digital currencies for employability and lifelong learning
TRANSCRIPT
Digital currencies for employability and lifelong learning
Dr Nicola Pallitt@nicolapallitt [email protected]
Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), UCTAssociation for Business Communication Conference, Cape Town
6 January 2016
Introduction• Students and employees share micro-credentials on their
LinkedIn profiles to showcase skills, competencies & professional learning• Collectively displayed, micro-credentials may be seen as
digital currencies for employability and lifelong learning• ‘Micro-credentials’ or ‘professional digital currencies’
include:• Verified certificates (online courses)• Statements of participation & completion (MOOCs)• Open badges
• Have been more popular among ed-tech companies than at traditional universities BUT this is changing…• Boundary between formal and informal learning blurring
Digital currencies – why the hype? • What has changed?• Way we learn• How we share what we have learned • Credibility of those we learn from is being disrupted= how we validate learning & the kind of learning valued
in the workplace is changing
• New models of learning, assessment and accreditation emerging• More opportunities for à la carte professional
learning • Employers consulting potential candidates’
LinkedIn profiles before hiring = increasing
University degrees & diplomasCertificates
… fancy sheets of paper?
Verified certificates & statements of participation & completion on LinkedInOpen badges
…. connected learning made visible, showcase diverse learning pathways
Why micro-credentials?• Alternative to years-long degree programs • Heralded as the future of professional learning • Give employers detailed information about the skills
students master• Demonstrated competence: “show what you know
economy” • DIY Higher Ed and ‘pay as you go’ (free opportunities
getting smaller, growing competition) but shorter and cheaper than conventional degrees• Way for adults to get career-oriented skills that are
marketable
Udacity nanodegrees & individual courses
Coursera specializations
Open badges
Old concept, new technology
• Sharing traditional qualifications and a CV is not enough – need for competencies and demonstration of these to be more transparent for employers • Need for more holistic representation of skills and
learning that is also relevant to boost employability• Emphasis on job-related skills and ways to
showcase these for employers • Various opportunities exist across the landscape of
micro-credentials, especially business-related
So far we know…
Discussion• Why are micro-credentials becoming popular in
business education? • What forms of micro-credentials will take hold in
business communication specifically and why?• What is regarded as ‘currency’ in this field and
community of practitioners?• Micro-credentials as solutionist fairytale – career
leverage for an elite few?• Whose interests are being served? (let’s be critical)