Learners now expect to pick up emerging skills ‘just-in-time’, at a pace that suits them, and through a learning experience that fits their lifestyle.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), Associate Professor Dominique Parrish explains how Macquarie is responding to the changing needs of postgraduate students.

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Global labour markets are rapidly changing. The nature of work is transforming so quickly that some estimates predict 85 per cent of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. This drastic change is being fuelled by development and access to emerging technology, such as ubiquitous high-speed mobile internet, widespread adoption of big data analytics and growing investment in artificial intelligence; changing geography of supply and value chains; and heightened consumer knowledge and expectations.

The pace of change is so rapid that it is influencing a major change in education demands. Learners now expect to pick up emerging skills ‘just-in-time’, at a pace that suits them, through a learning experience that fits their lifestyle. Australian post-bachelor learners seek return on investment on their learning experience, in the form of promotion in their current job, or a new role elsewhere.

As a university, we must adapt and respond to the changing needs of current and future students and expand our offerings to markets we haven’t considered previously. Setting students up for success is our mission, and the University has an opportunity to offer learning to all – not just those we have considered ’traditional’ students.

Microcredentials are being proposed in response to this changing market, with the initiative being sponsored by the Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching) under the name Program Illuminate. The Program Illuminate team are currently finalising a business case, with the aim of introducing the first of our microcredentials in 2020.

The Program Illuminate team will support faculties with the identification of marketable microcredentials and assist in the design and development of the microcredential, as well as enabling all the technology aspects of the project. The team has already been in touch with faculties about potential microcredential units and will continue to work with them to launch in 2020.

For more information or any questions contact pvclt@mq.edu.au.