But this likely means that institutions evaluating Open edX may need to think differently about where it fits. The relevant comparison may increasingly be less about which LMS has the best feature set and more about which platform is best suited to support complex skills ecosystems, workforce initiatives, credential pathways, and large-scale learning infrastructure.

If you are running a national workforce program, you are not primarily buying a discussion board or a gradebook. You are buying infrastructure: identity management, credential pathways, reporting, integrations, governance, and the ability to coordinate activity across multiple organizations and stakeholders.

They were skills-focused, workforce-oriented, or competency-based initiatives whose requirements differ significantly from those of conventional credit-bearing academic programs.

are not necessarily looking for a traditional LMS serving up courses. They are looking for infrastructure that can connect workforce development, competency-based education, microcredentials, national learning initiatives, and large-scale skills programs.

Work experience is the most valued indicator of career readiness. When evaluating candidate profiles, employers that hire recent college graduates rank those with related work experience — such as internships or project-based learning — as most desirable, while a candidate with a 4.0 GPA and academic awards, but no formal work experience, is least preferred.

Critical thinking and communication are valued more highly in entry-level hires than AI literacy. Employers rate AI literacy as the least important skill evaluated, while critical thinking and communication rank as the most important.

LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT15RECORD .—The term ‘learning and employment16record’ means a digital, machine-readable17record of an individual’s educational and em-18ployment history that—19‘‘(i) contains information that may be20self attested and is verified by the employ-21ers, persons for whom the individual per-22formed services, and education and train-23ing providers of such individual;24March 30, 2026 (2:21 p.m.)G:\M\19\OWENUT\OWENUT_038.XMLg:\VHLC\033026\033026.020.xml (1052619|1)

nstitutions that have fully embraced credential innovation are distinguishingthemselves from those that have not. These institutions report significantlystronger alignment between microcredentialing initiatives and institutionalstrategy (79% vs. 32%) and greater perceived effectiveness in competing withnon-traditional providers (45% vs. 25%). Strategic coherence appears to fosternot only better alignment with institutional mission but also greater marketconfidence, which is a key differentiator in a landscape increasingly shaped byemerging providers and employer expectations.

This disconnect between individual action and institutionalalignment risks stalling innovation at precisely the time when microcredentialsare emerging as vital tools for labor market alignment, not merely academicenrichment

How have institutional leaders addressed challenges or barriers to newcredentials?

What are some of the challenges or barriers your institution faces whendeveloping new credentials?

31% strongly agree or agree that their institutionregularly lists alumni as a target market for microcredential programs,

how well do microcredential initiatives align with the strategicplan of your institution?

Respondents more involved in the credentialing process were generally lesslikely to say institutionally offered microcredentials are extremely or very effec-tive in competing with those offered by emerging entities, while respondentsnot at all involved were most likely to say they are extremely or very effective.

How involved are you in the process of developing and implementingcredentialing initiatives, such as stackable credentials, non-credit to credit pathways,and microcredentials, among others, at your institution?

Notably, when asked how they overcame these barriers, themost common response was communication (18%), which serves as a reminderthat bridging institutional employer priorities may not be as difficult or expen-sive as one might think.

Figure 3: Decrease in Perceived Fiscal Benefits of Microcredentials by Year

Notably, traditional mindsets and legacysystems are seen as far greater barriers in 2025 (61%) than in 2021 (5%), high-lighting a growing tension between innovation and institutional resistance tochange.

When credential innovation is em-bedded within an institution’s strategic plan, programs are not only betteraligned with mission and goals but also more likely to deliver fiscal benefitsand effectively compete with other providers. The growing emphasis on work-force development and professional advancement signals a shift towardoutcome-driven design, positioning microcredentials as an important bridgebetween education and employment. Institutions that intentionally embedthese initiatives into their strategic priorities and collaborate closely with in-dustry partners will be best positioned to deliver programs that are bothmission-aligned and market-relevant.Executive Summary

Interoperability PutsLearners in Control ofTheir Journeys

InteroperabilityBuilds Shared TrustBetween Educationand Employment

INTEROPERABILITY

Olivia is a highly skilled, experienced, and qualifiedcandidate who is expanding her skills and abilities overtime, yet she isn’t able to show her progress. Therefore,her application does not paint a comprehensive pictureof her ability. Because she cannot upload verifiableproof of her skills, the ATS has filtered her out before ahuman even had the chance to assess her qualifi-cations. If Olivia chooses to rely on listing her manageras a reference to verify her skills, it could reveal herintention to seek a new job, jeopardizing her currentone.

