Personalise my view
Digital badges transform online learning
TAFE Queensland’s micro-credential students earn industry recognised digital badges thanks to automated Credentialate system.
Overview
- During 2020 and 2021, the COVID pandemic forced a shift to online learning, with TAFE Queensland launching a series of micro-credentials.
- TAFE Queensland micro-credentials are an accessible, flexible way to learn new skills, progress careers and stay up to date with new technologies and technical skills.
- TAFE Queensland’s Course Gateway hosts micro-credentials across industries including business, community services, agriculture, mining, technology and clean energy the majority of which are fully funded and self-paced.
- Completion of micro-credentials result in an industry recognised digital badge.
Supporting Disadvantaged Jobseekers
In 2019, Edalex launched Credentialate – a Credential Evidence Platform that increases the power and meaning of digital badges and the ability to analyse performance against learning outcomes.
Opportunity
Micro-credentials are designed to help people develop skills, demonstrate their capability to the world, and give participants an edge in an increasingly competitive job market.
Participants earn digital badges that recognise skills, participation, awards or workplace achievement. Digital badges are flexible and easily shared.
TAFE Queensland recgonised Credentialate as the ‘credential engine’ to provide automation between the learning system and the badging agent.
Solution
As a long-term client of Edalex, TAFE Queensland identified Credentialate as the ideal partner platform and collaborated with Edalex to scope the requirements for their skills recognition and micro-credentialing strategy.
Edalex conducted a series of workshops to help define objectives, desired learner experience, micro-credential lifecycle and learning management system (LMS), student management system (SMS), enrolment, authentication and associated systems integration plan.
TAFE Queensland uses Canvas Credentials as their badging agent, with Credentialate providing the bridge between the systems and the badging agent so that credentialing and issuing of the award is automated.
As Edalex continues to scale with the significant growth of TAFE Queensland micro-credentials, Credentialate has offered streamlined integration processing and award verification through their secure automation services that ensures seamless transitions from enrolment to award for our students.
Results
In April 2021, TAFE Queensland’s instance of Course Gateway went live with integrated systems including the Brightspace LMS, Credentialate and Canvas Credentials went live, providing students with self-paced access to the online micro-credentials and issuing micro-credential badges for skills-based competencies.
About 100 digital credentials were initially available to be awarded and the first 7,838 students were automatically awarded credentials within the first twelve months, from 2022 to 2023.
By the end of 2024, that number had jumped to over 36,000 credentials issued, to more than 24,500 learners and as of this month there are now more than 65,000 learners enrolled in micro-credentials.
Individuals are incentivised to work towards digital credentials and many learners have multiple digital credentials awarded along complementary subject lines.
TAFE Queensland have access to detailed reports on awarded badges and incomplete courses.
Future Plans
The Credentialate system that has exceeded expectations, with enrolments on schedule to reach 4,000 per month.