Examining micro-credentials and their impact on education

BY ANN WHITCHER GENTZKE

Sam Abramovich focuses much of his research on how innovative assessment methods can unlock deeper learning opportunities across educational settings. An associate professor in the departments of Learning and Instruction and Information Science, Abramovich investigates micro-credentials, open education resources and other educational technologies that are increasingly prevalent at U.S. universities.

In a recent white paper, Abramovich and coauthor Anne Reed, director of UB’s Office of Micro-Credentials, address the challenges and opportunities associated with evaluating micro-credentials. Their work is especially timely, given that micro-credentials—often short, skill-focused educational experiences accompanied by digital badges—hold significant promise but currently lack standardized assessment methods to clearly demonstrate their value. The authors offer a roadmap for evaluation that’s adaptable to the specific content being imparted. Their framework also helps educators and other stakeholders make relative comparisons among different micro-credentials.

Abramovich also studies how AI is changing the landscape of how we measure learning, and what constitutes formative and summative feedback in a world where tools like ChatGPT can create quality work in seconds. A regular gamer (board, video and role-playing), he earned a BA at Brandeis University and an MT from the University of Virginia. Abramovich did early research on gamification and education at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that, he was a social studies teacher in Virginia, a technology coordinator in Massachusetts and a computer programmer on Wall Street. After receiving his PhD in learning science and policy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013, Abramovich was hired as assistant professor at UB and moved to Buffalo that fall with his wife Miriam and their two children, Zelda and Oz. Buffalo has been home ever since.

“I’ve been in Buffalo longer than anywhere else,” said Abramovich, who grew up in Houston, but has lived all over the U.S. and in Israel. “I feel like I’m a real Buffalonian. I know this because I’ve started watching Bills games without ever sitting—just pacing!” He’s also a “passionate” wings aficionado with definite tastes and preferences for what constitutes good chicken wings. “The Buffalo Wing Trail was a game-changer for me. I’ve gone to all the different kind of wings places that I can.”

Abramovich's Research Areas

Information Science
Achievement
Assessment
Cultural Studies
Cognition
Design and Analysis of Longitudinal Research
Design Experiments
Educational technology
Evaluation; Gamification
Large-Scale Assessment and Research
Learning Design
Measurements
Online and Distance Learning
Qualitative Research Methods
Quantitative Research Methods
Research Design
Research Methods

In This Photo:

Sparking joy: When it comes to office decor, Abramovich admires the credo of Marie Kondo, bestselling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” and other guides: “Only when you know how to choose things that spark joy can you attain your lifestyle,” Kondo wrote.

Laptop stand: “I am a big embracer of technology, but I like technology that’s simple, reliable and accessible. Like this stand that allows you to align your laptop with your computer monitor. To me, that’s helpful and simple, which is fantastic.”

Bucket list scratch-off: Abramovich keeps this item handy to mark the U.S. locations he has visited during his recent travels.

Roll of the die: Abramovich keeps a giant 20-sided die in his office, often used in role-playing games like “Dungeons & Dragons.”

Let’s play crokinole: Abramovich enjoys crokinole, a board game of Canadian origin in which players shoot tiny discs across a circular surface in a test of dexterity, thus combining elements of shuffleboard and curling scaled to a tabletop setting.