DATACOLLECTED

This is especially true ofrecords that are older and housed in legacy data sys-tems. The sharing of credentials, learning, and employ-ment records is a clunky and imperfect process thatoften results in frustration for learners, job seekers,employers, and workforce advocates

n 2023, an estimated 8.2 million learners sought internships, yet only 44 percentof them found one. Even fewer — just 30 percent — had work-based learning experiences marked byclarity, supervision, and skill development.2

Comprehensive Learner Record Standard Transcript Guide

1EdTech's Comprehensive Learner Record Standard (CLR Standard)

The Student Athlete Experience and Micro Credentials

“Digital badges are a great opportunity for Iowa State students to explore different avenues to build career-readiness skills,” Hageman said. “It’s not just a badge, it’s the work you put into earning it that stands out.”

“LinkedIn is a tool I highly value as a college student,” Hageman said. “Gaining digital badges to display on my LinkedIn profile and résumé motivated me to pursue the Pathways workshops.”

Mendee said a recent survey found that 85% of employers look for candidates who have both a degree and micro-credentials. “Micro-credentials give students a competitive edge by highlighting their skills in ways that stand out to employers and graduate schools,” Mendee said.

Students earn credentials through high-impact experiences like research, entrepreneurship, study abroad and internships.

The data is clear: Internships are the single most powerful predictor of early-career success

The U.S. Department of Education says these integrated, next-generation strategies should feature a credential registry, learning and employment records (LERs), and a skills-based job description generator.

Yet most credentials fail to adequately capture the skills and knowledge of students who earn them, keeping employers in the dark and closing doors for jobseekers without four-year degrees

Devedžić and Jovanović (2015) stated that digital badges support goal setting, integrate learning, provide feedback, recognize skills and prior learning, and create a sense of belonging.

Digital badges can be stacked together to replace or supplement formal and informal learning experiences and be understood by learners, higher education, and the workforce

Through evidence of skill competency, micro-credentials have the potential to reset educational programs, trigger changes to the academic culture, and strengthen the relationship between educational institutions and industries

which is something many employers may not yet fully recognize

These badges help track professional development, recognize skill achievement, and enhance employability

Digital badges play a growing role in workforce development by enabling employers and higher education institutions to collaborate on defining badge criteria for skill verification and competency-based hiring.

While micro-credentials have stand-alone value, they also enhance degree programs by recognizing specific competencies, supporting experiential learning, and helping learners showcase skills beyond what transcripts can capture (Bell et al., 2022; Lang & O’Halloran, 2023; Maina et al., 2022; Thi Ngoc Ha et al., 2023).

Micro-credentials can serve as an alternative, complementary, or component of formal learning and can be credit or non-credit-bearing options that empower learners to take control of their career development

Their portability and verifiable nature make them a flexible and accessible way to recognize and communicate skills (Bowen & Thomas, 2014)

Micro-Credentials and Digital Badges: An Exploration of Definitions and Implications in Higher Education and Workforce

SuitCASE uses the Competencies and Academic Standards Exchange (CASE) technical standard to make their academic standards machine-readable and shareable across learning platforms and systems. Because CASE is extensible, the state can also align K-12 standards with higher education and workforce expectations, helping students navigate smoother pathways from school to college and career.

Intra-institution collaboration—such as partnershipsbetween academic departments, career centers, andstudent services—creates an integrated ecosystem whereskill development is reinforced across both curricular andco-curricular experiences. Meanwhile, inter-institutioncollaboration—sharing frameworks, tools, and best practicesacross universities, colleges, and professional programs—canaccelerate innovation and ensure more consistent preparationfor students entering a rapidly evolving workforce

Formative development tracking:Support the journeyBuilding people skills takes time, and students benefit fromknowing where they stand. That’s why formative assessments aresuch a powerful instructional tool.

Some educators and administrators still see professional skillsas a bonus, or a logical outcome from learning technical skills.They also assume they’re too subjective to teach or measure(which we’ve proven is not the case thanks to tools like SJTs).But as this report has shown, the lack of professional skillsdevelopment has graduates struggling to communicate, adapt,and lead in today’s workforce—skills that are particularlyimportant in today’s AI-driven workforce.The Opportunity: Provide faculty and staff with professionaldevelopment that underscores the importance of professionalskills and equips them with effective methods to assess anddevelop these skills. By learning how to measure and developthese skills, faculty can better integrate professional skillsevaluation into coursework, and ensure graduates have thecompetencies employers demand

Embed professional skills teaching into generaleducation requirements and across disciplines toensure they’re identified and evaluated.

