Micro-credentials in Action

👋 Hello, and welcome to a special edition of the Micro-credential Multiverse newsletter!

This month, we are thrilled to bring you a wealth of insights and updates on the rapidly evolving landscape of micro-credentials. As we continue exploring the impact and potential of digital badging, we are excited to share our recent experiences, success stories, and valuable resources to help you stay ahead in the field.

In this edition, we will:

1. highlight our participation in the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) event, where we delved into the power of digital badges for recognizing volunteer and participant contributions while highlighting new ways of recognizing skills and competencies achieved through “non-traditional” learning experiences.
2. We also recap our latest Micro-credential Monday session, where we focused on how micro-credentials can bolster community resilience.
3. Additionally, we proudly showcase a success story from Sumo Logic , illustrating the transformative impact of a well-implemented micro-credential program for businesses and upskilling/reskilling and talent pipelines.
4. Finally, don’t miss out on our curated reading list, which features essential articles and reports shaping the conversation around skills-based credentials.

Thank you for joining us on this journey towards a more equitable and skills-focused future of work. Let's dive in!

Micro-credential Multiverse at the Conference for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS)

Visit our website to explore the slide deck

Micro-credential Multiverse Shines at the AAPS Event: Elevating Volunteer Recognition Through Digital Badging

Micro-credential Multiverse recently had the honor of participating in the prestigious Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) 2024 conference on June 5th. This event brought together leading minds to explore the transformative power of participatory science and our contribution focused squarely on digital badging. Our session, co-presented with renowned experts Darlene Cavalier ( SciStarter ) and Sarah Kirn ( Gulf of Maine Research Institute , a NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration partner), focused on the innovative potential of digital badges to formalize and recognize volunteer and participant contributions at scale.

Following our presentation, we led a group of practitioners and experts in a “What, How, and Why” modeling exercise to identify areas where other citizen science programs can start recognizing learners for their contributions and demonstrating skills and competence.

Understanding the Importance of Digital Badging

Digital badging and micro-credentialing are an emerging and necessary trend in the national shift to skills-based learning recognition and hiring. Each badge is a verifiable, shareable, and portable record of skill, achievement, experience, and contribution. At the AAPS conference, we emphasized how digital badging platforms can be leveraged to effectively acknowledge the efforts of volunteers and participants. By integrating digital badges into participatory science projects, organizations can enhance volunteer engagement, motivation, and retention.

To illustrate this fact, Darlene Cavalier , the founder of SciStarter , spent time unpacking their portfolio of digital badges, which have been awarded to thousands of citizen scientists and recognize dozens of valuable skills and competencies.

Visit SciStarer.org to learn more

Highlights from Our Session

Our session at the AAPS event was a deep dive into the practical applications of digital badging. We shared insights on how these platforms can bridge the gap between informal volunteer work and formal recognition systems.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Enhancing Volunteer Motivation: Digital badges provide tangible recognition for traditional and non-traditional, online and in-person learning experiences, significantly boosting volunteer motivation and satisfaction.
• Scalable Recognition: With digital badging, organizations can efficiently manage and recognize contributions from a large number of volunteers.
• Career Advancement: Digital badges can serve as credible evidence of skills and experiences, aiding volunteers in translating their experiences in participatory and citizen science projects into evidence for career progression.
• Stackable, interoperable pathways: Adopting open credential standards, like those adopted by SciStarter, allows digital badge issuers from many different programs to be organized into connected, stackable learning journeys.

“94% of people who completed the Foundations of Citizen Science training increased their awareness, understanding, and interest in citizen science “a great deal.” The vast majority of participants reported that the tutorial significantly increased their confidence completing various citizen science tasks, including participating in citizen science, collecting data, and analyzing data.” - SciStarter.org

Supporting Resources

For those who missed the event or want to delve deeper into our discussion, we have made several resources available:

• AAPS Website The Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) promotes the growth and impact of participatory sciences.
• CAPS Conference landing page Information about the 2024 CAPS Conference, where we discussed digital badging and recognition.
• Session Slides The slides from our session at the AAPS event detail our discussion on digital badging (slides linked above).
• LinkedIn Post My LinkedIn post about our participation in the AAPS event, including acknowledgments.

The Future of Digital Badging in Participatory Sciences

The positive feedback we received at the AAPS event underscores the growing interest in digital badging within the participatory sciences community. We are committed to exploring new ways to leverage these powerful tools to enhance volunteer engagement and recognition as we move forward.

By integrating digital badges into participatory science projects, we can create a more inclusive and rewarding environment for volunteers. This not only benefits the volunteers themselves but also strengthens the overall impact and sustainability of participatory science initiatives nationally and abroad.

Micro-credential Monday, June 3, 2024

Enhancing Community Resilience through Micro-credentials

Visit our website to explore the slide deck

At Micro-credential Multiverse, we are dedicated to fostering continuous learning and skill development through our monthly initiative, Micro-credential Mondays. The June edition of Micro-credential Mondays was a remarkable session that focused on the critical theme of enhancing community resilience through the strategic use of micro-credentials.

