A Rubric for Microcredential Evaluation: Strengthening Quality Assurance

Abstract

As microcredentials proliferate across higher education, questions of quality, equity, and trust remain central. This paper presents a case study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), highlighting the development of an institutional governance model and evaluation framework to ensure the integrity of its microcredential portfolio. Drawing on national frameworks such as 1EdTech (2024), Quality Matters (2023), and Harrison and Williams (2024), UMBC created a microcredential taxonomy and a twelve-criterion evaluation rubric, which is used by its Microcredential Review Board (MRB) to assess all proposals. These efforts are supported by the Microcredential Advisory Committee (MAC), which provides strategic guidance to ensure relevance and alignment with learner and employer needs. The paper details how these structures work together to foster consistency, transparency, and institutional trust, and reflects on key lessons learned through implementation. UMBC’s experience offers practical strategies for other institutions seeking to operationalize microcredential quality assurance in scalable, equity-minded ways.