Durable skills aren’t optional.They’re essential for student success, in the classroomand beyond

Current Programming Partnerships Across Academic

The platform allows students to complete assessments of their skills—including hard-to-measure soft skills, like communication, resilience and ability to collaborate—and present them in a “skills-based transcript” they can present to employers,

Issuers also have an opportunity to include projects to work on or an assessment so learners can apply and better retain what they are learning. 92% of learners want this but only 34% of issuers offer this.

issuers should track learner engagement post-launch to optimize their courses. Unfortunately, most issuers aren’t tracking engagement metrics and don’t have a sense of where learners are finding value and where they’re dropping off. Less than half of issuers track what content or courses learners are most engaged with (34%), which learners are most engaged (25%), course completion time (24%), and where learners drop off (14%) — missing out on critical insights to improve their programs

students are matched with employers after a screening interview based on their major and goals, and they have final say in where they intern. The process is meant to be personalized

The most effective approach to achieve these outcomes? Interdisciplinary models that embed skills flexibly across curriculum, that engage learners as part of networks, teams, and exploration, and that embed applied experiences in real-world contexts

Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun outlines as essential literacies in Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In addition to technical and data literacies, he shares two key components of human literacy. First, a set of “catalytic capacities” that include: Initiative and self-reliance Comfort with risk Flexibility and adaptability Second, a set of “creative capacities” that include: Opportunity recognition, or the ability to see and experience problems as opportunities to create solutions Creative innovation, or the ability to create solutions without clearly defined structures Future innovation, or the disposition to orient toward future developments in society

Social capital research has continuously demonstrated that early career exposure, network development, and mentorship also matter in early career success and throughout an entire career.

ABET’s recognition of the Siemens credential is an example of how quality-assurance standards can identify credentials in which society can be confident

Universities offer credentials aligned to NACE Career Competencies: University of North Florida, the university system of Maryland and Purdue

The online, asynchronous credential, offered upon completion of nine courses, is available globally through Coursera. The credential provides the opportunity to earn credits by enrolling in UC Boulder and completing additional assessments, making it stackable into a master’s degree.

For the partnership to be effective, clarity of expectations and roles, commitment to collaboration, and communication are critical.

Unlike traditional degrees, digital credentials allow potential employers to verify skills and students to showcase these skills

demonstrate that their qualifications align with industry standards

institutions need clarity to create coherent credentialing ecosystems that are aligned with their mission and the market.

Stackable credentials are also critical to the “Some College, No Credential” (SCNC) market, which reached a total of 36.8 million under the age of 65 in the U.S., up 2.9% from the previous year. Recent research from UPCEA and StraighterLine found that 76% of SCNC adults said being able to earn alternative or microcredentials that could stack toward a degree would increase or greatly increase their interest in completing their degree

And most importantly, we need to be transparent and intentional about what they are and how we talk about them.

To best align credentials with workforce needs, institutions should engage employers. This will ensure that programs fill real-world talent gaps, boost learner employability, and strengthen corporate partnerships.  This will also help to ensure that learners understand the credential they’re earning, how it stacks to other learning modules, and how it leads to future opportunities

Employers must understand the credential to ensure that it meets their needs and allows them to assess candidates and recognize verified skills.

Credential Innovation captures the richness and diversity of this space. It speaks to the intentional design, employer alignment, and learner-centric approaches that our member institutions are pioneering to serve learners in targeted ways over a continuum of learning

Lack of standard definitions makes it harder for learners to navigate options and for employers to assess value

companies with external partnerships that provide employee training or professional development increased from 54% in 2022 to 68% in 2023, and among those without existing relationships, 61% of companies would be interested in developing these partnerships.

D ESCRIPTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION'S POLICY ON WORK- RELATEDEXPERIENCES OR WORK- BASED LEARNING, THE INSTITUTION'S POLICY ONPRIOR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES , AND THE INDUSTRY- RECOGNIZEDCREDENTIALS , LICENSES , OR APPRENTICESHIP CERTIFICATES FOR WHICH THEINSTITUTION AWARDS POSTSECONDARY ACADEMIC CREDIT , INCLUDINGLEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FROM WORK - RELATED EXPERIENCE FOR WHICHTHE INSTITUTION AWARDS POSTSECONDARY ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR COURSESIN THE GUARANTEED TRANSFER PATHWAY MATRIX

A COMPREHENSIVE RECORD OF THE INSTITUTION'S AWARDS OFPOSTSECONDARY TRANSFER CREDIT FOR EACH SEMESTER OR TERMBEGINNING WITH THE FALL 2023 SEMESTER OR TERM FOR ALL COURSES THATTHE INSTITUTION HAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE INSTITUTION'S CURRENTTRANSFER AND COURSE ARTICULATION PROCESS AS HAVING LEARNINGOUTCOMES EQUIVALENT TO CORRESPONDING COURSES AT OTHER COLORADO

Employers would spend less time sorting through unqualified applications

To rebuild trust, education providers must do more than issue degrees‑‑they must demonstrate clear outcomes. That means helping learners see the direct connection between their education and career opportunities, making learning outcomes more transparent, and ensuring skills are recognizable, validated, and transferable.

Colleges, universities, and workforce training providers play a critical role in preparing people for careers, but they need better alignment with the actual skills employers demand.

Employers must shift how they hire, manage, and promote employees, putting skills and competencies at the center of decision-making. This means investing in systems that track skills development, recognizing learning from all sources, and ensuring internal advancement pathways are clear and equitable.

fundamentally change how we connect talent to opportunities

And more importantly, what could it do for workers, education providers, employers, and our communities?

Certain types of learning (like degrees from well-known institutions) continue to be valued over others, even when they might not be the best indicator of job readiness

Career navigation tools use AI to help match job seekers and opportunities, but the tools often work with incomplete or outdated learning data

We often describe our skills through job titles, the reputation of past employers, and the prestige of institutions we’ve attended, rather than articulating what we actually know and can do

legacy systems move too slowly, lack the intelligence needed for smart decision-making, and fail to capture the full range of skills and experiences people bring to the table.

As an alternative, researchers are turning to ontologies—dynamic frameworks that map how skills interact across jobs and industries. Unlike taxonomies, ontologies adapt to context, making them valuable for AI-driven hiring tools.

Despite their limits, taxonomies remain useful for research and policy, informing studies on job polarization and technological change. However, they fail to fully capture job complexity and context.

Project-Based Learning: Integrate project-based courses withdirect instructor and cohort interaction to create a differentiatedmicro-credentialing experience, meeting the demand forhands-on training

A striking 95% of HR executives acknowledge theimperative for employees to receive more hands-on practice thanconventional online training typically offers. This insight underscores thevalue of experiential learning and positions local institutions favorably.By incorporating hands-on components into micro-credentialprograms, local universities can meet the demand for practical skilldevelopment, aligning seamlessly with employer expectations

Detailed Tables of ContentsCourses that garner high enrollment often present detailed tablesof contents. These structures provide a transparent overview of thecourse content, allowing learners (or corporate purchasers) to assessthe relevance and alignment with their learning objectives. The termsfound in the tables of contents can also play a significant role inimproving search engine optimization (SEO

Noah Geisel,

That feels like the kind of distinction employers make between Princeton and The University of Phoenix. They know those providers and can make sound assumptions about job seekers holding credentials from these places and programs

Because there were so many, because there was no regulation or oversight to assure quality or competency, because there was no standardization or segmentation of badges, people had no idea what they meant.

For existing students, the priority is immediate recognition of skills and knowledge in the major or complementary to the major, helping the student earn a fellowship or prepare for graduate school, to encourage persistence and completion, and to help students compete in the job market

Each microcredential is a substantive learning experience with set learning outcomes and assessments where student work is produced. While community building or participation in meetings or events can be important parts of the student experience, they do not rise to the level of a SUNY microcredential.

All work is aligned with key pillars set by SUNY’s Board of Trustees and Chancellor John B. King, Jr., including student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility

iQ4willgenerateandpostadigitalcredentialinthehighschoolstudents'WalletforcompletedCareerandTechnicalEducation(CTE)programsusingtheDigitalCredentialConsortium (DCC)trusted,distributed,andsharedinfrastructureandthe1EdTechOB3wrapperthatprovidescredentialverification,makingiteasierforemployers,educators,andprofessionalstoverifycredential

Institutions increasingly turn to digital credentials to reshape their recruitment and admissions processes. Universities like Georgia Tech, the University of California, Berkeley, and Syracuse already use digital credentials to assess applicants holistically. By incorporating digital badges, microcredentials, and LERs, institutions can create richer, more accurate student profiles that go beyond traditional metrics like standardized test scores and GPA

Takeaways

increase their confidence

How will buy-in from the workforce and higher education institutions be obtained to support the implementation of competency-based micro-credentials and learning and employment record technologies, and how will they be trained?

