The Hornemann Institute now also offers Microcredentials

More and more microcredentials

In recent years, a wide range of microcredentials have emerged. One of the driving forces behind this was the 2022 recommendation by the Council of the European Union on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability. The aim is to supplement the existing system in line with labour market needs. This development is also being driven by social and economic transformation processes. According to the 2022 Council Recommendation, the learning experiences for the awarding of microcredentials should be designed to provide learners with specific knowledge, skills and competences that meet societal, individual, cultural or labour market needs. They can be stand-alone or combined to form more comprehensive qualifications.

The two selected pilot courses

The teaching and learning formats differ. The Hornemann Institute offers multimedia self-study courses, which can be tutored by a professional conservator if required. "We have chosen two courses from the highly sought-after field of book and paper restoration as pilots, but they have significantly different target groups and competence goals," explains Institute Director Dr. Angela Weyer. The course "Conservation of Globes" enables participating conservators to gain additional qualifications in the special object group of globes, which is not normally taught within book and paper conservation. The practical course also enables successful graduates to take on such assignments. Because the object group is very specific, it is offered in English. The course "Mould and Documents" also offers additional qualifications to other professionals, including archivists, librarians and managers in the archive and library sector who need this knowledge in order to make decisions, for example in human resources or when evaluating tenders. Finally, it is also useful as part of further training for conservators or as an additional qualification for professionals from other conservation disciplines who wish to qualify for work in archives or libraries, where more vacancies are available.

The Hornemann Institute's online courses differ from the usual e-learning offered at universities because they are used in both teaching and continuing education and are updated whenever possible. The courses impart basic knowledge and are illustrated with hundreds of images and diagrams to make the content easily understandable. After each module, learners can check their own progress through various types of assessments. After successfully completing the final test, participants receive a qualified certificate or, if they wish, a microcredential certificate. "I am very curious to see who chooses what," says tutor Kassandra Wirth, M.Sc. "In our specific field of cultural heritage preservation, only the University of Antwerp offers microcredentials. It remains exciting."

Further information on the Hornemann Institute's online courses:
•    https://hornemann-institut.hawk.de/en/online-courses

Further information on microcredentials:

• Empfehlung des Rates der Europäischen Union über einen europäischen Ansatz für Microcredentials für lebenslanges Lernen und Beschäftigungsfähigkeit, 2022 (Recommendation of the Council of the European Union on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability, 2022)
• Robert Rentzsch, Microcredentials auf Hochschulniveau. Ansätze zum Umgang mit einem bildungspolitischen Trend, Berlin 2023 (Robert Rentzsch, Microcredentials at university level. Approaches to dealing with an educational policy trend, Berlin 2023)
• Kerstin Altherr und Ulrich Wacker:  Zertifikate und Microcredentials in der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung. In: ZHWB Zeitschrift Hochschule und Weiterbildung, 2024 (1), S. 79-93, doi: 10.11576/zhwb-7284 (Kerstin Altherr and Ulrich Wacker, Certificates and microcredentials in academic further education. In: ZHWB Zeitschrift Hochschule und Weiterbildung, 2024 (1), pp. 79–93)
• Microcredentials an Hochschulen. Zwischen Flexibilisierung, Internationalisierung und Qualitätsentwicklung, Hochschulrektorenkonferenz: 2023 (Microcredentials at universities. Between flexibilisation, internationalisation and quality development, German Rectors' Conference, 2023)