Following the adoption of the Council recommendation on a European Approach to micro-credentials in June 2022, the discussion has gained further momentum in Germany and other parts of Europe. To assess the progress achieved so far, DAAD conducted a second survey on the uptake of micro-credentials in Germany. In total, 119 higher education institutions (HEI) participated in this survey.

According to the survey, the number of German HEIs that are somehow engaged with micro-credentials (including institutions that are already offering micro-credentials, those planning to introduce them or those identifying them as a key topic) significantly increased between 2022 and 2023. In particular, the number of institutions, including both universities and universities of applied sciences, which are already offering micro-credentials grew from 20% to 35% over the last year.

According to the respondents, the main application areas for micro-credentials include academic training, lifelong learning, and internationalisation. When it comes to potential regulatory requirements, the survey has exposed the need for a uniform understanding of micro-credentials in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), also in line with the Council recommendations. Two other key topics are related to recognition and quality assurance. Finally, the survey has also demonstrated the role of European university alliances in the uptake of micro-credentials. In particular, the number of German institutions that are part of such an alliance and are already offering micro-credentials has increased, as more institutions seem to have moved from the planning to the implementation phase since last year.

More details can be found here.