTURE

By Monique Doyle

Ontario’s 2020 budget included a $59.5 million investment over three years in the province’s first microcredentials strategy for employment-related upskilling. This is a first for Canada. Microcredentials are one tool to help to drive the economy – because of their format, people can continue to work while earning microcredentials training to upskill. And more than 1,200 of these programs are now eligible for OSAP funding.

WHAT ARE MICROCREDENTIALS?

Microcredentials are rapid training programs offered by post-secondary education institutions that can help learners gain the skills that employers need. Microcredentials help people retrain and upgrade their skills to advance at work or find new employment. They are short, concentrated groups of courses that are flexible, innovative, timely, and based on industry needs. Microcredential programs are offered on campus, online, or in hybrid formats, and some can be combined to form a part of a larger credential.

Microcredentials:

• take less time to complete than degrees or diplomas

• may be completed online and may include on-the-job training

• are often created with input from business sectors, so the skills being taught match employer needs and in-demand job skills

Badges are a digital form of microcredential certification to recognize the learning achievement, and they can be stored in an electronic portfolio and shared online to demonstrate one’s knowledge and skills. These badges are like milestone markers for learners. They mark a path and help to track a learner’s progress. They have become signals into the labour market –like a red seal.

Groups like the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) and eCampusOntario are working to promote

Stackable Microcredentials

awareness of the value and potential of microcredentials. eCampusOntario is a not-for-profit centre of excellence and a global leader in the evolution of teaching and learning through technology. In March, eCampusOntario held a forum titled Microcredential Forum 2023: Pathways for Jobs that explored the evolving relationship between microcredentials and the labour market.

At OCASA’s annual conference in Niagara Falls this past fall, Robert Luke, Chief Executive Officer at eCampusOntario, presented on the evolution of and outlook for microcredentials.

Luke’s main point in this presentation is that Ontario colleges are at a moment of profound transition and change to the post-secondary education model. This period of “disruption” was accelerated by the pandemic, but there are many other factors that have led to this point. Luke says we are now more aware of the benefits and failures of the current PSE model, and we are still working to understand this moment and what it will mean for the future of learning. He uses the term “disrupted,” and compares this shift to Napster and the music industry in 1999. Napster’s disaggregation of the consumption of music changed the music industry forever, and paved a path for iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc. Luke says that with education evolving to a digital-first approach, “it creates a time to rethink our assumptions about how we engage with education.”

Some colleges offer “stackable” microcredentials. A microcredential is stackable when it belongs to a series of related and consecutive microcredentials, which, when completed, constitute a path to a higher-level certification. This is similar to many students’ experience with two- and four-year academic institutions.

Microcredentials are one of the keys in this disruption in postsecondary education that we are currently navigating. Students want more flexibility and choice, he says, including the choice to learn fully or partially online. This represents a big change from 20 years ago. Luke adds: “Microcredentials empower us to do three big things: support diverse learners, support hybrid modes of learning, and support life-long learning.”

As part of its role in supporting Ontario’s microcredential strategy, eCampusOntario has created an online microcredential portal, available at https://microlearnontario.ca. There are almost 1,800 microcredential options from institutions across Ontario that can be found through this portal. Luke describes these options as on-ramps to career growth and life growth – the portal is a tool for “career wayfinding” and can help learners identify and address their own knowledge gaps.

Osap Eligibility

Making part-time studies eligible for loans is “a game changer for access, convenience, and options,” says Luke. For the first time, OSAP loans are available for one class rather than a bare minimum of three for full-time students. This helps people who have previously been excluded from post-secondary education and for adult learners with other life commitments (not all students begin college right out of high school). And it represents an opportunity for the future. Luke encourages us to consider the following: “How do we enable these options to be utilized – even in ways we don’t think about now? What benefits will we see 10 to 15 years from now?”

Canada has one of the most educated populations in the world. While the post-secondary education system was mainly designed for young people fresh out of high school, today the majority of learners (it’s a small majority, says Luke) are mature learners. And mature learners need more flexibility; they might be raising families, working full time, are working to pay a mortgage, etc. The opportunity for microcredentials is vast in this space, says Luke.

Microcredentials are also available through the private sector. Companies like Google, Amazon, McDonalds, and Shopify are producing their own microcredential certifications, allowing the company to hire people and then give staff on-the-job training while they earn a salary. In a way, public education is competing with that. But how do you measure the quality of these microcredentials compared to public education? “Colleges have a public responsibility and their credentials are recognizable,” says Luke. He says that fungibility is another advantage. “Fungibility is the main thing of value that colleges have.” College credentials are fungible assets in any workplace and in the marketplace, and we need to protect that by understanding what the future is, he says.

The good news is that education is adapting.

Humber College recently launched a new microcredential program developed specifically for their faculty. The microcredentials are delivered in an asynchronous online format, and each has four modules. There is no fee or cost to register and this series is offered internally to active Humber employees only.

