courserd

IndiaEdition

Micro-Credentials

ImpactReport2024

InsightsfromHigherEducationLeaders

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Tableofcontents

Introduction3

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Adoptiontrends

4

1.Micro-credentialsadoption

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2.Credit-eligiblemicro-credentials

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3.Accreditationsupport

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4.Campusgrowthstrategies

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Indiaoutcomes

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1.Jobreadiness

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2.ModelInstituteofEngineeringandTechnologyspotlight

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3.Lifelonglearning

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4.IMSGhaziabad(UniversityCoursesCampus)spotlight

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5.Engagementandsatisfaction

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6.Retention

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7.Brandandreputation

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ChallengesandsolutionsinIndia

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1.Barriersfornon-adopters

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2.Barriersforadopters

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3.Scalingforsuccess

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Appendix

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1.CareerAcademy

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2.Credit-recommendedcoursesonCoursera

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3.GenAI-enhancedProfessionalCertificates

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4.Methodology

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5.AboutCoursera

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6.Endnotes

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coursera2

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courseraIntroduction3

Introduction

I’mthrilledtopresenttheMicro-CredentialsImpactReport2024:IndiaEdition,

Creditadoptionforinstitutionsthatoffermicro-credentials

52%

whichpresentsnewresearchoncareercredentialsandtheoutcomestheydriveoncampus.Drawingonasurveyof180+highereducationleadersinIndia,partofalargerglobalsurveyof1,000+leadersacross850+institutions,thereportrevealsmicro-credentials’potentialtoenhancestudentsatisfaction,bolsterinstitutionalbranding,andinfluenceenrollmentandretention.

AcrossIndia,highereducationleadersrecognizethecriticalroleofmicro-credentialsinequippinggraduateswiththeskillsandknowledgeforworkforcesuccess.

Nearlyall(98%)leadersofferingmicro-credentialsagreethatthesecredentials

strengthenstudents’long-termcareeroutcomes.Thisrecognitionisdrivingthe

ofIndianinstitutionscurrentlyoffermicro-credentialsfor-credit

integrationofmicro-credentialsintouniversitycurricula.ManyIndianinstitutions,including

AcharyaInstitutes

,ChitkaraUniversity,andVishwakarmaUniversity,areusingCourseraforCampustoseamlesslyincorporatemicro-credentialsintotheiracademicprograms.Further,thereportrevealsthat52%ofIndianleaderswhoseinstitutionscurrentlyoffermicro-credentialsprovidecredit-bearingoptions,while94%indicateplanstodosowithinthenextfiveyears.

Thisalignswiththegrowingrecognitionofmicro-credentialsasvaluabletoolsfor

equippingstudentswithin-demandskills,andthebroaderpolicylandscapeinIndia.1TheUniversityGrantsCommission’sNationalCreditFramework(NCrF)2nowallowsstudentstoearncreditforallformsoflearning,facilitatingtheblendofacademic

studiesandskill-basedlearning.Notably,ProfessionalCertificates,atypeof

94%

micro-credentialfromGoogleandIBMonCoursera,recentlyachievedNational

SkillsQualificationFramework(NSQF)alignment.3Indiaisbuildinganationalskillsecosystemtoprepareitsworkforceforsuccessintheglobaleconomy.

Ashighereducationevolves,Iencourageyoutoexploretheinsightsaheadtoequipstudentsforworkforcesuccessanddrivegrowthforyourinstitution.

ofIndianleadersplantooffer

for-creditmicro-credentialswithinthenextfiveyears

RaghavGupta

ManagingDirector,

IndiaandAsia-PacificatCoursera

Adoptiontrends

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Micro-credentialsadoption5

Micro-credentialsadoption

Whatisa

micro-credential?

Amicro-credential,suchas

a

ProfessionalCertificat

eonCoursera,isacertification

thatfocusesonaspecificsetoflearningoutcomesina

narrowfieldoflearning,andiscompletedoverashorter

timeperiod.4A

Professional

Certificate

isanindustry-

recognizedmicro-credentialdesignedtoequiplearners

withtheskillsandknowledgenecessaryforspecificjobs

orindustries.Offeredbytopcompanies,entry-leveland

advancedprogramscanbe

completedinthreeto12

months.Learnersbuildskillssuchasprojectmanagement,dataanalysis,and

programming.Additionally,

theygainaccesstocareer

supportlikejobsearchguides,résuméassistance,interviewpractice,andacommunityofpeersandalumnitoensure

long-termcareersuccess.

