Proposers must be staff members from a CHARM-EU partner university.

Feel free to email us at a.z.toth@uu.nl for queries and more information.

CHARM-EU uses the Council of the European Union micro-credential definition:

A micro-credential is “the record of the learning outcomes that a learner has acquired following a small volume of learning. These learning outcomes have been assessed against transparent and clearly defined standards. Courses leading to micro-credentials are designed to provide the learner with specific knowledge, skills and competences that respond to societal, personal, cultural or labour market needs. Micro-credentials are owned by the learner, can be shared and are portable. They may be standalone or combined into larger credentials. They are underpinned by quality assurance following agreed standards in the relevant sector or area of activity (Council of the European Union, 2022)”.

• Micro-credentials proposed should have a minimum of 25 hours and a maximum of 450 hours of learner effort, or between 1 and 15 ECTS. If you use another way of calculating workload, please specify it.
• The target market for micro-credentials should primarily be internal or external professionals seeking to enhance or develop specific skills related to their field of practice.
• Proposals that focus on university student upskilling (e.g. PhD training, specific skills training) may also be considered.
• The content of micro-credentials should focus on professional skills development, offering practical, relevant knowledge and expertise tailored to industry or professional needs.
• Micro-credentials submitted should usually be offered on a paid basis, but free micro-credentials will also be considered.
• Participants must be provided with a transcript or digital badge with variables including learning objectives and hours of instruction.
• Each micro-credential must be approved or accredited by your institution.
• While having professional accreditation points or ECTS credits may be beneficial, it is not a prerequisite for submission.
• The micro-credential must be delivered in the year 2025.
• To ensure alignment with CHARM-EU’s mission, micro-credentials must align with at least four CHARM-EU educational principles, such as sustainability, transdisciplinarity, or challenge-based learning, demonstrating a commitment to shared educational values and objectives.See the full list of educational principles below.
• Micro-credentials may be delivered in any format, including online, blended, or in-person, depending on the best approach for engaging learners.

An online course that is freely available to any learner. We also are open to Massive Online Open Courses, defined as “An online course designed for a large number of participants that can be accessed by anyone anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection, is open to everyone without entry qualifications and offers a full/complete course experience online for free (OpenUpEdu, 2015)”.

• Free online courses proposed should be open-access online programmes (i.e., no entry requirements) that are available to a broad audience without any access barriers.
• The target market for free online courses is the general public, offering inclusive, widely available learning opportunities.
• Free online courses must be offered at no cost to learners.
• Free online courses must have no limits on attendance size.
• There is no minimum required length of instruction for free online courses, allowing flexibility in the design and scope of learning experiences.
• Free online courses must be approved or accredited by your institution.
• Free online courses must be delivered during the year 2025.
• To ensure alignment with CHARM-EU’s mission, free online courses must align with at least three CHARM-EU educational principles, such as sustainability, transdisciplinarity, or challenge-based learning, demonstrating a commitment to shared educational values and objectives.See the full list of educational principles below.

The CHARM-EU educational principles represent the guiding or organising concepts that underpin the design of a CHARM-EU educational experience. Some of these principles relate to ‘how’ we teach, others to ‘what’ we teach, and some intersect across ‘how’ and ‘what’ we teach.

• Sustainability
• Challenge-based learning
• Situated learning
• Transnational and intercultural learning
• Transversal skills (e.g. critical thinking, collaboration)
• Transdisciplinarity
• Research-based learning
• Technology enhanced
• Student centred
• Inclusivity

You can read a detailed description of the educational principles for further information.

• Review your course content, learning objectives, and how the programme is taught.
• Read our overview of the CHARM-EU educational principles
• Consult our tips for integrating CHARM-EU educational principles. Do you employ any of these techniques?
• Consult our evaluation rubric.
• Reflect on your programme by asking these questions:
  • Does your content align with any of the Sustainable Development Goals?
  • Do you incorporate multiple disciplines?
  • Do you use technology to enhance the learning?
  • Are any transversal skills scaffolding the programme (e.g. collaboration, communication)? 
  • Do students learn in authentic contexts or collaboration with industry?
  • Do you apply active teaching and learning practices?

Yes, there is no limit to the number of programmes an individual can submit. However, you need to submit them separately, using one form per micro-credential or free online course.

No, there are no costs to you for participating in this call.

No, this call is for pre-existing or already accredited programmes that will be delivered in 2025. Once you satisfy our criteria, you will not need to redevelop your programme. If you are interested in redeveloping your programme using CHARM-EU educational principles, please contact us.