Plan long-term quantitative data collection and interoperable systems to evaluate micro-credentials' social mobility impact¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Because most rural micro-credentialing programs remain in pilot phases, the report recommends that institutions "plan for long-term impact and evaluation" to determine whether micro-credentials promote social mobility, particularly for poverty-impacted BIPOC learners. Initiatives should collect and monitor data on student demographics, educational attainment outcomes, and wages; ensure data systems across organizations are interoperable; fund personnel to collect and analyze information; and improve messaging to earners, employers, and funders. The report includes an appendix template to help initiatives collect analyzable program-outcome data.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Funding for personnel responsible for collecting and analyzing information
• Data interoperability across higher education, adult education, training providers, and employers

Constraints¶

• In this study the data obtained from sites were not in line with the research question assessing shifts in socioeconomic mobility, and the number of participants earning micro-credentials was not robust enough for thorough analyses

Target Learners¶

• Poverty-impacted rural adult learners, particularly BIPOC learners

Target Learning Goals¶

• Credential attainment
• Workforce entry and promotion
• Salary increase and educational attainment

Related Strategies¶

• Advance micro-credentials through a piloting coalition, a rigorous research agenda, and dissemination of best practices
• Policy strategies to personalize learning: competency-based progressions, phased implementation, networks, and interoperability
• Next-phase agenda: pilot and refine STEM pathways, align STEM education with local economic demands, and plan a sustaining backbone organization
• Future SSSC evaluation work: collect data from directors, gather detailed activity data, and interview policymakers and practitioners to develop impact measures

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Tinsley, B., Cacicio, S., Shah, Z., Parker, D., Younge, O. & Luke Luna C. (2022, March). Micro-credentials for social mobility in rural postsecondary communities: A landscape report. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/151