Within the project “MOOC-based Micro-Credentials for Teacher Professional Development – CRED4TEACH“, the third transnational meeting and first international conference of the CRED4TEACH project was organized from October 9th to 11th, 2024. The meeting was hosted by Ismail Qemali University in Vlorë. The meeting brought together representatives from 15 institutions forming the project consortium from 7 countries: Albania, Estonia, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The two-day partner meeting aimed to present the implemented activities within the work packages of the project. Representatives from higher education institutions presented drafts of institutional frameworks developed at their establishments covering the development and implementation of MOOC-based micro-credentials developed through the CRED4TEACH project. Additionally, an overview of project dynamics was presented; an analysis of previous phase results was conducted; and further steps and tasks needed to be realized in upcoming six-month period were agreed upon.
The international conference on “Building competencies: micro-credentials for growth and excellence CRED4TEACH” took place on October 10th at Ismail Qemali University. The conference focused on promoting micro-credentials for teachers’ professional development through MOOC-based courses. Over 200 teachers and researchers attended this event along with representatives from partner institutions involved in Project CRED4TEACH.
A representative from ACQAHE, Jelena Đukanović, presented a paper at this conference entitled “Micro-Credentials as a potential alternative to formal courses for continuous teacher development in future years”. The presentation emphasized a focus on contemporary alternatives aligned with European standards for enhancing teacher training and qualifications, transformative role of micro-credentials, as well as potential models for developing such courses according to existing legal frameworks.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase innovative solutions ensuring quality assurance and recognition of micro-credentials aligned with teachers’ needs while supporting continuous learning for all educators at national and international levels.