Advancing Inclusive Higher Education: Microcredentials, Equity, and the Digital Divide
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35362/rie10117355Keywords:
Microcredentials, Inclusion, inequality, Digital divide, Lifelong learningAbstract
Micro-credentials have emerged as a promising strategy to address the need for flexible, lifelong learning in higher education. However, their potential as an instrument of equity and access for communities historically excluded from higher education in Latin America remains insufficiently explored. In a region where just only half of students’ graduate, and participation among the poorest sectors is low, micro-credentials could broaden the social impact of higher education institutions by integrating new student profiles: working adults; individuals with interrupted educational trajectories, and vulnerable communities. Nevertheless, persistent digital divides, in both access and competencies, threaten to reproduce the very inequalities they seek to overcome. This article analyzes the concept and development of micro-credentials, with an emphasis on their potential to promote equity and inclusion in higher education, while simultaneously examining how digital divides condition this objective. International and regional experiences are reviewed, and the challenges for micro-credentials to effectively fulfill a democratizing role in twenty-first-century society are discussed.
Downloads
References
Adrogué, C., y García de Fanelli, A. (2021). Brechas de equidad en el acceso a la educación superior argentina. Páginas De Educación, 14(2), 28–51. https://doi.org/10.22235/pe.v14i2.2507 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22235/pe.v14i2.2507
ANECA. (2022). Medidas para impulsar las microcredenciales como fórmula de aprendizaje permanente, innovadora, inclusiva e interconectada. Documento marco. https://go.oei.int/syxfxp9f
Abramovich, S. (2016). Understanding digital badges in higher education through assessment. On the Horizon, vol. 24(1), 126–131. https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-08-2015-0044. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-08-2015-0044
Alenezi, M., Akour, M. y Alfawzan, L. (2024). Desarrollo de estrategias de microcredenciales para mejorar la empleabilidad: Perspectivas de empleadores y estudiantes. Ciencias de la Educación, 14(12), 1307. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121307 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121307
Aveleyra, R., Enriz, N., García Palacios, M., y Hecht, A. C. (2023). Informe regional: Educación superior en América Latina. CLACSO. https://go.oei.int/pztlmvzl
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. (2025). Educación superior en América Latina: ¿Cuántos asisten y cuántos terminan? (CIMA Brief 30). https://go.oei.int/yspmxuft
Brown, M., y Nic-Giolla-Mhichil, M. (2022). Unboxing micro-credentials: an inside, upside and downside view. Culture and Education, 34(4), 938-973. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2022.2102293 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2022.2102293
Business Council of Australia. (2018). Future-proof: Australia’s future post-secondary education and skills system. https://go.oei.int/s5ajuv6u
CEPAL. (2024). Observatorio de Desarrollo Digital. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe. https://desarrollodigital.cepal.org/es
Chakroun, B., y Keevy, J. (2018). Digital credentialing: Implications for the recognition of learning across borders. https://go.oei.int/bch79bj5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54675/SABO8911
Chiroleu, A. (2014). Alcances de la democratización universitaria en América Latina. Revista Iberoamericana De Educación, 65(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.35362/rie651328 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35362/rie651328
Choy, S. (2002). Nontraditional Undergraduates Report. National center for education statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002012.pdf
Chubb, J. E., y Moe, T. M. (2012, May 30). Chubb and Moe: Higher educations’ online revolution. The Wall Street Journal. https://go.oei.int/sea2yf85
Commonwealth of Australia. (2020). Addendum no. 3 to AQF Second edition January 2013 additional AQF qualification: Undergraduate certificate. https://go.oei.int/rxzvqhwi
Commonwealth of Learning. 2019. Designing and implementing micro-credentials: a guide for practitioners. Ed. Darien Rossiter y Belinda Tynan, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. https://go.oei.int/uc9ww78e.
Consejo de la Unión Europea. (2022). Propuesta de Recomendación del Consejo relativa a un enfoque europeo de las microcredenciales para el aprendizaje permanente y la empleabilidad. https://go.oei.int/jykikuph
Creswell, J. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. (Fourth edi). Pearson Education.
Díaz, E. E.(2025). Modelos de gobernanza universitaria para microcredenciales: desafíos normativos e institucionales en Europa y América Latina. Journal of the Academy (13), 67-92. https://doi.org/10.47058/joa13.5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47058/joa13.5
Fishman, B., Teasley, S., Cederquist, S. (2018). Micro-Credentials as Evidence for College Readiness. Michigan: Regents of the University of Michigan. https://go.oei.int/siseo9b3
Fitzgerald, H. E., K. Bruns, S. T. Sonka, A. Furco, and L. Swanson. 2016. The Centrality of Engagement in Higher Education: Reflections and Future Directions. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 20 (1): 245. https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/1271/1268
Fong, J., Janzow, P., y Peck, D. K. (2016). “Demographic shifts in educational demand and the rise of alternative credentials. https://go.oei.int/1knutqiu
García de Fanelli, A. (2019). El financiamiento de la educación superior en América Latina: tendencias e instrumentos de política. Propuesta Educativa, 28(52), 111–126. https://www.scielo.org.ar/pdf/pe/n52/n52a10.pdf
Ghasia, M., Machumu, H. y Smet, E. (2019). Micro-credenciales en instituciones de educación superior: un estudio exploratorio de su lugar en Tanzania. Revista Internacional de Educación y Desarrollo utilizando las TIC, 15 (1). Campus abierto, Universidad de las Indias Occidentales, Indias Occidentales. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/209746/ .