Who owns the data

liked what LER technologies offer regarding storing everything in one place

employer verification

For nearly half of the lower-wage employment analyzed, we identify at least one higher-paying occupation requiring similar skills in the same metro area. We also find that transitions to similar higher-paying occupations would represent an average annual increase in wages of nearly $15,000, or 49 percent.

Our vision is for members of the UMBC community to amass hundreds of microcredentials throughout their careers

Better understanding of what learning described by credentials prepares earners to do in theworkforce, at the skill level. This may be a reframing of competencies toward position descriptionlanguage

Increasingly, our partners are interested in building collections - or connecting to - credentials that they don’t own, issue, or offer to show learners the full pathways of learning opportunities that they can pursue.

One participant noted that local credentials,that is, from local colleges, were more highly valued because they almost certainly had examples ofhires with the same credentials

Resume parsers will now have better and slightly more detailed credential information to pass onto client systems—confirmation of a credential with a standardized name and associated skills

while there was certainly discussion with workshopparticipants about more specific changes to their hiring tools, thefundamental issue at the root of each major challenge was inadequateinformation about candidates

wants more consistent/trustworthy data

major HRIS system providers, from offering a full stack of proprietarysolutions to adopting a platform model that supports integrations with a range of third-party services

On the otherhand, there are legitimate concerns about how well resumes may be translated into structureddata via parsing.

This is consistent with what their peers report generally: one study suggests that almosthalf of companies do not know how to gauge a candidate’s skills based on a non-degree credential.12

The top four HR platforms according to Forbes13 all have marketplaces showcasing 300+ partnerintegrations. These platforms’ integration capabilities mean that established providers of traditionalbackground check services have a path to incorporate non-degree verification into their offerings

In addition to service providers, a new class of information consolidator, the Learning andEmployment Record (LER) wallet providers, may find benefit in joining the partner marketplaces. AnLER wallet is envisioned to be an application where credential holders can store their credentials ina safe, private way, giving the holder an ability to curate and share more comprehensive informationabout formal and informal education activity, along with other achievements. A key value of LERwallets is that credential information can only be stored in them if they have been verified by theissuer

At a minimum, we hope this discussion willencourage HR leaders to work with their HR technology providers to broaden access to the fieldsoffered by the parsing companies in system integrations

Parsing algorithms that translate unstructured resume data into a set of variables thatcorrespond to fields in an ATS or HRIS implementation are sometimes maintained in-house bythe HR technology companies. In a large number of cases, however, resume parsing is a serviceprovided by a handful of companies. These companies have all been in business for decadesand process incredible volumes of data on a daily basis. We estimate that, collectively, thesecompanies process ten million resumes a day or three billion resumes per year.

This kind of data could potentially enhance his understanding of what sources generateapplicants who work out best and what experiences correlate most highly with more successfulhiring outcomes

having better information can help Malik address the common queryfrom unsuccessful applicants about why they weren’t selected and allow him to proactively offerguidance on what they might seek to earn

helps him turn a pool of rejected applicantsinto a pipeline of potential future candidates that will let him achieve even better, more cost-effective efficiency

data does exist, but doesn’t yet flow through theecosystem in a consistent and high-quality way

stored data that he can analyze

more connected data,

Just as skills information can begin to flow from the curricular skills data source to the resumeparsers, a similar connection can be created between the curriculum data source and non-degreecredential data sources

Additionalawareness and use of digital credentials may also attract the attention of the traditional third-partycredential verification companies or larger wallet creators.

For Jake, the high school graduate applying for jobs, the application process shifts away from being agame of how to pick the perfect keywords for his resume. Instead, he is matched by the actual skillsacquired in his recent community college coursework and EdX certificate. Both Jake and the hiringmanager he will soon meet have a more equitable and accurate path through the noise of today’sonline hiring process.

