While major course providers continue to release new stand-alone online courses, microcredentials are being launched at a faster rate. Class Central research shows that in 2020, 360 new microcredentials were introduced, a 43% increase over 2019 numbers. The 2800 courses released in 2020 represent an increase of around 20% from 2019.

FutureLearn is starting 2021 with the launch of a new type of microcredential – ExpertTrack. This new credential is skill focused and costs $39/month.

Currently, there are 35 ExpertTracks listed on FutureLearn (complete list can be found below) but only eight out of the 35 are from universities including Goldsmiths, University of London, Monash, and Coventry.

FutureLearn itself is listed as a creator on 10 ExpertTracks. Each of these also has a collaborator which is a tech company including the likes of SalesForce, Github, and Tableau. Class Central discovered that some older courses have been repackaged into ExpertTracks.

Instead of primarily session-based courses, these are self-paced. They are also FutureLearn’s first foray into a subscription-based model for individual courses/programs. This is very similar to Coursera’s Specializations. Your subscription automatically cancels after you finish all the courses, or you can cancel at any time if you decide not to complete the ExpertTrack. If you are a faster learner, you will pay less.

As long as you do not take months longer than the recommended time, these courses are less expensive than FutureLearn’s Microcredentials, Academic Certificates and Degrees. Most ExpertTracks have recommended learning times between 8 and 12 weeks, with some up to 25 weeks. They consist of between 3 and 6 courses each. The most common format is a 12-week ExpertTrack made up of 3 short courses.

Like Microcredentials and courses for academic credit, ExpertTracks are not included in FutureLearn Unlimited.

Being self-paced, it is possible that the discussions may not be monitored by course mentors, but any learner can flag inappropriate comments.

I signed up for Customer Experience Design for Customer Success and completed the first course. It is a similar format to other FutureLearn courses I have taken, with reading, audio and video components, plus helpful links to relevant websites and several practical activities. Opportunities for discussion are on almost every course page, with some pages dedicated to specific discussion topics. The end-of-course test consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions. The information mentioned that if you do not pass, you can retake the test, but I scored above the 70% pass mark on my first attempt.

FutureLearn ExpertTracks