Exploring Community Resilience with Dr. Daniel Gannon

This month, Micro-credential Multiverse had the privilege of hosting Dr. Daniel Gannon , an expert in community resilience and micro-credentialing. Dr. Gannon provided valuable insights into how communities can leverage micro-credentials to build resilience, adapt to changes, and thrive in uncertain times.

Visit our website to explore the slide deck

Key Takeaways from the Session

Our discussion centered around several key points that highlight the importance and impact of micro-credentials in strengthening community resilience:

• Skill Recognition and Validation: Micro-credentials offer a formal way to recognize and validate the skills and contributions of community members. This recognition can empower individuals, enhance their sense of belonging, and motivate them to participate actively in community initiatives.
• Enhanced Employability: By earning micro-credentials, community members can improve their employability. These credentials serve as verifiable proof of skills and competencies, making it easier for individuals to transition into new roles or seek advancement in their current positions.
• Building a Supportive Network: Micro-credentials can help build a network of skilled individuals within the community. This network can provide mutual support, share resources, and collaborate on projects that benefit the entire community.
• Adaptation and Innovation: Communities that embrace micro-credentialing are better positioned to adapt to changes and innovate. By continuously learning and acquiring new skills, community members can respond effectively to emerging challenges and opportunities.

Supporting Resources

For those who want to explore the insights shared during our June session, we have made several resources available:

• Micro-credential Mondays landing page and schedule: The official page for Micro-credential Mondays, including the schedule and details of sessions.
• Recording from MC Mondays (June) on LinkedIn: The recording of our June Micro-credential Mondays session on LinkedIn.
• Session Slides: The slides from the June session focus on community resilience through micro-credentials. Following the main slide deck, a wealth of supporting research supports Dr. Gannon’s work (included in our famous “bonus slides” section). We always go out of our way to show our work; be sure to take a look and see for yourself!

Preview: Looking Ahead to Future Sessions

Micro-credential Mondays will continue to explore diverse themes and innovative applications of micro-credentials. Our next session on July 1st, 2024, will delve into new strategies for leveraging micro-credentials to enhance career pathways and personal development.

We are also excited to announce our August 5th session, featuring a client of Micro-credential Multiverse and one of the fastest-growing edtech companies in 2024 - POK Proof of knowledge .

About Proof of Knowledge (POK)

POK (Proof of Knowledge) is the only platform that empowers you to issue digital verifiable credentials and micro-credentials as NFTs on the blockchain.

Certificates, diplomas, titles, and badges issued in this way are impossible to forge and can be easily verified by anyone with just one click. Additionally, POK is multilingual, supporting more than 300 local languages, ensuring accessibility for users worldwide.

Using POK for certificate issuance enhances trust and visibility for your institution, helping you engage, retain, and attract new students. When students share their digital certificates on social media, they become brand ambassadors, promoting your institution's programs and achievements to a wider audience.

Visit pok.tech to learn more

Join Us on This Journey - Attend the next live stream 🔴

Micro-credential Mondays is more than just a series of webinars; it is a movement towards a future where learning is continuous, skills are recognized, and communities are resilient. We invite you to join us on this journey and be a part of the transformative impact of micro-credentials.

Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for our upcoming sessions. Together, we can build a future where everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

Learn more about Micro-credential Mondays

Success Story Spotlight

How Sumo Logic Implemented a Successful Micro-credential Program

Last year, Sumo Logic partnered with Micro-credential Multiverse to develop a comprehensive micro-credential program. This initiative aimed to enhance employee skills, boost engagement, and improve retention rates within the company. Through this partnership, Sumo Logic has successfully integrated micro-credentials into their workforce development strategy, leading to significant positive outcomes.

The Challenge

Sumo Logic, a leading provider of cloud-based machine data analytics, recognized the need to continually upskill their employees to stay competitive in the fast-paced tech industry.

They faced the challenge of ensuring their workforce remained proficient in the latest technologies and methodologies while growing their ability to collaborate internally to deliver industry-leading solutions and customer experiences.

Specifically, Sumo Logic wanted to increase employee engagement and retention by providing meaningful professional development opportunities that aligned with the immediate and ongoing needs of their team.

Our Solution

By collaborating with Micro-credential Multiverse, Sumo Logic embarked on a journey to design and implement a tailored micro-credential program. This program was structured to enhance three specific, critical roles within the organization:

• Account Executives (AE)
• Systems Engineers (SE), and
• Sales Development Representatives (SDR).

• Customized Learning Pathways: Tailored micro-credential courses were developed to meet the unique needs of Sumo Logic’s critical roles, covering essential skills such as data analytics, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
• Recognition and Reward: Employees who completed the micro-credential courses received digital badges that could be showcased on professional networks like LinkedIn, providing public recognition of their newly acquired skills. These awards also sent valuable signals to the learning and professional development team within Sumo Logic to track progress and continuously improve their curricula. It’s also worth mentioning that an entire curriculum review process was developed to support this emerging standard operating procedure.
• Engagement and Motivation: The program included interactive and engaging content, making the learning process enjoyable and motivating for employees. This included project-based and employee-led training sessions to grow cross-functional abilities and facilitate cross-department engagement. Further, the traditional video-based approach was replaced with a competency-based instructional design and pedagogical approach grounded in peer-reviewed research.

