Micro-credentials and online course catalogs on the agenda of the European OCTRA 2 project

The National Center for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas participated online, between March 20 and 21, in a series of actions organized in Warsaw by the counterpart Center within the OCTRA 2 project – Online course catalogs and databases for transparency and recognition 2, no. 101101695, financed by the Erasmus+ program, action 3. This project is intended for the members of the ENIC/NARIC National Recognition Centers network, in which Romania is a partner along with Latvia, Poland, Ireland, Bulgaria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On March 20, 2024, the Latvian Center presented at the opening the purpose and objectives of the OCTRA 2 project, namely the identification at the level of each partner of national practices and recommendations regarding micro-credentials and online course catalogs; improving and adapting the recommendations (developed in the previous project) regarding online course catalogs and micro-credentials, including how to include them in online course catalogs; strengthening the dialogue between higher education institutions, ENIC-NARIC Centres, assessors and other stakeholders involved in recognition (e.g. employers, students) regarding the provision of reliable and unified information on higher education qualifications and micro- credentials.

In this context, the partner Centers from Romania and Bulgaria presented the country reports developed with the contribution of Higher Education Institutions and the ENIC/NARIC Centers, highlighting the existence, in the case of Romania, of the legal framework regarding the use of micro-credentials and the accessibility of online course catalogs.

Representatives of universities and students from Poland and Latvia shared examples of good practices and their own experiences implemented at the national level that can be used at the European level, in terms of providing information on micro-credentials and the content of online course catalogs.

The workshop also included a panel discussion on ensuring access to information for micro- credentials in the context of recognition, looking at the advantages of publishing information on micro-credentials, the main challenges for providing information on micro-credentials, as well as the main elements/features about micro-credentials that should be published to facilitate their recognition.

The OCTRA 2 project continued on the second day with discussions regarding the activities planned for the next period, among which is also the organization of a national workshop with representatives of educational institutions in Romania to present the results of the project and the recommendations made regarding the accessibility of information for micro-credentials and online course catalogs.

Additional information on the OCTRA 2 project – https://aic.lv/en/par-aic/projects/octra-2

Publication date: 21.03.2024