Micro-Credentials, Nano Degrees, and Digital Badges: New Credentials for Global Higher Education

Digital technologies offer myriad access to learning; entree to education is still a necessity for economic success, with access increasingly promoted to those wishing access to furthering their skills (; Pascarella & Terezini, 2005; ). As new technologies and traditional education paradigms have collided, credentialing paradigms have also needed review (; European Association for International Education (EAIA), 2012, 2015; ). Traditionally, academic credentials and professional certifications were awarded as students emerged from education and vocational/technical programs (Ledesma, 2012). By 2015, global higher education institutions were considering validation of knowledge from online learning coursework in one single common, broad-based credentialing platform (EAIA, 2012, 2015). Accreditation for online learning or Massive Open Online Coursework provides challenges for universities to accept and acknowledge learning as credited coursework; awarding credit for different types of educational coursework disrupts higher education's traditional, formal educational processes for financial and educational accountability (; ; ). The challenge for post-secondary institutions is to look at online learning opportunities through a lens of reform and innovation and equally, as an opportunity to increase higher education participation. (; ).