Glossary of Micro-Credential Terms

Glossary   

Alternative Credential: Non-traditional (non-degree) credentials offered by institutions of higher education, which may be for credit or non-credit. Typically issued in a digital format. 

Assessment: A process that ensures appropriate rigor and expertise to evaluate a learning activity to determine to what extent learning may have occurred.

Badge (Digital): An artifact that indicates an accomplishment or skill that can be displayed, accessed, and verified online.  

Certificate: An academic program (undergraduate, graduate or professional level) based on a free-standing body of knowledge, often interdisciplinary in nature.  

Competency: Learnable, measurable, and/or observable knowledge and skill sets gained.  

Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR):  A customizable personal digital record for all learning experiences. It can showcase learner records like courses, competencies, internships, or digital badges.

Credential:  (revised definition): Documented forms of completion or achievement. (e.g., educational certificates, degrees, micro-credentials, certifications, or government licenses)

Criteria: The knowledge, skills or competencies that need to be demonstrated by a learner to earn a credential.  

Earner: An individual that completes the requirements to earn a digital credential.  

Evidence: The assessment artifact or product associated with a credential that demonstrates the accomplishment of the criteria (e.g., video, oral presentation).  

Interoperability: The ability of different systems to communicate and exchange data seamlessly.

Issuer: An organization or individual responsible for issuing badges.  

Learning Employment Record (LER):  A comprehensive digital record of a worker’s skills and competencies. It can document learning wherever it occurs, and may include records of credentials, degrees, and employment. 

Metadata: Described as “the guts” of a digital badge which provides information regarding the requirements a learner demonstrated to earn the credential along with the evidence of completion.  

Micro-credential: A short program that allows students to gain industry-relevant skills and/or other competencies.  

Open Badge: Open badges are portable credentials containing metadata that offer detailed information about the achievements being credentialed. 

Stackable Credential: Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an individual’s qualifications and help that individual move along a career pathway and further education.  

Trust: The consumer’s belief that the credentials received have value (governance), are validated (true), are associated with the learner (identify) and are unchanged (immutable).

Verifiable: Confirmation that a credential is authentic, accurate and legitimate and has been awarded by an institution to a specific learner.