This document discusses models for international collaboration on microcredentials and short learning programs (SLPs). It describes several pilots of SLPs run by EADTU, including on climate change, digital transformation, and online learning. Lessons from the pilots highlighted the need for clear agreements between partner institutions, suitable program size and organization, and a framework for quality assurance. The presentation goes on to provide an example of developing a joint SLP through establishing a partnership, designing a curriculum, qualifications, ecosystem, and business plan while ensuring sustainability. It stresses the importance of shared understanding and responsibilities between partners.

1. Empower webinar week
Implementing
Microcredentials in
Continuing Education
Enriched programmes by international collaboration and mobility
Fred Truyen (KU Leuven)
Anne teaching the young Mary to read.
Engraving after C. Maratta. door Carlo Maratta –
Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom - CC BY.

2. Enriched programmes by international
collaboration and mobility
Fred Truyen, KU Leuven
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3. Life Long Learning
• Growing demand to:
• Deepen and update knowledge during the professional career
• Interact with other professionals and assess, evaluate and
integrate their contributions
• Reorient, reboot or switch career paths
• Working in an internationalized context
• Right skills at the right time in the right place
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4. Interactional Expertise
• Rethinking Expertise (Collins and Evans 2007)
• Mastering the language of a field without the competency to
actually perform it, like the contributive domain expert can
• A vital skill in modern, complex organisations
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5. Need for trust
• Modular Certification
• Quality assessment
• Critical reflection
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6. Solutions?
• On-demand learning
• Shorter knowledge packages
• Easier access to learning
• Digital delivery
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7. Current situation
• Formal education
• Postgraduate programmes
• Informal learning
• Youtube, Wikipedia, MOOCs …
• Commercial training programmes
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8. Deficiencies
• Lacking solid integration with academic research and learning
• Recognition
• Lack of critical reflection
• Selection bias not helping to widen views and perspectives
• Not stackable
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9. Microcredentials
• 1-30 ECTS
• Flexible
• Certified & Recognized
• Embedded in Higher Education
• Linked with critical and international academic work
• Enables and facilitates (virtual) mobility
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10. Benefits
• Flexible delivery (eg as part of MOOCs)
• Low access threshold
• Self-paced learning facilitates mobility and time management
• Stackable and linked to formal degrees
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11. Benefits of collaboration
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Complementary knowledge domains
Reuse of modules for different programmes
Input from professional field
International perspectives

12. SLPs
• a group of courses (units, modules or other learning building blocks)
• with a common subject focusing on specific needs in society
• which can be used as stackable elements of larger formal degrees
• targeting non-traditional and adult learners
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13. Empower webinar week
Implementing
Microcredentials in
Continuing Education
Models for international collaboration
Fred Truyen (KU Leuven) – Piet Henderikx (EADTU)
An elderly man is teaching a group of boys
the geography of the world from a globe.
Engraving by W.H. Lizars after himself. –
Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom - CC BY.

14. Models for international collaboration
Fred Truyen, KU Leuven
Piet Henderikx, EADTU
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15. SLPs
• a group of courses (units, modules or other learning building blocks)
• with a common subject focusing on specific needs in society
• which can be used as stackable elements of larger formal degrees
• targeting non-traditional and adult learners
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16. CS Digital, Faculty of Arts
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17. Pilots
1. Climate Change
2. New Rights
3. Online and Blended Learning
4. Digital Transformation & Enterprise 4.0
5. Digital Competent Educators
You can find the report on e-slp.eadtu.eu
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18. Lessons Learned
Report conclusions
• Framework
• Clear agreements between partners
• Conditions
• Programme Size
• Organization
You can find the report on e-slp.eadtu.eu
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19. Erasmus+: 590202-EPP-1-2017-1-NL-EPPKA3-PI-
FORWARD
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20. Concept
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21. Partnership
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22. Partnership
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23. Programme Team
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24. Institutional support
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25. Joint Vision
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26. Design a joint curriculum
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27. Design a joint curriculum
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28. Qualifications
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29. Ecosystem
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30. Language Policy
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31. Admissions Framework
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32. Exam regulations
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33. Quality Assurance
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34. Business Plan
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35. Recruitment Plan
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36. Consortium Agreement
- The composition of the partnership;
- The role of the program team;
- The objectives of the program;
- The main structure of the program;
- The main pedagogical principles;
- The mode of delivery;
- Mobility agreements;
- The qualification awarded;
- The language policy;
- The admission;
- The examination committee;
- Quality assurance mechanisms;
- The financial management.
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37. Sustainability Framework
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38. Framework
• It is vital to share a common understanding of SLP’s;
• what they mean for each participating institution;
• how they relate to existing diploma programmes and
• what the intended target audience is
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39. Agreements between partners
• Sharing of responsibilities
• Institutional agreement
• Branding, marketing
• Copyrights
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40. Conditions
• Need for shared catalog of courses
• Choose partners who know each other
• Make sure teaching staff has existing contacts
• Define a clear USP
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41. Organization
• Who should take the initiative
• Who should be involved
• Guidelines on SLP deployment needed
• Top-down or bottom-up?
• Motivated professors
• Rector support
• Programme committee
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