Recognition options

Successful course completion should be recognised as an educational achievement. OpenupEd partners offer a full/complete course experience including informal recognition options for free. Moreover, MOOC participants should be offered a pathway to formal higher education and as such should also be offered the possibility to a formal credit (to be paid for).

Always a badge and/or certificate. I.e. you have the opportunity to get a badge or an informal certificate of course completion for free (as evidence of completion). 

In addition, the majority of OpenupEd MOOCs provide the possibility to obtain a formal certificate, i.e. official credits that can count towards obtaining a degree, i.e. ECTS (European Credit Transfer and accumulation System). Those formal certificates require some costs, depending on the offering institution. 

Full Course Experience: We define MOOCs as a complete course experience including:

• educational content
• facilitation interaction among peers (including some but limited interaction with academic staff)
• activities/tasks, tests, including feedback
• some kind of (nonformal) recognition options
• a study guide / syllabus

The total study time of a MOOC is minimal 1 ECTS (typically between 1 and 4 ECTS).