Topics covered include:

• Assessments for Learning

• Curriculum Design and Development

• Facilitating Learning

• Teaching and Learning in HyFlex Environments

WHAT IS NEXT?

What do the next 10 to 20 years in the post-secondary environment look like? While that’s hard to predict today, says Luke, a huge opportunity, including the future of stackability, is on the horizon.

Luke says, “We’re helping people to live a life. Change is going to happen as we move forward. We need to explore the potential of unbundled learning options for the challenges and considerations we have throughout life.”

Luke also recognizes the public sector’s willingness to work together and experiment with new education options, such as micro-masters and nanodegrees. “We are in this together to realize the future,” he says.

On the horizon are new jobs that colleges and institutes will need to train people for by continuing to adapt their current training options or by creating new options. Luke mentions the evolution of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) as some of the indicators that there is an ongoing need to train to meet emerging labour, and the need for teaching competencies.

“Microcredentials allow us to meet emergent labour market opportunities and signal to employers that I have a validated skill or knowledge,” says Luke.

Accessibility

Because microcredentials are smaller, bite-sized pieces of learning, often online or in a hybrid format, they are accessible for many learners. And the opportunity cost is key, says Luke, for those who cannot afford to not work.

The fees for microcredential programs vary a bit, depending on factors like the subject matter, delivery format, and the number of hours of training provided. For example, the fee to register for Seneca’s Cybersecurity Fundamentals microcredential is $348. At St. Lawrence College, the Cybersecurity microcredential with four required modules offers continuous entry and 15 hours of online study; the fee each module is $98. At Durham College, the fee for the Designing Corporate Learning Experience microcredential is $239 (for 20 hours).

Microcredentials are not all designed for online learning. Luke says that’s a common misconception. Some of them need to include face-to-face, hands-on training, for example, many healthcare microcredentials. But when a significant portion can still be covered in digital format, it increases the potential for access and the ability to relearn things to help reinforce skills and key knowledge.

Colleges have an edge when it comes to developing microcredential courses, because they are well connected with industry and experienced in targeting education for industry’s needs.

Sault College’s innovative skin & wound microcredentials

Six new microcredentials – Skin and Wound: An Interprofessional Learning Experience – offered by Sault College, provided specialized training in January and February of 2023.

This project was supported through the Government of Ontario’s $15 million investment to accelerate the development of microcredentials across the province. Institutions that demonstrated success in enhancing community partnerships, driving economic recovery, and increasing job growth with their microcredentials were eligible for additional funding through the Community Impact Award to support expansion of their microcredentials.

“Congratulations to Sault College for their leadership on helping expand microcredentials across the province,” said the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “As one of eight institutions to receive an Ontario Microcredentials Community Impact Award, Sault College is increasing the reach and capacity of our microcredential programs and training graduates in key sectors to address Ontario’s labour needs.”

Sault’s course prices ranged from $99–$399 with discounts provided when registering for multiple courses. The following courses were offered in this series:

• Dermatology

• Long-Term Care Wound Care

• Wound Bed Preparation

• Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Leg Ulcers

• Leg and Foot Ulcer Boot Camp – Practical Skills

• Pressure, Inflammatory and Traumatic Wounds

Sault College’s Director of Continuing Education and E-Learning, Lori Crosson, says they had upwards of 75 participants per session, and registration occurred right up until the date of the course.

This innovative project was designed to address a specific need in the community: “Northern Ontario has an amputation rate much higher than that of southern Ontario. We are hoping by providing training on treatment of wounds, particularly in the diabetic foot, we could decrease the amputation rates. Many rural communities are underserviced so treatment may not be as fast or it may not be the most up to date,” explains Crosson.

This series of courses was designed as a blend of online and in-person learning. Says Crosson: “The online portions allowed for those to attend that might not have been able to account for travel time. We know healthcare is stressed thin right now; many practitioners cannot step away for long from their practice. However, the in-person time provided practical skills and resources for those attending.”

Sault College is proud of the success and impact of this new microcredentials series. “Finding where the gaps in knowledge are is a major contributor. Our success was also, mainly, due to our Subject Matter Expert, Dr. Gary Sibbald, whom we partnered with.” Dr. Sibbald is a renowned dermatologist, highly respected in his field. The partnership with WoundPedia, a not-for-profit led by Dr. Sibbald which already has a following, was also a key factor in the success of this project.

“The knowledge from this training is going to have great impact on communities in the north!” adds Crosson.

Robert Luke says that’s a key thing about microcredentials: “These are options for learning that learners need today. Microcredentials can be used to address emerging opportunities with agility, while leveraging the brand of public education, which is really strong.” Says Luke, “Quality is what Ontario colleges are known for.”

Sources:

• https://microlearnontario.ca

• www.oecd.org/education/Canada-EAG2014Country-Note.pdf

• https://humber.ca/future-students/understandingcredentials/micro-credentials.html

• www.saultcollege.ca/news-releases/sault-college-offersinnovative-skin-and-wound-micro-credentials-healthcare 