European Digital Credentials for Learning
European Learning Model
The European Learning Model (ELM), developed by the European Union (EU), is a data model that aims to establish a single semantic vocabulary for learning in Europe. By unifying technical vocabularies, it allows for seamless data interchange across borders for multiple scenarios including (but not limited to):
- Publishing information on licensing and accreditation of educational institutions, as well as issuing accreditation credentials to licenced or accredited organisations.
European Digital Credentials for Learning are a recently launched EU standard for issuing education credentials (e.g. diplomas, transcripts of records, etc.) in a tamper-proof digital format, with authentication and verification checks built in.
Accredited credentials are checked against the accreditation database that is part of the (Europass) Qualifications Dataset Register (QDR). DEQAR data are automatically exported to the QDR. That means that higher education institutions whose institutional and or programme level accreditations are recorded in DEQAR, can immediately issue EDC credentials that can be verified as accredited.
The European Commission provides a step-by-step guide on how to issue European Digital Credentials for Learning:
A detailed guide for higher education institutions interested in using DEQAR data for verifying its accreditation data is available in the DEQAR Documentation:
DEQAR data enable higher education institutions to clear the accreditation status without the need for additional data export or software development at national level.