Exploring Centralized, Decentralized, and Hybrid Approaches to Micro-Credential Issuance in HEI Alliances

Padmasheela Kiiskilä, Henri Pirkkalainen

2024

Abstract

Micro-Credentials (MCs) are seen as a way by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to equip learners with the essential skills for their careers or professional development. In Europe, HEIs are joining forces to form alliances to offer a broad range of MCs and make them tamper-proof, verifiable, and shareable. Although extensive research is being done on MCs, there is a major research gap in identifying and comparing different ways alliances can manage issuance of MCs. We identified two approaches in practice and through a case study, identified a third approach alliances can utilize. This paper also addresses this gap by using the data governance contingency model to provide a comparison of all three approaches that alliances can utilize in selecting the most suitable one for their business strategy. To achieve this, a qualitative case study is conducted with in-depth interviews with administrators from HEIs that are partners of an alliance. This study contributes to the governance of MCs through identification and comparison of the three approaches - centralized, decentralized, and hybrid in the context of MC issuance by HEI alliances.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Kiiskilä P. and Pirkkalainen H. (2024). Exploring Centralized, Decentralized, and Hybrid Approaches to Micro-Credential Issuance in HEI Alliances. In Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS; ISBN 978-989-758-716-0, SciTePress, pages 238-245. DOI: 10.5220/0012946700003838

in Bibtex Style

@conference{kmis24,
author={Padmasheela Kiiskilä and Henri Pirkkalainen},
title={Exploring Centralized, Decentralized, and Hybrid Approaches to Micro-Credential Issuance in HEI Alliances},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS},
year={2024},
pages={238-245},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0012946700003838},
isbn={978-989-758-716-0},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS
TI - Exploring Centralized, Decentralized, and Hybrid Approaches to Micro-Credential Issuance in HEI Alliances
SN - 978-989-758-716-0
AU - Kiiskilä P.
AU - Pirkkalainen H.
PY - 2024
SP - 238
EP - 245
DO - 10.5220/0012946700003838
PB - SciTePress