ThemajorityofIndianhighereducationleaderssaytheirinstitutionsareintegratingandgrowingtheiruseofmicro-credentials

Overhalf(52%)ofIndia’scampusleaderssaytheirinstitutionsarecomplementingtheircurriculumwithmicro-credentials,allowingstudentstodevelopapplicable,job-readyskillswhileearning

theirdegree.

Institutionscurrentlyofferingmicro-credentialsviewthemaspowerfulengagementtoolsandareactivelyincreasingtheiruse.Eighty-onepercentofhighereducation

leaderssaythatafterimplementingmicro-credentials,theirinstitutionexpandeditsofferingstoofferadditionalmicro-credentials,orprovidemorestudentswithaccesstomicro-credentials.

Thisdemonstratesthepositiveimpactandgrowingimportanceofmicro-credentialsinhighereducation.

Institutionsthatoffermicro-credentials

Question:Doesyourinstitutionoffermicro-credentials?(Yesresponses)

52%

51%

IndiaGlobal

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Micro-credentialsadoption6

Indianinstitutionsthatcurrentlyoffermicro-credentialshaveseensignificant

2/3

growthandplantoexpandtheirprogramsfurther.Infact,theseinstitutionshavethehighestpercentageofexpansion,toppingtheglobal,NorthAmerican,andAsia-Pacificregions.

ofbusinessleaderssaytheywouldn’thiresomeonewithoutAIskills

Micro-credentialsexpansion

Question:Forinstitutionsthatoffermicro-credentials,afterimplementingmicro-

credentials,didyouruniversityexpanditsprogramstoofferthemtomorestudents,ortoofferadditionalmicro-credentials?(Yesresponses)

81%

73%

India

Global

TherapidadvancementoftechnologieslikegenerativeAI(GenAI)furtheremphasizestheneedformicro-credentials.Studentsareeagertodevelopnewskillstosecure

sought-afterjobsupongraduation.Two-thirdsofbusinessleadersagree,sayingtheywouldn’thiresomeonewithoutAIskills.5Thesurgeininterestisclearinthegrowthof

GenAIcourseenrollments

onCoursera,whichquadrupledfromoneenrollment

perminutein2023tofourperminutein2024.6

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Credit-eligiblemicro-credentials7

Credit-eligible

micro-credentials

There’sashifttowardofferingacademiccreditformicro-credentials

Institutionshaveauniqueopportunitytomeetevolvingstudentneedswithflexible,job-relevantskillsbyofferingacademiccreditformicro-credentials.Thistrendis

alreadygainingmomentum,with52%ofhighereducationleadersofferingmicro-credentialsprovidingcredit-bearingoptions.

Creditoptionsatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Forinstitutionsthatoffermicro-credentials,doesyourinstitutioncurrentlyofferacademiccreditformicro-credentials?(Yesresponses)

52%

53%

India

Global

Thedemandforcareercredentialsisundeniable.Eighty-eightpercentofhighereducationleaderssaystudentsaremorelikelytoenrollindegreeprogramsthatrecognizeacademiccreditformicro-credentials.Thissentimentisechoedby

students,with82%statingthey’remorelikelytoenrollinadegreeprogramthatincludesindustrymicro-credentials.7

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Credit-eligiblemicro-credentials8

Enrollmentatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Studentsaremorelikelytoenrollinlearningprogramsthatofferacademiccreditformicro-credentials.(Agreeorstronglyagree)

88%

75%

India

Global

Institutionsaretakingnoteofthisdemand,withanimpressive94%preparedtomeettheseexpectationsbyexpandingtheiruseoffor-creditmicro-credentialsinthenextfiveyears.Thisshifttowardofferingacademiccreditformicro-credentialscannot

onlyattractstudentsseekingcareer-focusedlearning,butalsopositioninstitutionsasleadersinbridgingthegapbetweenacademiaandindustry.

