Digital Micro-Credential Efficacy and Impact on Learner Confidence

This white paper details the findings of a research study conducted in 2022 over a six month period, in collaboration with a group of international cross-sector partners, as part of a Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance initiative. Edalex’s Innovation Sprint aimed to increase learners’ confidence in the expression of their workplace skills by issuing a Personal Evidence Record of the skills they had developed in their studies. This evidence could then be shared with employers, sending a signal to hire by demonstrating workplace readiness or signal of recognition in the workplace of upskilling. This research validated the proof of concept of the expected efficacy of our Credentialate platform. But what we didn’t expect was the extent of the effectiveness of our solution on increasing learner confidence. The research results show that learners readily embraced the more detailed information included in the credential - such as a detailed description of the credential components, how learners were assessed and the links out to Rich Skill Descriptors (RSDs) that provided job market context. Credentialate’s Personal Evidence Record gave learners next-level understanding of what they had learnt and how they could apply it in their careers. They felt informed and empowered, which for the University of Dayton cohort had a positive impact on 76% of learner confidence levels. Employers, too, were very open to the deeper story the evidence records told. They told us that it gave them insight into the learner’s level of human capability. This is particularly valuable in graduate hiring, as it provides independent validation that they’re ready for the workplace, setting them apart from other candidates. The research project provided the opportunity to share knowledge and practice across providers and EdTech organizations and generate new ways of working in the emerging areas of micro-credential and skills ecosystems. The insights from the research should inform future policy and practice around skill transparency and personal evidence of learning, and their benefits to participants in the digital credentialing and skills ecosystems as well as the learner/earner ecosystem

The Gender Gap in Economics Degrees: An Investigation of the Role Model and Quantitative Requirement Hypotheses

Using a panel of 159 institutions over 10 years, we investigate the role model effect of women faculty and quantitative requirements on the female proportion of undergraduate economics majors. We find no evidence that female faculty attract female students. Calculus, however, does matter. A one semester calculus requirement is associated with more female majors at institutions offering business degrees and liberal arts colleges. A second semester calculus requirement deters women from majoring in economics at Ph.D.–granting universities, but is associated with more female majors at liberal arts colleges. Econometrics requirements are unrelated to the gender gap in economics majors

Developing a more granular and equitable approach to the learner-earner journey: the role of badging, micro-credentials and 21st Century Skills within higher education to enable future workforce development

This chapter introduces trends within the global skills economy and explores how our learner-earner journeys can best align to these trends. It starts with a discussion of future global workforce skills requirements from higher education courses and discusses emerging future skills. It then considers how schools can align with higher education and workforce requirements through a skills-based approach to delivery and how higher education courses can better align to schools, workforce requirements and other potential outputs. The chapter then explores validation models, micro-credentials and alternative credentials, considering alongside this the role of equity within skills-based education and hiring systems. Finally, it concludes with some key policy and process considerations

Effect of DHA supplementation during pregnancy on maternal depression and neurodevelopment of young children: A randomized controlled trial

Context: Uncertainty about the benefits of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for pregnant women and their children exists, despite international recommendations that pregnant women increase their DHA intakes. Objective: To determine whether increasing DHA during the last half of pregnancy will result in fewer women with high levels of depressive symptoms and enhance the neurodevelopmental outcome of their children. Design, Setting, and Participants: A double-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial (DHA to Optimize Mother Infant Outcome [DOMInO] trial) in 5 Australian maternity hospitals of 2399 women who were less than 21 weeks' gestation with singleton pregnancies and who were recruited between October 31, 2005, and January 11, 2008. Follow-up of children (n = 726) was completed December 16, 2009. Intervention: Docosahexaenoic acid–rich fish oil capsules (providing 800 mg/d of DHA) or matched vegetable oil capsules without DHA from study entry to birth. Main Outcome: Measures High levels of depressive symptoms in mothers as indicated by a score of more than 12 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 6 weeks or 6 months postpartum. Cognitive and language development in children as assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, at 18 months. Results: Of 2399 women enrolled, 96.7% completed the trial. The percentage of women with high levels of depressive symptoms during the first 6 months postpartum did not differ between the DHA and control groups (9.67% vs 11.19%; adjusted relative risk, 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-1.02; P = .09). Mean cognitive composite scores (adjusted mean difference, 0.01; 95% CI, −1.36 to 1.37; P = .99) and mean language composite scores (adjusted mean difference, −1.42; 95% CI, −3.07 to 0.22; P = .09) of children in the DHA group did not differ from children in the control group. Conclusion: The use of DHA-rich fish oil capsules compared with vegetable oil capsules during pregnancy did not result in lower levels of postpartum depression in mothers or improved cognitive and language development in their offspring during early childhood.Maria Makrides, Robert A. Gibson, Andrew J. McPhee, Lisa Yelland, Julie Quinlivan, Philip Ryan, DOMInO Investigative Tea