Introducing Multidisciplinary Micro-credentialing : Rethinking Learning and Development for Higher Education and Industry

Many new entrants to higher education, including employees and job seekers, consider micro-credentialing as time-wise alternatives to traditional degrees. These short online or physical courses are more accessible and allow the learner to quickly acquire skills-in-demand and associated knowledge and then re-deploy themselves into industry. Although micro-credentials paybacks are enormous, as they demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability, it has yet to be fully mapped within the credentialing ecosystem.

So far, there has been limited research on multidisciplinary micro-credentialing and its benefits to both higher education and industry. Introducing Multidisciplinary Micro-credentialing establishes a HE-industry framework to augment a re-skilling and upskilling process where courses could generate adaptable multidisciplinary links and intersections toward self-sufficiency.

Subasinghe and Giridharan offer in-depth discourse analysis on self-sufficiency-related benefits that could forge robust academia-industry partnerships to establish fluidity between different credentialing models and job sectors.

Chamila Subasinghe is a principal Fulbright recipient and received his executive certification focusing on crisis leadership in higher education from Harvard Kennedy School. A senior fellow at Higher Education Academy UK (SFHEA), Dr Subasinghe was inducted as a fellow of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) in 2021. He also serves as the director (Oceania) for Higher Education International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL), USA.

Beena Giridharan is a Research Supervisor at Curtin University and a Fellow of the prestigious Curtin Academy, Australia. Professor Giridharan served two terms as Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (2016- 2021) and two terms as Dean of Learning and Teaching (2011-2016- 2021-2022) at Curtin University, Malaysia. Beena has been a fellow of HERDSA since 2006. She is also the Country Director (Malaysia) for the HETL since 2019.