Microcredentials (MCs) are given out as a digital record of learning certain knowledge, competencies, and skills. They are issued in verifiable formats such as portable digital badges and PDFs. The exact scoping is currently discussed in Switzerland (mostly in the Swissuniversities context) but also in the EU (EDCL - European Digital Credentials for Learning) and in other education spheres. But as a certain baseline emerges, the first universities in Switzerland, namely ZHAW and ETH Zürich, are adopting MCs to gain experience and bring in their requirements at an early stage.

Both universities currently self-host the open source d-gree software for this purpose, which allows for rapid adjustment of MC design, processes, and grade management system integration, as well as experimenting with decentralized MC management. However, self-hosting may not be the right fit for all institutions, especially smaller ones.

Borrowing from the self-service concepts in cloud computing, we propose an MC-as-a-Service concept where an entity operates the MC management, delivery, and portfolio management on behalf of HEIs and other educational institutions that wish to outsource the operational concerns. The talk will present the first steps in this direction and discuss the business concerns in terms of price per certificate as a key metric of interest for university administrators. It aims at an audience new to MCs who want to inform themselves about the options and the ongoing adoption in Switzerland.