Micro-credentials linked to the Bologna Key Commitments

The MICROBOL project engages ministries and stakeholders involved in the Bologna Follow-up Group to explore whether and how the existing EHEA tools can be used and/or need to be adapted to be applicable to micro credentials. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is a unique international collaboration on higher education and the result of the political will of 49 countries which, step by step during the last twenty years, have built an area implementing a common set of commitments structural reforms and shared tools (European Higher Education Area and Bologna Process – www.ehea.info). For this reason, the project focuses its efforts on national qualifications frameworks, QF-EHEA and ECTS as they are one of the key bases for transparency in European
Higher Education Area, while acknowledging the existence of other frameworks such as European qualifications frameworks for lifelong learning across EU member countries.

In the framework of the project 3 working groups on the 3 Bologna key commitments – Quality Assurance, recognition and QF & ECTS – have been established with nominated representatives of the EHEA countries. The 3 working groups had a kick-off on the 1st of September 2020 and two extensive meetings in the first semester of 2021, in January and May 2021. The first meeting of the working groups on QA, recognition and QF & ECTS focused on identifying challenges in the applicability of Bologna tools to micro-credentials, while the second meeting focused on identifying possible solutions.

This document is meant to: • provide a comprehensive overview of the main observations, challenges and solutions emerged from the Working Group meetings held in January and May 2021; • provide recommendations to overcome these challenges, highlighting the way forward for micro-credentials in general and giving a contribution to the consultation in the view of a EU Council Recommendation on micro-credentials

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