This document discusses innovative approaches to recruiting, retaining, and credentialing students in higher education. It notes that there are an estimated 37 million adults in the US with some college credits but no degree. It advocates for prior learning assessment and competency-based education to engage these non-traditional students and address skills gaps. The document provides examples of institutions that have developed partnerships, pathways, and credentialing strategies to recognize prior learning and connect students with employers. It concludes by outlining actions that leaders can take to expand prior learning assessment and competency-based models.
Transformation Strategies for Higher EducationCognizant
Across the education ecosystem, the basic tenets of teaching and learning are being challenged by business and technology drivers -- compelling institutions in the higher education field to adopt a new playbook in order to remain relevant.
E-LEArn2017
PrE-confErEncEsymPosium
“moocsandopenEducationintheDevelopingWorld”
n
What do the World Bank, UNESCO, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Inter-American Development Bank, and numerous
other organizations and institutions around the globe have in common? They are all engaged in fascinating experiments to
take advantage of advances in digital technologies and e-learning design to provide education, training, and professional development
opportunities to people in developing countries who previously could not partake of these opportunities. One such delivery
mechanism has been the massive open online course (MOOC) as well as various MOOC-like derivatives. Another is the use of
open educational resources (OER). These efforts are already benefitting millions of people, but much potential for expansion and improvement remains.
My team and I wrote, designed and produced this white paper. It served as hero content for a sophisticated integrated marketing program that is reinventing the brand, driving new business and engaging and inspiring internal and external audiences. The performance metrics resulted in 213% increase in downloads, 290K social interactions, 266K video views and over 17K website visits.
What Next ? - The future of higher EducationMahavir Pati
This presentation explores the future trends in Education, The skills that will be important in Future and some revolutionary and cutting edge developments in the Domain of Higher Education
High school graduates have trouble finding good jobs. There’s a mismatch in our economy, and it is about to get dramatically worse. Business Forward is joined by Carmel Martin, Managing Director of XQ Institute, for a discussion on how to redesign our schools for the 21st century.
Transformation Strategies for Higher EducationCognizant
Across the education ecosystem, the basic tenets of teaching and learning are being challenged by business and technology drivers -- compelling institutions in the higher education field to adopt a new playbook in order to remain relevant.
E-LEArn2017
PrE-confErEncEsymPosium
“moocsandopenEducationintheDevelopingWorld”
n
What do the World Bank, UNESCO, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Inter-American Development Bank, and numerous
other organizations and institutions around the globe have in common? They are all engaged in fascinating experiments to
take advantage of advances in digital technologies and e-learning design to provide education, training, and professional development
opportunities to people in developing countries who previously could not partake of these opportunities. One such delivery
mechanism has been the massive open online course (MOOC) as well as various MOOC-like derivatives. Another is the use of
open educational resources (OER). These efforts are already benefitting millions of people, but much potential for expansion and improvement remains.
My team and I wrote, designed and produced this white paper. It served as hero content for a sophisticated integrated marketing program that is reinventing the brand, driving new business and engaging and inspiring internal and external audiences. The performance metrics resulted in 213% increase in downloads, 290K social interactions, 266K video views and over 17K website visits.
What Next ? - The future of higher EducationMahavir Pati
This presentation explores the future trends in Education, The skills that will be important in Future and some revolutionary and cutting edge developments in the Domain of Higher Education
High school graduates have trouble finding good jobs. There’s a mismatch in our economy, and it is about to get dramatically worse. Business Forward is joined by Carmel Martin, Managing Director of XQ Institute, for a discussion on how to redesign our schools for the 21st century.
Alternative digital credentials. An Imperative for Higher Education. Gary W. ...eraser Juan José Calderón
ALTERNATIVE DIGITAL CREDENTIALS:
An Imperative for Higher Education
February 2018
Gary W. Matkin*
University of California, Irvine
Copyright 2018 Gary W. Matkin, all rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) will significantly transform the relationship between higher education institutions and
society. By providing fully digital, workplace-relevant, and information-rich records of an individual’s skills and competencies,
ADCs will render traditional university transcripts increasingly irrelevant and obsolete. Universities and colleges that to not adopt
in some measure the ADC movement will begin to experience a slow decline in market position and patron support. Current
usage of ADCs is emerging rapidly in the marketplace and is supported by standard-setting efforts and grant funding. Usage is
accelerating due to the inadequacy of the traditional transcription systems, accrediting agency requirements, demographic shifts
in learning preferences, open education, and hiring practices, among others. Institutions seeking to enter the ADC movement
face challenges including, 1) establishing criteria for the issuance of ADCs, 2) designing icons to represent their ADCs, 3)
determining the content disclosed in the ADC, 4) selecting a method (vendor) for implementing ADCs, and 5) considering the
pace of technology and the immediate future of the ADC movement, including the advent of blockchain technology. This paper provides a rationale and pathway for the institutional adoption of ADCs.
