A microcredential includes a number of short courses. It is possible to use only 1 course or to use 2,3, or 4 courses to build up the microcredential.

Microcredentials are scheduled as a single program run to maintain momentum and consistency in the learning experience.

We recommend that each microcredential is coupled with a pathway open short course on the same topic. The pathway course will act as an introduction to the subject, and sit outside of the microcredential in order to maximise the pool of interested learners.

Top tips 

1. Begin with ideation   

Microcredentials should be an industry-relevant, robust and enjoyable learning experience. Learners should have a chance to improve their knowledge and skills for a growing sector/domain. Start with a space to detail all the topics, learning outcomes, big questions, storytelling, narrative, people, places, and industry involvement you wish to include. Download our planning and designing a Microcredential document to assist you with this task before mapping out a course outline. Select file > download. 

2. Create personas detailing your target audience 

To understand their needs, experiences, behaviours, and goals and align the course to these. These fictional characters represent the different learners that might sign up for your course. 

3. Subject Matter Expert Facilitation is required 

Given the intensive and high-value nature of these courses preparing for facilitation is important and impacts how the course is written. Support and guidance should be available throughout.  

4. 100 -150 hours of learning 

This is our recommendation. Broken into at least two sequential short courses. Include off-platform learning in learning hours. Unlike other FutureLearn course types, off-platform learning is expected for a Microcredential because they are UK Level 4/5/6/7 (equivalent to a university module). Be clear to learners about how many hours per week you expect them to spend on and off-platform. For example, the time required working through course content, social participation, readings, assessments, exercises, personal reflection, research, and other related activities for study.

5. Utilise the welcome area

Learners can talk to each other and find useful resources prior to the course start date but after payment in the welcome area. 

6. Consult our QA during design and build 

After designing your microcredential, it is built-in Course Creator in much the same way as other course types. We create the Microcredential shell for you, build the learner-facing Course Description Page (CDP) and populate the achievement page based on the information you provide in the proposal.

Refer to our Quality Assurance criteria throughout your build. 

Microcredential assessment top tips 

1. Create an overview of formative and summative assessments to be included 

Be sure they link up to the course outline and any technical considerations. 

2. Consider a range of on and off-platform assessment

Microcredentials do not use tests. Formative assessment could include quizzes and peer review. 

All summative assessments need to be submitted and graded and provide feedback on your own platform (VLE or LMS). Assessments are integrated using an Exercise Step, making use of Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI). 

3. Degree level rigor and functionality 

Degree learning functionality is available for microcredentials, including features such as small group collaboration and the portfolio assessment tool. Summative assessment should be equivalent in rigor to a degree, but also take into account the employability skills the microcredential aims to develop.