Sometimes called skill badges or microcredentials (one word). Distinct from a full degree by the focused, narrow scope.
Micro-credentials are small, focused credentials that attest to a specific skill or competency. They typically cover a few hours to a few weeks of work, are issued in machine-readable formats, and are designed to be portable across systems — verifiable by anyone, not just the issuing institution.
The practical case for micro-credentials is granularity. A degree certifies a broad programme of study; a micro-credential certifies a specific competency. Hiring teams in skills-based hiring contexts increasingly want the granular signal because it tells them what a candidate can actually do, not just what programme they completed.
Each Ewance credential functions as a micro-credential at the granularity of the challenge — issued in W3C Verifiable Credentials format with Open Badges 3.0 metadata, anchored on Ethereum L2 by LearnCoin. A student building a portfolio across many challenges accumulates a stack of micro-credentials that compose into a recruiter-readable picture of the work they have shipped.
The fastest way to know whether challenge-based learning fits you is to ship one.
