At the initiative of the public organisation KoloZnan and the company EPAM, a panel discussion ‘Master’s degree or micro-credentials: how the landscape of education is changing’ took place. The event aimed to shed light on the issue of micro-qualifications in modern education.
Experts outlined the terminology of the issue, emphasised the prospects for continuous learning in today’s competitive world, focused on the potential and challenges of introducing micro-credentials accreditation, developing a regulatory framework for certifying graduates of such programmes, and the role of stakeholders and internal quality assurance systems.
NAQA Vice Head Olena Yeremenko took part in the discussion and emphasised that the key difference in the practice of implementing micro-qualifications in public and private higher education institutions lies in readiness and motivation: ‘The main problem with the implementation of micro-qualifications is the inertia of the educational environment towards this phenomenon.’ The expert also stressed that the future of micro-qualification accreditation depends on dialogue with stakeholders and the focus of such programmes on the acquisition of practical skills.
Currently, only a few higher education institutions are developing micro-qualification programmes, but given the current realities, this process is quite promising, perhaps even necessary.