This interconnected ecosystem allows for improvements that HR leaderswould most like to see: better whole-person evaluation, better leverage of candidate skills, bettercredential verification, and more reliable information on what makes a good candidate

integrationswith the mission-focused LER wallet companies or the entrance of a few general-purpose walletproviders, such as ApplePay or GooglePay, into the hiring ecosystem. Both Apple and Google arealready experimenting with housing digital driver’s license information for a number of U.S. states, andexpansion into storing digital credential information may be a viable, incremental step for them

Increased awareness of digital credentials and more demanding HR expectations may also encouragea range of other types of integrations

data about the nature of the non-degree credential experience can includethe kind of information provided by EQOS

higher confidence

Examples of these sources would include an established digital walletprovider, or an exhaustive catalogue of digital credentials that are available, such as the repositoryhosted by Credential Engine. Having the curricular data source, which has a connection to the parsingcompanies, also create a connection to credential information opens up a connection, albeit anindirect one, between the non-degree credential information and the parsing activity. Instead ofreceiving just a course name from the resume parser, the intermediary can also receive a non-degreecredential identifier that is sent to the credential data source to look up and return skills information

One example of a curriculum data source is OpenSyllabus.org, a non-profit that hosts acomprehensive repository of higher ed course information. OpenSyllabus.org can serve as a value-added provider that sends skill information about specific college coursework to the parsers. This willexpand the potential skill information parsers can associate with a resume, going beyond what mightbe gleaned only from reading a course or degree title. They would now have access to informationderived from more detailed course catalog descriptions or even course syllabi information. Parserswill be able to send more extensive lists of skills over to companies’ HR platforms in a structuredformat they can immediately utilize. This integration also captures the skills from a particular type ofnon-degree credential - the coursework completed by the 40 million people in the U.S. who have somecollege, but no degree.

As a first step in connecting more and better data to candidate profiles, we propose workingwith the resume-parsing companies to expand the skills information they extract and transmit fromapplications. To do this, it is necessary to identify a small number of value-added providers managinga large source of useful information that the resume itself doesn’t typically include

None of the jobs weapplied for, even with companies who were forward-leaning in the LER space, included an option toconnect or share an LER as part of the application we submitted. This lack of implementation standsin stark contrast to the incredible volume of reliance on resumes

simply having technology available does notguarantee its use by end users without substantial investment in change management

The lack of reliable and consistent information about non-degree credentials presented by candidatesin the hiring process also meant that workshop participants had no information to classify candidatespost-hire. This gap made it impossible to know who among the employee base had earned whichcredentials. Without this basic profile data, HR leaders are unable to gather much-needed insight intowhat types of credentials appear to prepare candidates best for a given role or which credentialsappear to be more effective at training than others

a lack of intuitive visualizations were alsoidentified as places for improvement

Due to the relative novelty of LER wallets, both applicant adoption and employer awareness remainlimited. This lack of familiarity has resulted in minimal client demand to integrate LER wallets intohiring workflow tools. Consequently, major HRIS platforms do not currently support APIs for data flowdirectly from LER wallets.

eliminates the backend verification work that is so burdensome

In contrast to the badge information screens in Figure 10, HR leaders expressed strong preferencefor the concise summaries on the mocked-up HRIS screen. They also appreciated keeping theinformation in the flow of work, thereby minimizing the need to consider yet another tool or interface

information about trainingcontent and skills was important, but only one aspect of how they determined if credentials wereof interest. They also wanted some understanding of the quality of the training. Some of the parsingcompanies have created scores that might help HR leaders understand credential quality, but theworkshop participants told us quite clearly that they didn’t like these kinds of scores. To them, scoringsystems felt very black box in nature and were generally not trusted.

Ideas for More Actionable InformationIn discussion with HR leaders helping imagine process improvement, we learned that the informationcurrently curated for digital badges was helpful, but perhaps not quite hitting the mark. Workshopparticipants told us two things about the kind of information found in Figure 9: it was overwhelming,and it missed key facts they wanted to know.In their view, the sum of information presented on badge websites is a bit dense and very focused onthe nature and content of the training

the findings alsorevealed a genuinely inconsistent interpretation of less traditional education experiences. Part of theproblem appears to be widespread industry confusion regarding the distinction between certificates,certifications, and short-form courses.

