AFTER TESTING THE waters of stackable credentials with its Micro-
Masters programs, the online education platform edX will now
design stackable credentials that provide affordable pathways to
full bachelor’s degrees. In January, edX announced the launch of its
fully online MicroBachelors programs, designed for working adults
without college degrees. Students can pursue a three-course
MicroBachelors for US$500 to $1,500, depending on the program;
upon completion, they also will earn credit from an edX partner
university that they can apply toward a full bachelor’s degree.
The first two MicroBachelors programs are IT Career Framework
offered by Western Governors University (WGU) based in
Salt Lake City, Utah, and Computer Science Fundamentals offered
by New York University (NYU) in New York City. Credits from IT
Career Framework will be recognized by WGU; credits for Computer
Science Fundamentals will be recognized by Thomas Edison State
University in Trenton, New Jersey, pending approval. Another program
offered by Arizona State University in Tempe—Professional
Writing—will soon be released.
In conjunction with these programs, edX is planning to create
the MicroBachelors Program Skills Advisory Council, whose
members will come from foundations, corporations, and academic
institutions. The council will work to identify the types of core skills
and learning pathways that will best prepare adult learners to contribute
to a changing workforce.