Questions about the recognition of MOOCs within and outside higher education were already being raised in the mid 2010s. Today, these decisions are still made more or less on a case-by-case basis. However, digital certification approaches are now emerging that could automate these processes. The technical development of the required machine-readable documents and infrastructures is already well advanced in some cases. The DigiCerts consortium has already developed a solution based on a collective blockchain. There are ongoing and open discussions regarding the particular technology, but the institutional implementation of digital certificates raises further questions. A number of workshops have been held at the Institute for Interactive Systems at Technische Hochschule Lübeck, which have identified the need for new responsibilities for issuing certificates. It has also become clear that all members of higher education institutions need to develop skills in the use of digital certificates.

Experience paper, will appear in the conference proceedings of The European MOOCs Stakeholder Summit (EMOOCs) 2023 and presented at HPI Potsdam in June 2023.