The Bridging Nations Foundation will host a one-day conference to address challenges faced by higher education systems on a global level. Discussions will focus on emerging solutions for bridging the gap between higher education curricula and emerging demand within the contemporary job market. Conference topics examine ways innovative changes in the higher education sector will combat disparity, lack of access, and unemployment and contribute to a greater shared global prosperity. The conference will also cover topics including policy and legislation, MOOCs, emerging career trends, innovations in higher learning and education, and the impact of technology over the course of four panel discussions and two keynote presentations.
Universities and colleges must develop new business models to deal with scarce resources, increased demand for productivity and lower tuition, and changing demographics. This presentation to leaders in a major corporation outlines the pressures and the actions that a national higher education association is recommending to the institutions.
From Massive Open Online Courses and the "Flipped Classroom" to the Rockstar Teacher, new and emerging digital tools are transforming the way students of all ages learn. Here are the eight key trends responsible for the shift.
This report explores the specific contributions made by Michigan’s higher education sector and
discusses the strong and growing need for quality postsecondary options. It builds on recent
recommendations for performance-based funding and provides a multi-pronged approach for
accelerating the pace toward Top Ten educational attainment. This report also details how higher education can help create more jobs in Michigan.
Embracing the Unexpected Challenges Posed by Liberal Education's SuccessBryan Alexander
Materials for a panel at the 2016 AAC&U conference.
1: on challenges of internationalization.
2: problems of sustainability.
3: open education and the liberal arts.
Alternative digital credentials. An Imperative for Higher Education. Gary W. ...eraser Juan José Calderón
ALTERNATIVE DIGITAL CREDENTIALS:
An Imperative for Higher Education
February 2018
Gary W. Matkin*
University of California, Irvine
Copyright 2018 Gary W. Matkin, all rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) will significantly transform the relationship between higher education institutions and
society. By providing fully digital, workplace-relevant, and information-rich records of an individual’s skills and competencies,
ADCs will render traditional university transcripts increasingly irrelevant and obsolete. Universities and colleges that to not adopt
in some measure the ADC movement will begin to experience a slow decline in market position and patron support. Current
usage of ADCs is emerging rapidly in the marketplace and is supported by standard-setting efforts and grant funding. Usage is
accelerating due to the inadequacy of the traditional transcription systems, accrediting agency requirements, demographic shifts
in learning preferences, open education, and hiring practices, among others. Institutions seeking to enter the ADC movement
face challenges including, 1) establishing criteria for the issuance of ADCs, 2) designing icons to represent their ADCs, 3)
determining the content disclosed in the ADC, 4) selecting a method (vendor) for implementing ADCs, and 5) considering the
pace of technology and the immediate future of the ADC movement, including the advent of blockchain technology. This paper provides a rationale and pathway for the institutional adoption of ADCs.
The Bridging Nations Foundation will host a one-day conference to address challenges faced by higher education systems on a global level. Discussions will focus on emerging solutions for bridging the gap between higher education curricula and emerging demand within the contemporary job market. Conference topics examine ways innovative changes in the higher education sector will combat disparity, lack of access, and unemployment and contribute to a greater shared global prosperity. The conference will also cover topics including policy and legislation, MOOCs, emerging career trends, innovations in higher learning and education, and the impact of technology over the course of four panel discussions and two keynote presentations.
Universities and colleges must develop new business models to deal with scarce resources, increased demand for productivity and lower tuition, and changing demographics. This presentation to leaders in a major corporation outlines the pressures and the actions that a national higher education association is recommending to the institutions.
From Massive Open Online Courses and the "Flipped Classroom" to the Rockstar Teacher, new and emerging digital tools are transforming the way students of all ages learn. Here are the eight key trends responsible for the shift.
This report explores the specific contributions made by Michigan’s higher education sector and
discusses the strong and growing need for quality postsecondary options. It builds on recent
recommendations for performance-based funding and provides a multi-pronged approach for
accelerating the pace toward Top Ten educational attainment. This report also details how higher education can help create more jobs in Michigan.
Embracing the Unexpected Challenges Posed by Liberal Education's SuccessBryan Alexander
Materials for a panel at the 2016 AAC&U conference.
1: on challenges of internationalization.
2: problems of sustainability.
3: open education and the liberal arts.
LLORENTE & CUENCA se posiciona entre los líderes mundiales de la comunicaciónLLYC
PR Week ha publicado el Global Agency Business Report 2016, un informe de inteligencia sobre el sector de la comunicación en el que analiza la información facilitada por más de 300 firmas de PR líderes a nivel mundial, procedentes de siete regiones (EE. UU., Reino Unido, Asia-Pacífico, las Américas, Oriente Medio y Europa Continental).
