Credentials
The world of credentials no longer begins and ends with degrees. Though degrees are still sought-after credentials, demand for certificates, professional certifications and other awards is rising. Being able to provide students a rich tapestry of offerings and outcomes is critical for the modern institution.
Microcredentials, MicroMasters, and Nanodegrees: What’s the Big Idea?
Cathrael Kazin | Managing Partner, Volta Learning GroupHGTV has tiny houses. Higher ed now has microcredentials, including nanodegrees (offered by Udacity), MicroMasters (offered by edX), and Educator Microcredentials (offered by Digital Promise). What’s driving the huge obsession with small? Actually, I’m not sure I can explain the fascination with tiny houses—they look…
This Will Go on Your Permanent Record! How Blockchains Can Transform Colleges in a Networked World
Richard DeMillo | Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Institute of TechnologyWhat happens when a well-established enterprise, like the American higher education system, doesn’t trust its own data? On the other hand, what happens when the new stakeholders (prospective students, for…
Striving for 60: Online Education, Instructional Design, and the Attainment Challenge
Paul Cochrane | Director of Online Teaching and Learning, University of Southern MaineThe workforce need is clear: More Americans will need a postsecondary credential in the next decade to be competitive in the labor market. We’ve already witnessed the impact of the…
ePortfolios Based on Competency Models: Connecting Academia to the Workplace and Back
Stella Porto | Learning and Knowledge Management Specialist, Inter-American Development BankIvan is completing his MBA part-time after 10 years of experience in the IT industry. During this time, he has taken on different professional roles, some with managerial experience. He…
Digital Badges Transforming Non-Credit Education: Credit-Bearing Programming Next
Kathleen Radionoff | Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Education, Madison Area Technical CollegeRecognizing and validating learning for non-credit students is a persistent and age-old problem in the postsecondary space. Given the importance of continuous learning to the success and progress of employees…
Goal 2025: How to Achieve a 60 Percent Attainment Rate in Nine Years
Danette Howard | Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President, Lumina FoundationSince 2008, the goal of achieving a 60-percent attainment rate—that is, 60 percent of working-age adults earning a postsecondary degree or credential—by 2025 has been a distant, but always present,…
Digital Badges and the Career Pathway: Assessing the Obstacles
Stephen Wright | Director of Information Communications Technologies and Digital Media Sector, Doing What Matters for Jobs & the Economy, Economic & Workforce Development, California Community Colleges SystemDigital badges have the capacity to transform the way students share their academic accomplishments. Right now, students rely upon paper degrees, transcripts and certificates to prove to employers that they…