On November 12, 2025, the University of Cuenca (Ecuador) held its first institutional event focused on digital micro-credentials. This milestone marked an important step in raising awareness and promoting the implementation of new forms of learning certification in Ecuadorian higher education.
The event featured the participation of Dr. Carlos Alario Hoyos, Deputy Director of the UNESCO Chair on Scalable Digital Education for All at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, who presented key progress and contributions of the MOCHILA Project, an initiative funded by the European Union. His presentation provided valuable insights into the European approach to the design, issuance, and quality assurance of micro-credentials, as well as the lessons learned from adapting this model to the Latin American context.
Key messages from the event included:
- Micro-credentials represent a flexible and complementary pathway for recognizing learning, particularly useful for professional development, employability, and lifelong learning.
- The region needs to move towards a shared ecosystem that enables the issuance, recognition, and articulation of micro-credentials under common criteria for quality, transparency, and portability.
- The MOCHILA project is actively working on developing reference frameworks, institutional pilots, and cooperation networks to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Latin America and the Caribbean throughout this process.
This event is part of the broader awareness and training efforts being promoted by several Ecuadorian universities. Notably, five universities in the country are already part of the MOCHILA-supported Regional Micro-credentials Observatory: Universidad San Francisco de Quito, ESPOL, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), and University of Cuenca.
The organization of this event and the active participation of institutional, academic, and technical stakeholders reaffirm Ecuador’s commitment to educational transformation and innovation in learning recognition systems.
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The UNESCO Chair participates in the first micro-credentials event at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador
