The Hornemann Institute now also offers all online courses with micro-credentials

International course participation

The online courses offered by the Hornemann Institute enjoy an internationally excellent and widespread reputation (refer to the world map in the title indicating the locations of the participants). A total of 95 specialists from various professional disciplines, primarily from the field of conservation of cultural goods, have attended courses at the Hornemann Institute since the introduction of micro-credentials, including 50 people from Germany. International attendees come from Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Austria, Romania, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey and the USA. Most participants, i ncluding a few students, work in museums, restoration workshops, archives, and state offices for the preservation of historical monuments. They listed their fields of work as book and paper conservator, conservation, paintings conservator, furniture and frames, wood restoration, inventory cataloging, paper restoration, architecture conservator, textile restoration, bookbinding conservator, collections care technician, archive, ethnological restoration, restoration, monument preservation and wood restoration.

More and more microcredentials

In recent years, a wide range of micro-credentials have emerged. One of the driving forces behind this was the 2022 recommendation by the Council of the European Union on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability. The aim is to supplement the existing system in line with labour market needs. This development is also being driven by social and economic transformation processes. According to the 2022 Council Recommendation, the learning experiences for the awarding of micro-credentials should be designed to provide learners with specific knowledge, skills and competences that meet societal, individual, cultural or labour market needs. They can be stand-alone or combined to form more comprehensive qualifications.

About the Hornemann Institute's online courses

The Hornemann Institute's online courses differ from the usual e-learning offered at universities because they are used in both teaching and continuing education and are updated whenever possible. The courses impart basic knowledge and are illustrated with hundreds of images and diagrams to make the content easily understandable. After each module, learners can check their own progress through various types of assessments. After successfully completing the final test, participants receive a qualified certificate or, if they wish, a micro-credential certificate. "I am very curious to see who chooses what," says tutor Kassandra Wirth, M.Sc. "In our specific field of cultural heritage preservation, only the University of Antwerp offers micro-credentials. It remains exciting."

Further information on the Hornemann Institute's online courses:
•    https://hornemann-institut.hawk.de/en/online-courses

Further information on micro-credentials:

• Empfehlung des Rates der Europäischen Union über einen europäischen Ansatz für Microcredentials für lebenslanges Lernen und Beschäftigungsfähigkeit, 2022 (Recommendation of the Council of the European Union on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability, 2022)
• Robert Rentzsch, Microcredentials auf Hochschulniveau. Ansätze zum Umgang mit einem bildungspolitischen Trend, Berlin 2023 (Robert Rentzsch, Microcredentials at university level. Approaches to dealing with an educational policy trend, Berlin 2023)
• Kerstin Altherr und Ulrich Wacker:  Zertifikate und Microcredentials in der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung. In: ZHWB Zeitschrift Hochschule und Weiterbildung, 2024 (1), S. 79-93, doi: 10.11576/zhwb-7284 (Kerstin Altherr and Ulrich Wacker, Certificates and microcredentials in academic further education. In: ZHWB Zeitschrift Hochschule und Weiterbildung, 2024 (1), pp. 79–93)
• Microcredentials an Hochschulen. Zwischen Flexibilisierung, Internationalisierung und Qualitätsentwicklung, Hochschulrektorenkonferenz: 2023 (Microcredentials at universities. Between flexibilisation, internationalisation and quality development, German Rectors' Conference, 2023)