More Colleges Are Offering Microcredentials—And Developing Them The Way Businesses Make New Products

Jeffrey R. Young - EdSurge
Goodbye MOOCs, hello microcredentials.

As federal and local funding fades and Silicon Valley gains greater influence in the edtech space, traditional learning institutions have undergone a "recapitalization", moving to try new types of online degrees and certificates. These new programs benefit institutions twofold: first as a new revenue stream, especially concerning international audiences, and second as a way of advertising their in-person graduate programs. So what stops everyone from jumping on the bandwagon? Reputation. As one Stanford prof puts it “The more prominent you are in the reputational economy, the more you have to lose.”

Jeffrey R. Young - EdSurge
Goodbye MOOCs, hello microcredentials.

As federal and local funding fades and Silicon Valley gains greater influence in the edtech space, traditional learning institutions have undergone a "recapitalization", moving to try new types of online degrees and certificates. These new programs benefit institutions twofold: first as a new revenue stream, especially concerning international audiences, and second as a way of advertising their in-person graduate programs. So what stops everyone from jumping on the bandwagon? Reputation. As one Stanford prof puts it “The more prominent you are in the reputational economy, the more you have to lose.”