Micro-credentials and micro-degrees. Current developments and potentials for educational practice based on the example of the AI Campus

Micro-credentials and micro-degrees are increasingly being discussed in education policy and practice as a flexible and innovative form of qualification. This discussion paper outlines the current status of national, European and international activities on micro-credentials and micro-degrees on digital learning platforms, in higher education and in vocational education. Taking the AI Campus – the Learning Platform for Artificial Intelligence – as a use case, it presents current practical developments and perspectives. Central to this is the presentation of a working definition of micro-credentials and microdegrees, considering the current academic discourse, as well as the demonstration of two planned AI Campus micro-degree programmes. Finally, an outlook will be offered related to the AI Campus’ plans for advancing the development of micro-degrees and helping them to take shape. The focus of this paper is on the German and European university landscape.

This discussion paper is a translation of the original German paper published in August 2022. Relevant studies and data are as of mid-2022. The examples of the AI Campus have been updated to early 2023.

The AI Campus is an R&D project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The learning opportunities marked as "AI Campus Original" are also implemented as R&D projects. The AI Campus has been available to the public as a beta version since July 2020 and is in continuous development: www.ai-campus.org