Visit our website to explore the success story

The Impact

Deliverable 1: Strategic Plan (image below)

Sumo Logic’s customized strategic plan included several key components to ensure ongoing success:

• Key Performance Indicators: Defined to measure progress and outcomes.
• Ongoing Professional Development (PD) Approach: Developed onboarding and ongoing PD approaches, including goal-based modules and skills-based outcomes.
• Outcomes and Continuous Improvement: Established continuous improvement processes and a regular curriculum review procedure and cadence to ensure the program remains effective and relevant.

Deliverable 2: Action Plan (image above)

The action plan encompassed a variety of components to support Sumo Logic's goals:

• Onboarding PD (First 30): A comprehensive onboarding PD approach for new hires aligned with needs surfaced through the interviewing process.
• Ongoing PD (30+): Continuous professional development modules for employees beyond their first 30 days, capitalizing on the need for deep cross-functional expertise and collaboration.
• Goal-based Modules: Learning modules focused on achieving specific, organizationally aligned goals.
• Skills-based Outcomes: Evidence-producing, competency-based modules designed to develop and assess specific skills.
• Instructional Strategies: Strategies to ensure rigorous assessment, effective learning, and continuous improvement.

By implementing a comprehensive micro-credential program, Sumo Logic has set a benchmark for how organizations can leverage digital badges to foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth. We are proud to have partnered with them on this successful initiative and look forward to supporting more organizations in their journey toward workforce excellence.

Read More: For a detailed account of Sumo Logic’s journey and the specific benefits they have experienced, read the full success story.

Rob's Reading List

I’m going to start something new this time around. Here are a few articles that caught my attention this month. Keep in mind these aren’t necessarily *new* articles, but they help paint a picture that should prove valuable as we continue to innovate in this space:

Jobs for the Future (JFF) : Do job seekers actually want skills-based credentials? Yes.

This article explores the demand for skills-based credentials among job seekers.

• Why does Rob like it? I like this article because it makes a very clear case for the “supply” side of the micro-credential equation. Often I find myself illustrating the value-generating proposition of micro-credentials as a new form of “career currency” and it’s always nice to find an article that gets right to the point.

The Project on Workforce at Harvard: College-to-Jobs Initiative: Policy and Practice

A series based on a research study by Harvard, providing insights into employer and institution perspectives.

• Why does Rob like it? If you haven’t been following along, this whole initiative is just out of this world. Not only does it leverage the best kind of research and data that one could find, but the team has stitched the data into a series of tools, stories, and resources that are impossible not to be awe-struck by. I strongly recommend going through these resources if you’re an employer or an institution. Start here:

World Economic Forum : The Future of Jobs Report 2023

An extensive report on the state of skills and labor markets worldwide, highlighting technology's impact.

• Why does Rob like it? We have a litmus test at Micro-credential Multiverse for what is and is not "newsworthy." An article must be "Real, Meaningful, and Different." In other words, the information must be real (true), it has to matter (it's applicable), and it isn't something someone else has already said (summaries are ok). This report not only unpacks all of the data supporting the shift to skills-based learning, recognition, and hiring but goes a step further and outlines all of the data that led them to their conclusions. In our book, that's a recipe for a valuable document that should (and likely will) inform your strategic shift to all things skills-based. Here are two quotes that should inspire you to spend 10 - 15 minutes with this critical document:

“Employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years” or that

“Six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today"

Get Hired by LinkedIn News : Walmart's Talent Execs Say the Future is All About Skills: This article discusses the growing demand for skills-based credentials from major employers like Walmart .

• Why does Rob like it? I like this interview for many reasons, but I frequently encounter folks who don’t realize big companies like Walmart are going all-in on skills-based micro-credentials. I also delight in reminding folks that despite the good intentions of Walmart employees and leaders, they are not in the business of investment without return. Micro-credentials offer clear returns on investment and provide companies with measurable competitive advantages - especially at scale. This interview goes into detail about those facts, and I think more business leaders should give it a listen!

Upcoming Events

Next Micro-credential Monday: July 1st, 2024 - Explore innovative strategies and best practices in micro-credentialing.

• Learn more here: Micro-credential Mondays

InstructureCon 2024 by Instructure - Join us at InstructureCon 2024 to connect with educators and tech experts on the latest in educational technology.

• Join us for this exciting event: InstructureCon 2024

Micro-credential Monday: August 5th - Featuring POK Proof of knowledge , this session will delve into validating skills and expertise through micro-credentials.

The 2024 Badge Summit - Participate in the 2024 Badge Summit to discover the future of digital badges and their role in education and career advancement.

• Don't miss out: The Badge Summit @ CU Boulder .

Thank you!

Thank you for being a part of the Micro-credential Multiverse community.

Your support and engagement are crucial to our mission of advancing micro-credentials and creating a more equitable and fair future of work. Remember to subscribe to this newsletter to receive the next edition, where we will continue to share insights, success stories, and resources to help you stay ahead in the evolving landscape of digital credentials.

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