Most notably, application times were very different, ranging from a swift two-minute process tomore than 45 minutes. Some organizations appeared more sensitive to reports that a key concern ofcandidates is how long it takes to apply for a job.1

Briana aims to enhance efficiency by leveraging technology to better manage andverify credentials, potentially exploring solutions that simplify the integration of professional socialmedia profiles that have been linked to government-recognized credentials. Briana’s main concern,however, is that she is unclear whether the company developing the platform she uses to store HRinformation is committed to supporting these kinds of integrations

Stage Three: Expandingthe EcosystemLeverage new demand from end-usercompanies that have access to additionalinformation to justify more integrationsbetween data sources and HR tools

Once these connections are established,expand data flow to include the additionalinformation about non-degree credentialsdesired by HR leaders

“The Creative Edge” report was the degree to which hiring managers see these self-efficacy skills reflected in candidates who have achieved digital credentials. In comments and interviews, hiring managers noted that they view candidates who have made the effort to obtain digital credentials as self-motivated, ambitious, and dedicated. 53 percent of hiring managers in the study said that having a digital credential demonstrates a candidate is committed to professional development

In the list of top ten skills rising in importance between now and 2027, three relate to self-efficacy: “curiosity and lifelong learning” (ranked fourth), “resilience, flexibility, and agility” (ranked fifth), and “motivation and self-awareness” (ranked eighth).

What metrics do you use to measure your success?The process of aligning strategic priorities to the UMS Micro-Credential Initiative led us to create aprimary goal for our students.

Excel for Storytellers: The Co-Design Process

those institutionsthriving within the changing landscape of higher education continue to make it easy for peopleto unbundle and rebundle their education and training, allowing them to personalize and bestmeet their career and personal goals. In the area of microcredentials, “stackability” arose as afeature more than any other—designing credentials to stack towards other, larger credentialsand as pathways towards credit-bearing degrees. While some of our consortium institutionswere further along than others in this regard (for example, National University only buildsprograms from components that are stackable), all ten institutions embraced the intent tomake all new programs stackable. UPCEA believes that stackability is critical to the success ofboth microcredentials and degree-granting programs. Students are demanding these options.In addition, allowing rebundling and stackability requires strong operations and advising,

We learned that an institution’s alumni were an underutilized resource to explore and establishcommunity partnerships.

Other elements specific to sustainable business models include:► Building business models that accurately account for all expenses, including the fixed costsof existing technology, as well as staff and faculty salaries. When existing faculty and staff areutilized (from marketing to instructional design, to instruction itself) it is important to expensetheir time estimates or percent of workload into the program pro forma.► We encourage institutions to generate multi-year break-even enrollment/revenueprojections for each program established. These projections became important“touchstones” for year-to-year assessment of program growth and health.► Those institutions creating comprehensive marketing plans, unique for each new programestablished, had the best success in their marketing efforts. A useful marketing tool is togenerate “personas” to better understand the likely population who will be attracted toparticular programs.► The use of formal and signed Memos of Understanding (MOUs) early in programdevelopment were important to clarify and solidify partner expectations. Additionally,MOUs were a valuable vehicle to discuss and ultimately settle the important program andbudgetary topics above.

It is important to shore up internal support within and across the institution, includingidentifying and cultivating “champions.” Some of these champions should be centraldecision-makers within an institution who can make decisions campuswide

overwhelmingly valued microcredentials as a way to upskill/reskill their currentemployees and as an important signifier on a resumé, signaling that their presence indicatedthat a candidate was committed to self-improvement and pursuit of specialized skills

As institutions compete for a decreasing number of traditionalstudents

they should haveone tracking system forthe entire portfolio ofmicrocredential offerings

First, microcredentialsshould be part of thestrategic programportfolio for all institutionsof higher education.Additionally, institutionsshould resource theirmicrocredential activitiesappropriately forsustainability and growth

Many institutions did not have a centralized office or system to keep track of microcredentialactivity across that institution.

but oftenmultiple parties were responsible on campus for employer outreach, which caused confusion

Employers were strategic partners and consumers of the content

deconstructing existing for-credit courses to do so (72%)

023, UPCEA surveyed 100 individuals from 100 institutions,supplementing those quantitative results through six follow-up focus groups. The full report can befound here

only 69% said that senior leadership at their institution has embracedmicrocredentials

(20%) did not include microcredentials as astrategic priority

myfreebingocards

The transparent communication of course goals, assessments aligned with objectives, and access to top-tier instructional materials and support resources ensures a holistic and enriching learning experience. Notably, since the implementation of the course template, UF CJC Online has observed a remarkable 25% increase in course completion rates, underscoring the tangible impact of its commitment to quality education

consistent learning experience

The template, housed in Canvas, is easy to update to reflect resource and content information changes. In addition, the comprehensive template equips instructors with essential tools, eliminates the need for them to create courses from scratch, and allows them to dedicate their time and expertise to delivering engaging and impactful courses.

the QM Rubric, evaluates various facets of online course design through eight categories, including learning objectives, alignment, assessment strategies, instructional materials, learner interaction, course technology, learner support, accessibility, and usability

Among 11,300 roles at large firms, companies increased the share of workers without a bachelor’s degree by about 3.5 percentage points. At the same time, this shift only applied to the 3.6% of roles that dropped a requirement during that time period, which means the net effect is a change of .14 percentage points in incremental hiring of candidates without degrees.