Insightsinaction

Indianuniversitiesplantocontinueintegratingmicro-credentialsatthe

highestrateofanynationoverthenextfiveyears.Highereducationleaderscangeneratemorestudentenrollmentbydevelopingastrategytofurthertheirimplementationbyofferingfor-creditmicro-credentialsalongside

existingcurricula.

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Accreditationsupport9

Accreditationsupport

NSQFalignmentpavesthewayforcredit-bearingmicro-credentials

Highereducationleadersrecognizetheimportanceofcreditrecommendations.

Seventy-fourpercentbelieveexternalsupport,suchasrecommendationsfrom

organizationsliketheAmericanCouncilonEducation(ACE),andqualification

frameworkslikeIndia’sNationalSkillsQualificationsFramework(NSQF)orthe

EuropeanCreditTransferandAccumulationSystem(ECTS),cansignificantlypromoteinternalbuy-inandacceleratetheadoptionofcredit-bearingmicro-credentials.

OnplatformslikeCoursera,leadingaccreditingorganizationsalreadyrecommend

selectcoursesforcredit—apowerfultestamenttothequalityandrigorunderpinningeveryassessment,course,andcredentialfromtheworld’stopuniversitiesand

companiesonCoursera.

TenProfessionalCertificatesfromGoogleandIBM

justachieved

NSQFalignmentexclusivelyonCoursera.Thisinitiativeenablesasystemforuniversitiesand

employerstoprovidecreditrecognitionforindustrycontent,creatingmore

pathwaysforlearnerstopursueskills-basedcareeropportunitiesinthecountry.HighereducationinstitutionsandstudentswillnowbeabletotransfercreditsforeligibleProfessionalCertificatesonCoursera,fosteringjob-ready,digitallyskilledgraduates.

Coursera’s

LearnerOutcomeReport2023

highlightstheimpactoftheseprograms,with21%ofIndianlearnerssecuringnewjobsand32%seeingsalaryincreasesaftercompletingentry-levelProfessionalCertificates.

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courseraAdoptiontrends|Campusgrowthstrategies

Campusgrowthstrategies

Micro-credentialsemergeasagrowthacceleratorforinstitutionsthatdon’toffermicro-credentials

AsIndianhighereducationleaderspursuestrategiestogrowtheirinstitutions,

theirtopthreeconsiderationsincludehighlightingimprovedcareerprospectsforstudents,increasingenrollmentandretention,andenhancingstudentsatisfaction.Institutionsthatdon’tcurrentlyoffermicro-credentialsrecognizetheirpotentialtoaddressthesepriorities.

80%

ofleadersfrominstitutions

withoutmicro-credentialssaytheircampusesarelikelytoadopttheminthenextfiveyears

Institutionsthatdonotcurrentlyoffermicro-credentialssaysomeoftheirtopforeseeablegrowthstrategiesinclude:

GrowthstrategiesatIndianinstitutionsnotofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Selectthetopthreeconsiderationsforyourinstitution’sgrowthstrategy.(Selectallthatapply)

Indiadata

Improvedcareerprospectsforstudents

38%

Increaseinstudentenrollmentandretention

31%

Enhancedstudentsatisfactionandinvolvement

29%

Amplificationoftheinstitution’sbrandimageandreputation

21%

Strengthenedrelationshipswithalumni

20%

Increasedinnovationamongstudentsandfaculty

11%

Newrevenuestreams

5%

That’swhy80%ofleadersfromtheseinstitutionssaytheircampusesarelikelytoadoptmicro-credentialsinthenextfiveyearstobettersupportthesegoals,atahigherratethananyotherregionintheworld.

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Asyou’llseeinthenextsection,micro-credentialsarealreadydeliveringimpressiveresultsinthesekeyareas.Thevastmajorityofleadersatcampusesthatcurrentlyoffermicro-credentialsagreetheypreparestudentsfortheworkforce,while

boostingenrollment,retention,andsatisfaction.

Adoptionplansatinstitutionsnotofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Howlikelyisitthatyourinstitutionwilladoptmicro-credentialsinthenextfiveyears?(Likelyorverylikely)

80%

68%

India

Global

Keepreadingtodiscoverglobalperspectivesonhowmicro-credentialsaredrivingpositiveoutcomesinhighereducation—andcanhelpinstitutionsachievetheir

growthgoals.

courseraAdoptiontrends|Campusgrowthstrategies

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Indiaoutcomes

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Jobreadiness

95%ofhighereducationleadersagreethatmicro-credentialspreparestudentsfortheworkforce

Micro-credentialspreparestudentsforjobsupongraduationbyequippingthemwithskillstoday’semployersdemand.

Micro-credentialsareapowerfultoolforuniversitiestoequipstudentswiththeskillsemployersseek.Nearlyall(95%)highereducationleadersfrominstitutionsofferingmicro-credentialsagreethatstudentswithamicro-credentialaremorelikelyto

bejob-readycomparedtothosewithout.ThisisanotherexamplewhereIndian

institutionsleadintermsofunderstandingthevalueofmicro-credentialsforbothcampusenrollmentandstudentpreparationfortheworkforce.

96%

Studentsechothissentiment,withalmostall(96%)studentsinIndiaagreethat

ofstudentsinIndiaagreethat

earningaProfessionalCertificatewillhelpthemstandouttoemployers

andsecureajobupongraduation

earningaProfessionalCertificatewillhelpthemstandouttoemployersandsecureajobupongraduation.8ThemostpopularProfessionalCertificatesonCourseraaligncloselywiththetoptargetroleslearnersarepursuing,9whichalsocorrespondtothehighestnumberofjobopeningsintheUS.

Employersarealsotakingnoticeofthevalueofmicro-credentialsasthey

increasinglyfocusonskills-basedhiring.Ourlastreportrevealedthatemployersare85%morelikelytohireacandidatewithaProfessionalCertificate,asthishelpshiringteamssolvetwotopchallenges:identifyingandvalidatingapplicants’skills.11

Joboutcomesatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Studentswithmicro-credentialsaremorelikelytobejob-readyupongraduationthanthosewithoutmicro-credentials.(Agreeorstronglyagree)

95%

87%

India

Global

courseraIndiaoutcomes|Jobreadiness13

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courseraIndiaoutcomes|Jobreadiness14

Ninety-sixpercentofIndianhighereducationleadersagreethatmicro-credentialsequiptheirinstitutionstomeetemployerdemandsforjob-specificskills,likeprojectmanagementanddataanalysis.Byofferingmicro-credentials,theseinstitutions

providetheirstudentswiththecompetenciestoday’semployersseek,makinggraduatesjob-ready.

Upskillingis

imperativefor

learnerstothriveinarapidlychangingworkforce.

Exploreskillinsights,liketheincreasingdemandforGenAI,attheglobal,regional,and

countrylevels.

Getreport

Meetingemployerdemandsatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Micro-credentialsequipmyinstitutiontomeetemployerdemandsforjob-relatedskillsinourstudents.(Agreeorstronglyagree)

96%

93%

IndiaGlobal

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courseraIndiaoutcomes|ModelInstituteofEngineeringandTechnologyspotlight15

Institutionspotlight

ModelInstituteofEngineeringandTechnology

ModelInstituteofEngineeringandTechnologyimprovesstudentemployabilityprospectswithmicro-credentials

ModelInstituteofEngineeringandTechnology(MIET)inJammu,J&K,India,is

transformingitscurriculumbyintegratingcredit-bearingProfessionalCertificatesalignedwiththeNationalEducationPolicy202012(NEP2020)andAllIndiaCouncilforTechnicalEducation(AICTE)guidelines.Theseprogramsfocusonemerging

areassuchasAI,cybersecurity,projectmanagement,AR/VR,anddataanalytics.

Dr.SahilSawhney,ProfessorandGeneralManagerofStrategicInitiatives,

emphasizedthesignificanceofMIET’spartnershipwithCourseraduringtheCOVID-19pandemic.“Itwaspivotalforprovidingworld-classresourcesinaresource-constrainedregion,aligningMIETwithnationalandglobalindustrystandards,”hesaid.

TosuccessfullyintegrateCourseracontent,MIETadoptedablendedlearning

model,pairingonlinecourseswithfaculty-ledsessionsandenlistinghelpfrominstitution-levelsuccessmanagers,studentambassadors,andfacultymentors.Thisapproachhasfosteredacultureofcontinuouslearning.