Government of Ontario. (2020). A path forward for advanced education, research and science in Ontario [Press release], Government of Ontario. https://go.oei.int/hqebk6cz
Gutovic, V., y Xia, T. (2025). Mapeo de microcredenciales en América Latina y el Caribe: hacia un marco común. UNESCO IESALC. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000393794_spa.locale=en
Horton, A. P. (2020). Could micro-credentials compete with traditional degrees?. The Future of Work, BBC. https://go.oei.int/orf4relg
Hunt, T., Carter, R., Zhang, L., y Yang, S. (2020). Micro-credentials: The potential of personalized professional development. Development y Learning in Organizations, 34(2), 33. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-09-2019-0215 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-09-2019-0215
Ifenthaler, D., Bellin-Mularski, N., y Mah, D.-K. (Eds.). (2016). Foundation of digital badges and micro-credentials: Demonstrating and recognizing knowledge and competencies. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15425-1
Kato, S., Galán-Muros, y Weko, T. (2020). The emergence of alternative credentials. https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/b741f39e-en DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/b741f39e-en
Keengwe, J. (2021). Handbook of Research on Innovations in Non-Traditional Educational Practices (J. Keengwe (ed.)). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4360-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4360-3
Keevy, J., y Chakroun, B. (2019). Beyond qualifications as we know them today: Digital credentials and interoperability. In E. CEDEFOP, UNESCO (Ed.), Global inventory of regional and national qualifications frameworks 2019, Volume I: Thematic chapters. European Training Foundation, pp. 26–33. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/2224_en_0.pdf
Konings, L. (2019). EMC launches common microcredential framework [Press release] European Commission. https://go.oei.int/uewlzpf2
Mateo-Berganza, M. M., Lim, J. R., Cardenas-Navia, I., y Elzey, K. (2022). Un mundo en transformación: de las titulaciones tradicionales a las credenciales alternativas basadas en habilidades. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. https://doi.org/10.18235/0004299 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18235/0004299
New Zealand Qualifications Authority. (2018). Micro-credentials system launched. In News. Government of New Zealand. https://go.oei.int/1bqwnz1r
Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (2024). Panorama de las Microcredenciales en Educación Superior de Iberoamérica. https://go.oei.int/wwkl0ud8
Pichette, J., y Rizk, J. (2020). Micro mania: Making sense of microcredentials in Ontario. Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. https://go.oei.int/hmkvdxod
Proyecto Mochila (2025). Informe: Estado del arte de las iniciativas existentes en relación con la utilización de microcredenciales en LAC. https://go.oei.int/it63oow0
Reay, D., Davies, J., David, M., y Ball, S. J. (2001). Choices of Degree or Degrees of Choice? Class, `Race’ and the Higher Education Choice Process. Sociology, 35(4), 855-874. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038501035004004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038501035004004
Rottmann, A. K., y Duggan, M. H. (2021). Micro-Credentials in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4360-3.ch011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4360-3.ch011
Shapiro, H., Andersen, T., y Nadergaard, K. (2020). A european approach to micro-credentials final report. https://go.oei.int/pshxivri
Slaughter, S., y Leslie, L. L. (2007). Academic capitalism: Politics, policies, and the entrepreneurial university. John Hopkins University Press.
State University of New York. (2020). Micro-credentials at SUNY. State University of New York. https://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/microcredentials/
Tarabini, A., y Ingram, N. (2018). Educational Choices,Transitions and Aspirations in Europe: Systemic, Institutional and Subjective Challenges. Taylor and Francis AS. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315102368 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315102368
UNESCO. (2020). El enfoque de Aprendizaje a lo Largo de Toda la Vida. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373632_spa
UNESCO. (2023). Informe de seguimiento de la educación en el mundo 2023: Tecnología en la educación: ¿Una herramienta en los términos de quién? UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54676/UZQV8501 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54676/UZQV8501
UNESCO- IESALC. (2021). Pensar más allá de los límites. Perspectivas sobre los futuros de la educación superior hasta 2050. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (IESALC). https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377529
van Dijk, J. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity Press. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336775102_The_Digital_Divide
Wheelahan, L., y Moodie, G. (2021). Analysing micro-credentials in higher education: a Bernsteinian analysis. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 53(2), 212-228. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2021.1887358 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2021.1887358
World Economic Forum, y Boston Consulting Group. (2015). New vision for education – unlocking the potential of technology. World Economic Forum. https://go.oei.int/z8mwpwwl
World Economic Forum. (2020). Jobs of tomorrow: Mapping opportunity in the New Economy. World Economic Forum. https://go.oei.int/gzfso6e7
World Economic Forum. (2025). Future of Jobs Report. https://go.oei.int/4thb58xt
How to Cite
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Iberoamerican Journal of Education
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Any authors who publish with this journal accept the following terms:
