A year on from the launch of the University of Canberra’s microcredential pilot, the program is transforming the careers of local teachers with practical, relevant professional development opportunities – with many now inspired to take their learning further.
Microcredentials are short courses that provide “stackable” qualifications, meaning each course provides credits that can contribute towards a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or master’s degree.
In 2024, the University's Faculty of Education successfully delivered three microcredential courses, each developed in partnership with a different school system in the ACT and capital region.
The goal was to create relevant and authentic learning programs, codesigned by education professionals and tailored to the systems they work within.
The Faculty’s Clinical Professor Matthew Brown and Lecturer Amy Smith developed the microcredential courses and now coordinate their delivery.
Having worked in schools, as a school leader and educator respectively, their familiarity with school environments and teacher workload meant they were well-placed to develop a teacher-focused approach to professional learning.
“From the beginning, our focus was shaping an academically rigorous program of professional learning around the needs identified by each schooling system,” Professor Brown said.
The courses have several unique features. They are paced around the school terms, not university semesters, to ensure a sustainable workload. Additionally, all assignments are based around the learning activities the teachers are already delivering in the classroom – meaning schools are seeing immediate benefit from the learning.
“In designing the microcredentials, it was important to acknowledge teachers’ existing workload – which is already quite high – and for our programs to complement the work they’re doing in the classroom,” said Program Director, Amy Smith.
The results speak for themselves. The cohort remains extremely engaged, professional networks have flourished between participants – and, as Professor Brown notes – the calibre of the work has been unmatched in any other program he has overseen.
“I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the final assignment – without doubt in the seven years I've worked at the University, it's the best group of assessments I've ever marked,” Professor Brown said.
Clare Ryan, a visual arts teacher at Molong Central School in the Central West region of New South Wales, is part of the high-achieving pilot cohort.
Ms Ryan embraced the opportunity to upskill through the Professional Certificate of Middle Leadership, developed in partnership with the NSW Government.
As the only visual arts teacher at her school, Ms Ryan connects to colleagues in other rural schools to deliver online, synchronous lessons to their visual arts classes.
These lessons are incredibly beneficial for students, who can be part of a larger “virtual” cohort. Ms Ryan is eager to enhance student engagement in these lessons, and as part of her microcredential coursework, has been working on a cycle of improvement.
“The tasks are closely related to what I’m doing, making the study practical and beneficial for my students,” she said.
Ms Ryan hopes to use the course as a starting point for further study – the flexibility and affordability of the microcredentials make them an ideal solution for her professional growth.
M’s future too, is buoyed by her positive experience with the program. She now feels confident that with the sustainable, flexible pace of the qualifications, she can pursue a masters degree. She hopes to use the course as a jumping off point for further study.
One of the University’s microcredential courses has been developed in partnership with Directors of Educational Leadership across regional and rural NSW.
“This is a true partnership,” said Fiona Senior-Conroy, Director of Educational Leadership for the Queanbeyan Network, an area spanning public schools in Queanbeyan, Googong, Braidwood, Collector and Captains Flat.“Right from the beginning, we were consulted about what we wanted to see comprising the learning and what would suit our teachers.”
Ms Senior-Conroy explained that the program was created to address a gap in professional learning for middle leaders.
“Survey data revealed that while we have strong programs of professional development in place for principals and early career teachers, there was more that could be done for middle leaders – a core group that are integral to implementing learning.
“So, our focus became upskilling and supporting our middle leaders –that’s where the University of Canberra came in.”
The microcredential program also includes two certificates developed in partnership with the ACT Education Directorate and Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn.
“It's encouraging for teachers who might not have the time or capacity to jump into a course in its full sense. It allows them to do a master's program in a practical way. They can utilise that micro credential now, or in five years’ time,” Ms Senior-Conroy said.
The pilot has been a huge success, and in 2025, the Faculty has received expanded funding to deliver a new microcredential course in rural education.
“These microcredentials provide the ideal vehicle for delivering professional learning and we’re pleased to be developing a new offering for this year, incorporating insights from our pilot,” Professor Brown said.
“We’re all colleagues, and we’re learning together,” Professor Brown said.
