Fueling the Educator Micro-credentials Ecosystem through Powerful Partnerships: Stories of Impact from the Field – Digital Promise

Fueling the Educator Micro-credentials Ecosystem through Powerful Partnerships: Stories of Impact from the Field

October 2, 2018 | By

Collaboration and community are critical foundations of powerful learning environments. They are also the pillars upon which strong networks are built.

Digital Promise’s work is guided by the principle of networks connecting us to people and ideas. The educator micro-credentials ecosystem connects leading professional learning content experts, convenes thought leaders, and works with a wide range of stakeholders toward a shared vision and goals. This network has been fueled by the work of our micro-credential issuers.

The Digital Promise Educator Micro-credentials initiative has partnered with more than 45 issuing organizations—ranging from institutes of higher education to non-profit organizations and county offices of education—to develop more than 500 micro-credentials. Issuers develop micro-credential content, assess submissions, and award micro-credentials. Many also provide recognition or value for those earned micro-credentials through certificates and professional development points. Thousands of educators from across the country have earned micro-credentials on a wide range of topics, including Deeper Learning, global competence, data literacy, and digital equity.

Each of our partners, and their affiliated networks, create new opportunities for competency-based professional learning to spread, while simultaneously reinforcing the strength of the ecosystem in the following areas:

Mission: The mission of the educator micro-credential ecosystem is to recognize educators for the skills they learn throughout their careers. Issuers are committed to elevating the teaching profession by capturing and sharing the skills educators acquire to meet the needs of their diverse learners.

Addressing Challenges/Gaps in Professional Development: Micro-credentials help address the “implementation gap” in professional development. They provide an extension and application of the rich learning we know takes place in both formal and informal settings. They also provide access to resources and guidance for educators who may not have access to high-quality professional learning. Issuers view micro-credentials as valuable tools to capture the evidence of learning that provides valuable insight into classroom experiences and helps shape their work.

Deepening Educator Engagement: Reflection is an important part of lifelong learning. The process of earning a micro-credential requires educators to examine their professional practices and, through analysis and feedback, continue to strive toward greater alignment with research-backed methods. This continuous cycle of learning is a shift from traditional “sit and get” models that our issuers support.

Elevating Educator Voice and Choice: Educators are as unique as the learners in their classrooms. Personalized learning is as important for educators as it is for students. Issuers believe micro-credentials put educators in the driver’s seat of their learning and provide educators an opportunity to learn how they need to and when they need to.

Our partners multiply the impact of our work. Strong alignment with the values of our ecosystem has allowed us to thoughtfully scale, while providing meaningful value for micro-credentials. This alignment has turned the promise of micro-credentials into real stories of impact.

We are continuously learning about the impact of educator micro-credentials. These stories from the field are as diverse as they are inspiring. Over the next few weeks, we will share stories of impact from several issuer partners and the educators in their networks. Whether you are a classroom teacher, building leader, or district superintendent, I hope that you are also inspired to start exploring and earning micro-credentials today.

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