SinceimplementingCoursera’sofferings,MIEThaswitnessedremarkable

improvementsinstudentengagement,skillacquisition,andemployability.

Dr.Sawhneyreflectedonthebroaderimpactoftheinitiative,saying,“CareerAcademyhasbeeninstrumentalinlevelingtheplayingfield,providingequal

opportunitiestoourstudents—onparwiththoseinTier1cities—andnurturingthemintoglobalcitizens.”

CareerAcademyhasbeeninstrumentalinleveling

theplayingfield,providingequalopportunitiesto

ourstudents—onparwiththoseinTier1cities—andnurturingtheminto

globalcitizens.

Dr.SahilSawhney

ProfessorandGeneralManager,StrategicInitiatives

Learnhow

highereducationinstitutions

worldwide

areimproving

employment

outcomesthroughmicro-credentials.

Getreport

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courseraIndiaoutcomes|Lifelonglearning16

Lifelonglearning

Almostallhighereducationleaderssaymicro-credentialsencouragelifelonglearning

Inadditiontostrengtheningstudents’long-termcareeroutcomes

likejobstabilityandhigherearningpotential,micro-credentialsalsohelpalumni,faculty,andothersfurthertheircareers.

Ninety-eightpercentofhighereducationleadersofferingmicro-credentialsagreethattheystrengthenstudents’long-termcareerprospects.

Studentcareeroutcomesatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Micro-credentialscanstrengthenlong-termcareeroutcomesforstudents.(Agreeorstronglyagree)

98%

97%

IndiaGlobal

Infact,micro-credentialsprovidevaluableupskillingopportunitiesforeveryoneoncampus.Ninety-fivepercentofcampusleadersofferingmicro-credentialsagreethatmicro-credentialscanhelpalumni,faculty,andotherprofessionalsfurthertheirowncareers,astheyupskilltomeettheevolvingdemandsofacademia.

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courseraIndiaoutcomes|Lifelonglearning17

Forexample,withthreeoutoffourfacultyreportingtheirinstitutionsare

3/4

unpreparedforAI-relatedchanges,13micro-credentialsmayofferasolutionby

supportingupskillinginemergingfieldslikeGenAI.Byacquiringnewskillsthroughmicro-credentials,facultycanteachnewsubjects,updatecoursecontent,and

preparestudentsforanAI-drivenfuture.

facultyreporttheirinstitutionsareunpreparedforAI-relatedchanges

ViewCoursera’sGenAI-enhancedProfessionalCertificatesintheappendix.

Campuscommunityoutcomesatinstitutionsofferingmicro-credentials

Question:Micro-credentialscanhelpalumni,faculty,andotherprofessionalsfurthertheircareers.(Agreeorstronglyagree)

95%

96%

IndiaGlobal

AtMeta,webelievemicro-credentialsarethefutureoflifelonglearning.Theyprovideaccessibilityandfocusonin-demandskillsthatempowerindividualstoadaptandthriveinarapidlyevolvingjobmarket.

VikasWadhwani

DirectorofLearningandCertifications,Meta

CMeta

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courseraIndiaoutcomes|IMSGhaziabad(UniversityCoursesCampus)spotlight18

Institutionspotlight

IMSGhaziabad

(UniversityCoursesCampus)

IMSGhaziabad(UniversityCoursesCampus)createslearningopportunitieswithmicro-credentialsforstudentsandfaculty

IMSGhaziabad(UniversityCoursesCampus)hasstrategicallyintegratedCoursera’sProfessionalCertificatesintoitscurriculum,offeringthemascreditsinvalue-

addedbasketsanddomainelectives.Theprogramhasgainedsubstantial

credibilityfromitsfaculty,with90%ofthembeingcertificateholdersthemselves.“Ourfacultymembersfirstcompletethecertificatesthemselvestoguaranteethatlearningoutcomesarenotonlyacademicallyrobustbutalsoindustryrelevant,”saidDr.ArunKumarSingh,DirectorandProfessor.

Keydisciplineslikecomputersciencehaveincorporateddatascienceandsocialmediam