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toward a bigger goal, like a degree. That's the case with Micro- Masters credentials from MITx, one of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's massive open online course (MOOC) programs. Royal Roads is one of 22 MIT path- way universities worldwide, so it considers letting MicroMasters graduates apply those credits toward its own MBA. Students can start their MBAs at MIT at an affordable rate—it's about $2,000 for the six-course supply-chain management MicroMasters, for example. And they can study remotely wherever they like before enrolling with Royal Roads or other pathway schools. MIT also offers courses in areas that Royal Roads can't, such as principles of manufacturing. "That allows us to expand for people who want the more technical specializations," explains Charles Krusekopf, the head of Royal Roads' MBA program. So far, the portability and recognition of MicroMasters credentials is going one way—Royal Roads isn't creating courses that can easily transfer to MIT. MITx is part of edX, a nonprofit edu- cational platform founded by Harvard University and MIT, with some 150 part- nering schools and 20 million learners worldwide. UBCx delivers more than 40 courses through this MOOC. Students can take courses from edX institutions for free and choose to earn a verified certificate for less than $300. But while there is some standardization of credential recognition across the edX platform, UBCx courses operate in a distinct, separate world from their home university. Students can't apply UBCx credentials toward UBC degrees. The university proper is nibbling at different types of micro-credentials or certificates, for both non-credit learners and undergraduates. Like other institu- tions, it's ramping up professional devel- opment programs at its extended learning department (formerly continuing studies). It recently created a certificate in biomedi- cal visualization and communication, for example. These certificates leverage the infrastructure, expertise and academic rigour that can only be found at universi- ties of UBC's calibre. Larry Bouthillier, executive director of UBC Extended Learning, says learners have been asking about climbing these non-credit programs as a ladder into degree programs, but dis- cussions are still ongoing. "We would love the answer to be yes," Bouthillier admits. "It's not yet, but we're working on it." Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops started recogniz- ing micro-credential transfers into its degree programs last summer, through its membership in the interna- tional Open Education Resource uni- versitas ( OERu) network. Students can take low-cost, full- or micro-courses delivered online by institutions around the world, and take assessments to receive academic credit at TRU for their learning. This flexible approach is a natural fit for TRU's open learning department, says Don Poirier, its associate vice-president. "Historically, we have been a supplier of electives for other postsecondary institu- tions. So most of the students we observed are individual course takers that are a full- time student within another institution, and are looking to augment their home program. And so they would come to open learning and take one or two courses." So far, the course selection available through OERu remains sparse compared to the vast menus that big MOOCs like edX and Coursera offer. And most are introduc- tory classes on topics such as planning a project or the moons of our solar system. But it's a start. Earn cred and level up Micro-credential programs can help learn- ers move ahead in their careers or get into more advanced schooling, but some insti- tutions are starting to use them to enhance their students' degree studies. UBC ran a pilot project in 2015 for a type of micro-cre- dential called open badges, digital symbols that recognize specific accomplishments or the mastering of certain learning out- comes. They're like virtual versions of the badges that Scouts and Girl Guides earn. Students can gamify learning—collecting badges to level up, for example—looking back to map out what skills they've learned. David Vogt, a master of educational technology adjunct professor, piloted open badges in one of his courses. Those courses are entirely online, so he wanted to reward students for contributing ideas 18 BCBUSINESS APRIL 2021 2021 EDUCATION GUIDE Listen on Follow Peter Legge