“The skills-based hiring movement has gained momentum, as more and more employers committed to stripping degree requirements from their postings, replacing the proxy of a college degree with actual evaluations of candidate skill,”

This is often described as a mainreason why qualification systems not opened to all types of credentials

attribute a quality label to credentials outsidethe formal system

The mainfactors limiting the level of trust include: doubts about the quality of somemicrocredentials, no agreed standards for quality assurance, and uncertainty as towhether certain microcredentials will be recognised by national authorities,employers or education and training providers

Assigning credits to learning outcomes allows for the accumulationof units of learning and provides for transferability from one setting to another forvalidation and recognition. Interviewees representing countries in which VETsystems are modularised indicated that modules are designed to indicate a set oflearning outcomes that are expressed in terms of credits. The interviewees fromnational authorities and VET providers commonly agreed that the introduction ofmodular structures in VET and the application of a learning outcomes-basedapproach was set to provide more individualised training paths, enabling accessand progression for learners.

The European approach to microcredentials(European Commission, 2020a) also highlights the importance of clearly definedlearning outcomes as a way to promote overall transparency and provide detailedinformation regarding what a learner is expected to know and is able to do

microcredentials must be transparent and understandable and shouldinclude summary of critical information such as:(a) the title;(b) the duration of a learning activity;(c) provider of the course;(d) description of the content;(e) learning resources;(f) type of assessment;(g) credits attributed to the course;(h) prerequisites needed for enrolment;(i) learning outcomes;(j) body ensuring the quality of the course;(k) options for stackability, if any

Creating Internal Value.

Measuring What Matters

Refined Incumbent Worker Upskilling

unanimously, the employers I’ve talked to would find the greatest value in utilizing learning and employment records that include verified skills data.

flexibility

“the practice of purposefully involving minoritized communities throughout a design process with the goal of allowing their voices to directly affect how the solution will address the inequity at hand.”

Nearly 1 in 5 state positions are vacant

Playbooks have had over 14,000 views by over 6,000 users since published.

Recruited 30 new members to the Network to engage in planning and implementation of incremental credentials. Among those are state systems of Hawai'i, Minnesota, the University of Texas, and the City University of New York (CUNY) System; and 24 public and private colleges and universities across 22 states.

Number of incremental credentials increased from 32 at the start of the US Department of Education IES grant to 131 within the three original states (Colorado, New York, North Carolina)

Searching as exploration. White and Roth [71 ,p.38] define exploratory search as a “sense making activity focusedon the gathering and use of information to foster intellectual de-velopment.” Users who conduct exploratory searches are generallyunfamiliar with the domain of their goals, and unsure about howto achieve them [ 71]. Many scholars have investigated the mainfactors relating to this type of dynamic task, such as uncertainty,creativity, innovation, knowledge discovery, serendipity, conver-gence of ideas, learning, and investigation [2, 46, 71].These factors are not always expressed or evident in queriesor questions posed by a searcher to a search system.

alternative credential programming and financialmodels are highly decentralized across an institution – so much so that it may bedifficult for an institution to have a good grasp of its entire portfolio. Adding alternativecredentials to an institution’s strategic priorities will firm up program and business modelplanning and execution

First is the strategic priority within their institution. Ifalternative credentials have been embraced by senior leadership and included in thestrategic plan, they are more likely to have the necessary resources allocated to them

It’s not available to everyone, but a senior leadership who is vocal about lifelong learning can give you greater access to open doors, and people will take it more seriously. Time is never wasted with senior leadership and demonstrating the long-term interest for the institution, communities and companies we serve.

When news broke out about Bill Cosby, folks had, and still have, a hard time dissociating his “America’s Dad” and TV persona who was like a father figure and his philanthropy work from the man who “used his enormous power, fame, and prestige” to sexually assault women