El desarrollo internacional de LLORENTE & CUENCA, con oficinas en Estados Unidos, América Latina y España, ha llevado la Firma a ocupar el puesto 53 del ranking global por ingresos. Por número de empleados, ocupa el puesto 27, a nivel global, con un total de 482 empleados en el momento de elaboración del ranking. Además, ocupa el puesto 19 en Europa y la posición 7 en América.
This session shows how AWS Mobile Hub can help to reduce the complexity of building mobile apps.
View webinar on demand: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/9019/195087
Author : Lou Rosenfeld
You may have spent the early years of your UX career fighting off a bad case of impostor syndrome. Well, bad news: as your career advances, there's a good chance that it'll return. That's because your day-to-day work diet will increasingly forgo the red meat of research and design for a dog's breakfast of odd tasks and miscellaneous activities that you'd never imagined existed.
Lou Rosenfeld, who's been around a while and has done some things, feels this pain. He's not sure if what he does is UX. That's his problem. But there's a very good chance that, should you live long enough, Lord willing, it will be yours some day too. Join Lou for a look at what it means—or could mean—to "practice UX" at the far edges of your career and in strange settings that a little time at General Assembly or in grad school don't prepare you for.
Pathways to Opportunity Project: Increasing Educational Equity through Innova...Leslie Talbot
This paper details the complexities of in- and out-of-school challenges encountered by off-track youth. It outlines the tremendous opportunity these students present for high school innovation. The authors maintain that schools appropriately designed can effectively meet the academic and nonacademic needs of over-age and under-credited students. The authors provide recommendations school design and systems modifications that can be implemented in either public charter or district alternative high schools. It is the authors’ position (and experience) that schools implementing these design elements maintain safe and healthy climates and cultures, content and effective staff, and most importantly –greater performance gains and improved life circumstances for their students.
Credit Flexibility Presentation by Sarah LuchsEric Calvert
This slide set was presented by Sarah Luchs of the Ohio Department of Education in a session for the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center in March, 2010.
The Sweet Briar College alumnae were close to winning. They needed to prove that a viable plan could be put together, as well as they were very motivated to hand over a plan to the new administration.
You may find this planning process very handy if you are looking for ways to develop a strategy.
They asked me to provide some strategic and analysis and recommendations on how to turn the corner. Their answers might not be your answers, but this is what was necessary for them.
Post-Traditional Student Success the Key to National ProsperityInsideTrack
Data visualization on "Measuring Post-Traditional Student Success: Institutions Making Progress but Challenges remain", based on a joint research report conducted by UPCEA and InsideTrack. Read Report: http://www.insidetrack.com/research/post-traditional
The Community College Leadership Challenge by Craig FollinsDr.Craig Follins
Presentation is an overview of the challenges associated with leadership and management of the 1500 Community and Technical Colleges across the globe. Issues such as training, technology, pipeline concerns, globalization, etc are addressed in the fascinating look at the current and future state 0f leadership.
Dr.s Craig T.Follins, Lawrence Brandyburg, Raphael Turner and Larry Rideaux present strategies on closing the acheivement gap for African American Males.
Dr. Craig T. Follins and Darin Siley of Cuyahoga Community Colleges' (WEDD) Workforce and Economic Development make presentation at 2009 Natioanal Institute of Staff and Organizational Development International Conference (NISOD).
Dr. Craig T. Follins leads Cuyahoga Community College Workforce and Economic Team (WEDD) highlighting workforce programs with the Cleveland Faith-Based Community in 2009.
Presentation by Dr. Craig Follins EVP, Workforce and Economic Development, Cuyahoga Community College (Cleveland,Ohio) on Workforce Development to graduate students at Cleveland State University in Ohio (2010)
2005 Calhoun County Community Listening Session led by Dr. Craig Follins and...Dr.Craig Follins
Dr. Craig T. Follins, VP Economic and Workforce Development, The Victoria College in Victoria, Texas led a team of highly skilled professionals on a multi-county "community listening session" tour in 2005. As a result, two counties within the college's service area have renovated two existing facilties for use as workforce and skills training centers. Both Calhoun and Gonzalez counties have trained hundreds of nurses, petrochemical professionals and others since that time. The college continues to add to the workforce and economic development of the region, and has a major impact on the overall economy.
1. NISOD is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence
in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges.
College of Education • The University of Texas at Austin
Paper #4 • July 2016
37 Million and Counting: Toward
Innovative Approaches to
Recruitment, Retention, and
Credentialing
Context of the Issue
I recently have been involved in an exploration,
examination, and analysis of Prior Learning Assessment
(PLA) and Competency Based Education (CBE) in higher
education institutions across the nation. While these
approaches have been around for decades, they have
resurfaced on the public radar due to a perfect storm
within the higher education/workforce development
landscape.
