Mapping the STEM Microcredential Landscape, Volume I: Frameworks, Applications, and Future Directions (Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations)

This edited volume offers a foundational exploration of the STEM microcredential landscape. Bringing together educators, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders, the chapters in this volume demonstrate the flexibility and targeted nature of STEM microcredentials, meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving job market through competency-based learning. It examines the intricate relationships between learners, higher education institutions, and the workforce through sections focused on an overview, frameworks, and topic studies. By delving into the foundational theories and current practices, this volume sets the stage for the practical case studies and future-oriented discussions presented in Volume II, providing a comprehensive look at the STEM microcredential landscape.

Rob Moore is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, USA and the director of the Investigating Digital Ecologies to Advance Transformative Education (IDEATE) Research Lab in the Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies, University of Florida, USA. His research focuses on how processes and structures affect learner experiences in digital environments, with a particular interest in microcredentials as transformative pathways for education and careers. He investigates the impact of technology integration on learner experiences and outcomes.

Kent Crippen is a Professor of STEM Education in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, USA. His research program embraces the grand challenge of providing an inclusive and robust science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce through designing and evaluating learning environments that offer authentic experiences through networked learning technologies. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Science Education and Technology.