Acknowledging All Learning: Alternative, Micro, and Open Credentials

In this chapter, we review the needs that society, educational institutions, employers, and individual learners have, which argue for the importance of new alternative credentials of learning and skills, along with a theoretical rationale for open microcredentials as a potential enhancement of current systems. We review research findings into flexible microcredentials, including the burgeoning scholarship on open badges. In this review, we focus on three areas of research findings related to microcredentials: (a) the credentialing function and the value of how learned skills and knowledge are recognized, communicated, and perceived; (b) the motivational function and how effort and participation may be incentivized; and (c) the pedagogical function and how microcredentials may be used to support and scaffold learning in users. We conclude with recommendations for practice and research.