The Universal Micro-Credential Framework: The Role of Badges, Micro-Credentials, Skills Profiling, and Design Patterns in Developing Interdisciplinary Learning and Assessment Paths for Computing Education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to share worked examples of skills profiling within the universal micro-credential framework, a novel approach designed to further the enablement of 21st century skills which are defined here as a generalized series of competencies gained by a learner that enable them to self-reflect, self-regulate and self-optimize their capabilities within highly emergent contexts. This approach improves interdisciplinary learning and assessment paths for computing education by providing personalized learning and assessment options and by enabling curricula to better accommodate both internal and external interdisciplinary content. Through these worked examples, this article addresses potential solutions to fundamental and persistent structural issues in today’s learning-earning ecosystem. Most significant of these issues is what the authors refer to as a “capability-competency chasm,” a term used to describe an enduring gap that creates problematic deficits for learners as they transition between education and employment. At the core of the universal micro-credential framework is skills profiling, which can leverage micro-credential pathways and badge catalogues, both within the context of computing education in particular and across higher education in general. Accounting for the complexity of implementing system-wide redesign in highly variable higher-education contexts, this article also briefly references the role of design patterns to enable such implementation. Collectively, these flexible credentialing innovations offer a globally innovative solution to systemic challenges, explaining both the importance of addressing such challenges and the opportunities arising from them.