The Application of Micro-Credentialing Mapping to University Degrees: a Skills Framework

With more students attending university in an increasingly globalised world which focuses upon qualifications and accreditations, higher education is going through a sustained period of extreme pressure and increasing expectations. With many differing qualifications becoming more commonplace, it is now becoming difficult for students and employers to adequately assess the skill gained through a course of study. Subsequently, the trust placed in these courses for developing the right skills has started to diminish.

This thesis demonstrates the potential of a micro-credentialing approach to display the skills gained throughout a course of study. It can help all stakeholders develop a more in-depth understanding of the course. Using a well-informed methodology, together with other existing frameworks, an accurate mapping solution from learning outcomes given in a module specification has been produced.

The mapping solution generates reasonably accurate skill profiles which provide further insight into particular courses of study. This approach opens up many further avenues of potential research both in terms of refining this methodology and developing an adequate cross-disciplinary micro-credentialing standard.