Micro-credentials are becoming increasingly common in education as a way of identifying teachers with specific skills and knowledge. The authors of this report share the findings from a study on the implementation and impact of teacher micro-credentials intended to improve high school science, technology, engineering, and math teaching and learning in Louisiana.

The Role of Micro-Credentials in Strengthening STEM Teaching and Learning

An Evaluation of the Louisiana STEM Micro-Credentials Project

Christopher Joseph Doss, Rebecca L. Wolfe, Miray Tekkumru-Kisa, Karen Christianson, Michelle D. Ziegler, Julia H. Kaufman

ResearchPublished Jul 16, 2024

Micro-credentials are increasingly being adopted across a variety of industries and countries, including the kindergarten through grade 12 education system in the United States, as a way to identify workers with specific skills, knowledge, and competencies. This report presents the results of a study conducted by RAND researchers who investigated the implementation and impact of teacher micro-credentials intended to improve high school science, technology, engineering, and math teaching and learning in Louisiana.

The creation, design, and implementation of micro-credentials was undertaken through a collaboration between the Louisiana Department of Education, Louisiana State University, and BloomBoard. RAND researchers designed and executed a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of micro-credentials and an implementation study. The study indicated that teachers' engagement with micro-credentials was relatively low and that micro-credentials did not lead to an increase in student achievement. That said, participating teachers reported that the micro-credentials were well aligned with their courses and supported their teaching practice. Study implications include that micro-credential providers and stakeholders should clearly communicate the value proposition and time requirements of micro-credentials to teachers, as well as provide ample peer and asynchronous supports to teachers for undertaking them.

Key Findings

  • Teachers' progress toward earning micro-credentials fell far short of initial expectations. A goal of teachers earning one to two micro-credentials a year may be more feasible than the initial goal of earning five to eight micro-credentials over two years.
  • Most teachers were motivated to try micro-credentials because they viewed them as an opportunity for professional growth.
  • For many teachers, finding enough time was a main barrier to earning micro-credentials because of the demands of their professional responsibilities as a teacher.
  • The disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed a major barrier to completing micro-credentials in the first year of the study. Lingering disruptions caused by the pandemic persisted into the second year of the study.
  • Teachers who successfully earned micro-credentials shared certain characteristics, such as having relevant content knowledge, setting goals, and mapping course content to micro-credentials in advance.
  • Teachers' views on whether micro-credentials aligned with their courses depended on several factors, including what courses the teachers taught, the micro-credentials they attempted, and their efforts to plan in advance to foster this alignment.
  • Teachers commented that micro-credentials provided them with new tools and strategies for their instruction and gave them opportunities to reflect on their current practice.
  • Teachers expressed a desire to work with peers on micro-credentials as a potential mechanism to support their understanding of and progress on micro-credentials.
  • No detectable effects were found on standardized tests of math and science, student course-taking, or attendance. Few teachers completed micro-credentials, which may account for the lack of effects.

Recommendations

  • Stakeholders should clearly identify and communicate the goals of micro-credentials to teachers, including the professional benefits they should expect to accrue, to help teachers decide whether to engage with micro-credentials.
  • Teachers may perceive micro-credentials as a form of job-embedded development even in instances when they are used as a form of credentialling.
  • Stakeholders should accurately estimate the time needed to complete a micro-credential and consider what is feasible for teachers given their professional demands.
  • Providing time and space for teachers to engage with micro-credentials during the school day can minimize the burden of completing micro-credentials.
  • Asynchronous supports may be more effective than scheduled, synchronous supports.
  • Stakeholders should consider cohort models to support teachers' work on micro-credentials.
  • Stakeholders should critically examine the value proposition that micro-credentials afford teachers. More-tangible and more-permanent career benefits may provide a stronger motivation to engage with micro-credentials.

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Citation

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Doss, Christopher Joseph, Rebecca L. Wolfe, Miray Tekkumru-Kisa, Karen Christianson, Michelle D. Ziegler, and Julia H. Kaufman, The Role of Micro-Credentials in Strengthening STEM Teaching and Learning: An Evaluation of the Louisiana STEM Micro-Credentials Project. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2486-2.html.
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This research was sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Education and conducted within RAND Education and Labor.

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