Micro-credential Platform Quarterly Report Q2 2020

Black Lives and Racial Inequities

We at Digital Promise join with millions of Americans in seeking justice for Black lives lost to racialized violence, and in condemning our nation’s long history of individual and systemic racism. We stand firmly in the belief that Black lives matter and will continue to use our platform to further that message.

The Micro-credential Team’s goal is to center equity in our communal work by utilizing an anti-racist lens to ensure access to powerful and inclusive learning experiences. We stand in solidarity with all of our issuing partners and communities in combating anti-Black racism, and all those working to build a more just and compassionate world.

COVID-19 and Micro-credentials

The environment in which we teach and learn has been upended over the last several months by the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools closed and we are forced to social distance, micro-credentials—which are online and on-demand—can support professional learning while adhering to public health decrees. Moreover, micro-credentials focus on a specific skill, which can help educators focus on one or two things they would like to prioritize during these rapidly changing times.

Additionally, Digital Promise continues to compile some of the best resources and exemplars for schools and families preparing for online learning in response to COVID-19. Our Micro-credentials COVID-19 Library is a curated list of micro-credentials that can be earned without face-to-face interaction or student work, and also relevant topics during the pandemic.

Quarterly Report for Q2, 2020

Our quarterly reports provide insight into our micro-credential ecosystem, with easy-to-find information from the last quarter. We also highlight news and notes that capture the growth of the ecosystem, including new platform features and information about where micro-credentials are being earned. Note that this is an internal report. Please do not distribute.

Please email us if you would like to dive deeper into anything from the reports.

Q2 2020 by the numbers:

1,041 micro-credentials awarded
33 new micro-credentials launched
4 new issuing organizations
1,673 new user accounts
530 unique micro-credentials awarded
28 issuing organizations awarded micro-credentials
71 unique assessors made micro-credential recommendations

Micro-credentials from 55 stacks awarded
Educators from 35 states earned micro-credentials
145,298 pageviews
541 pageviews on the platform’s busiest day (June 16)

Click on the image to enlarge

Platform Traffic – Users over Time

Subject Area Taught (for those educators who have completed their account profiles)

States where educators have earned micro-credentials in Q2

New Platform Features

Your feedback is valuable in enhancing our ecosystem. This quarter, we’ve launched the Micro-credentials for Recertification page.

Nearly every state mandates that teachers renew their teaching licenses periodically, but renewal requirements vary. We’ve created a resource to help educators learn which states accept Digital Promise micro-credentials as a valid form of professional development for relicensure.

Is your state or district working on micro-credential policies? Do you have an impact story to share? Let us know so we can add you to our Micro-credential Policy Map!

New Micro-credentials

	Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning – Design Thinking The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, whose mission is to create and innovate in the field of mind, brain, and education science research, has launched three micro-credentials in the Design Thinking stack. Educators can demonstrate their skills in cultivating creativity, design-thinking practices, and assessment in their classroom environment and culture.
	Clark County Educational Association – Four New Micro-credential Stacks The Clark County Education Association (CCEA) is a union of educators in Nevada. This spring, CCEA has launched 10 new micro-credentials housed within four stacks that center in global education, family partnerships, motivating learners, and understanding learners and their diverse needs.
	Digital Promise – Transitioning to Digital Learning To support our nation’s educators as they shift to digital learning due to COVID-19 school closures, Digital Promise has developed a stack of five Transitioning to Digital Learning micro-credentials. Schools and districts looking to support their educators or individual educators looking for streamlined resources can utilize this stack to support digital learning that centers around equity and access. Educators are encouraged to complete this stack in order.
	Edcamp Community at Digital Promise – Edcamp Organizer Educators who organize the rigorous and personalized learning experiences at Edcamps know how comprehensive the experience is. The Edcamp Organizer micro-credential aims to honor these educator leaders’ depth of understanding about participant-driven professional development.
	Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative – Teaching Students with Disabilities The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) is one of eight education cooperatives in Kentucky consisting of 22 member school districts and serving more than 50,000 learners. The new Teaching Students with Disabilities stack includes Co-Teaching for Educators of Students with Disabilities, Curriculum-Based Measurement, Adapting Math Lessons, and more. As part of the Teaching Rural Students from Poverty stack, KVEC launched Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, whereby educators demonstrate knowledge of culturally responsive teaching practices to bolster success of rural students from poverty.
	Mid-Pacific’s Kupu Hou Academy – Formative Assessments in Deeper Learning Mid-Pacific’s Kupu Hou Academy provides teachers and school leaders with the tools and support to transform schools and bring deeper learning to life in the classroom. Their first micro-credential, Formative Assessments in Deeper Learning, is designed to help educators demonstrate their skills in designing formative assessments for deeper learning.
	The Modern Classrooms Project – Planning for Modern Classroom Instruction The Modern Classrooms Project empowers educators to create blended, mastery-based classrooms for all learners. In their first micro-credential, the educator plans a blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning experience for students.
	The National Rural Education Association – Career Advising Specialist The National Rural Education Association is the oldest established national organization of its kind in the United States; it includes rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, and more. Through their first micro-credential, educators demonstrate their competence to become connection points in their schools to drive mindset shifts and build career readiness for learners.
	UTeach Computer Science – Peer Instruction UTeach Computer Science provides classroom-ready high school computer science curricula and teacher professional development to foster computational thinking and engage all students through hands-on project-based learning. Their latest micro-credential allows educators to demonstrate their skill and expertise on implementing the peer instruction learning strategy with students.
	Western Governors University Western Governors University (WGU) launched a stack of micro-credentials to support coaches and collaborative partnerships.*
	World Savvy – Three New Micro-credential Stacks New Stacks in Partnership with University of North Carolina World Savvy, an organization that educates and engages youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens, has launched six new micro-credentials centered on communication, future ready skills, and self-awareness and reflection. In addition, World Savvy has launched versions of all their micro-credentials in which educators can gain continuing education units through the World Savvy–University of North Carolina, Go Global partnership.

*Denotes a privately hosted micro-credential stack.

Partners and Programs

Puerto Rico Department of Education & Global Education Exchange Opportunities

Earlier this spring, the Digital Promise Micro-credential team began collaborating with the Global Education Exchange Opportunities (GEEO) and the Puerto Rico Department of Education. The project’s goal is to develop and support work utilizing teachers’ powerful use of technology across the island by leveraging micro-credentials and a scalable coaching model.

Do you have an idea on expanding your micro-credential work? Would you like to collaborate on a grant? Know an organization that we should partner with?

Let us know!