Lorie Bell

Exploring Microcredentials

Appalachian State University under the expert guidance of Dr. Amy Washburn

EDL 7549 Competency-Based Leadership Education

I am so excited about the opportunity to explore microcredentials this Summer. For the last few years I’ve been wondering how to offer digital badges based on professional development that I might create. In other words, what criteria are necessary for an organization to offer credentials? What does a “digital badge” truly represent?

As my doctoral cohort explores these questions together, our first steps promote digging into the world of miccrocredentialing on an individual basis and creating our own framework for evaluation. Here are the assignment details:

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Personalized Learning Plan:

Develop a personalized learning plan within your area of educational leadership interest.

This plan should identify at least 7-8 specific microcredentials you aim to complete throughout the course.

For each microcredential, include:

• Title and Issuing Organization
• Description of Learning Outcomes and Competencies
• Alignment with your professional goals
• Timeline for Completion (estimated)

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Microcredential Completion and Evaluation:

Throughout the term, actively seek out and complete the microcredentials identified in your learning plan.

Utilize your evaluation framework to assess each microcredential experience (design, learning activities, assessment, etc.)

Keep a log or journal documenting your reflections on each microcredential experience. Consider aspects like:

• Did the program meet your expectations?
• Were the learning activities effective and engaging?
• Did the credential enhance your knowledge and skills?
• Would you recommend this credential to others?

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Since this area of exploration is of interest to many professionals, perhaps educators in particular, I would like to blog my experiences. Of course, I would be happy to receive feedback or ideas to increase my learning along the way.