• College enrollment across the country
(particularly in many community colleges) is
declining or flat as the post-recession recovery has
spawned job growth across all sectors.
• The number of graduating high school students
has peaked (Husser, W.J., and Bailey, 2013).
Consequently, there will be fewer of these
traditional-age students in education and
employment pools.
• An estimated 37 million non-traditional (over age
24) U.S. adults have some college credits, but no
degree.
• A report (2015) by the nonprofit group Campaign
for College Opportunity estimates that about 4.5
million California adults never completed their
studies.
• Opportunity gaps for non-completer adults exist
nationwide, particularly in populous states such
as California, where about a third of African
American adults have some college credits, but no
degree (2015, Los Angeles Times).
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports (2016)
that there are approximately 5.6 million unfilled
jobs across all sectors in the United States.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
(2016) is engaging employers in a Talent Pipeline
Management initiative focusing on the role
employers play as leaders or “end users” of
education/workforce collaborative partnerships.
• The Pew Research Center (2010) reports that
roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers (born 1946-64) will
turn 65 every day for the next 13 years. They
report that about 26 percent of the U.S. population
are Baby Boomers.
• Boomers’ busy lives and careers necessitate
convenience, flexibility, adaptability,
personalization, high tech, and high touch tools
if they are to successfully navigate the higher
education and training landscapes.
• Boomers want their earned knowledge and
life experiences acknowledged, validated, and
recognized. They want to able to demonstrate
what they know and not have to re-learn what
they already know.
• There are not consistent, specific, and targeted
strategies in many institutions to reach out to this
population of potential students.
National Conversations
In my many conversations with higher education
stakeholders at various institutions around the country,
I have received similar feedback regarding the need for
a new approach to re-engage the millions of students
who need to obtain a credential to enhance their value to
their current or future employers. Colleges are realizing
that the new, creative, innovative economy requires
a higher level of skill, mental dexterity, and critical
thinking. These colleges and their employer partners are
identifying skill shortages and the lack of an identifiable
talent pool to fill high-skill, high-wage current and future
employment. They are rightly concerned about the
looming perfect storm that will impact their way of life
as they currently know it.
I recall my conversation with a stakeholder from
a university in New Jersey that has 18,000 online
students. This particular university was founded as an
online, competency-based institution that understands
that it does not matter where or when you learned a
competency, as long as you can demonstrate that you
know it. This particular college provides multiple
avenues for students to gain credit such as credit by
exam, prior learning assessment (PLA), and competency-
based education (CBE). Students at this school enter with
an average of 60 college credits. They are not re-taught
what they already know. Rather, they are awarded
credit for the competencies they can demonstrate.
Thus, students earn a credential of value that enhances
workforce and economic development in that particular
region.
2. I had two recent conversations with stakeholders
from a community college and a university in the
state of Utah. Apparently, Utah is becoming the next
Silicon Valley (2015). Software firms such as Adobe and
Qualtrics have sprung up in addition to medical device
manufacturers and aerospace companies. The population
of areas such as Salt Lake City is growing extremely
fast. The natural beauty of the state and the winter
recreational activities are huge population draws as well.
My conversations were replete with discussions about
the need to meet the current talent needs of employers,
particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math fields. While the colleges there have great
programs and graduates, they are challenged to keep
up with the demand for highly skilled workers. Thus,
incumbent workers with previous college or with skill
competency in particular areas are excellent candidates
for CBE or PLA.
The 13 community colleges in the state of Colorado
are part of a statewide Colorado Community College
System. The colleges synchronize their PLA activities
with a statewide coordinator. I had a chance to speak
to the statewide PLA coordinator who explained how
the system works with each of the colleges to ensure
that there is consistency in the administration of
prior learning assessment. Each college has a position
responsible for prior learning assessment. I spoke via
phone with the Arapahoe Community College (ACC)
Graduation and Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator.
In addition to being extremely patient, knowledgeable,
and articulate regarding PLA, she was very patient
walking me through the various processes and protocols.
The ACC PLA website (https://www.arapahoe.edu/
admissions/transfer-college-credit/credit-prior-learning)
is well done, not only with clear processes to follow, but
costs associated with challenge exams, portfolio, and
certificate/ licensing, along with the number of credits
associated with each charge.
States like Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, Massachusetts, Arizona, New
York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, among
many others, are focused on statewide synergy, scaling,
and collaboration as they engage in the good work yet
to be done in outreach to the 37 million-plus across
America. Collaborating with the Council for Adult
and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Competency Based
Education Network, American Council on Education,
U.S. Distance Learning Association, The Lumina
Foundation, and other stakeholders, educational and
training entities are working diligently to develop
effective institutional processes and practices to re-
recruit and retain adult learners.
What Leaders and Innovators Must Do Now
• We must collectively review, analyze, and make
use of the good work from the four rounds
of Department of Labor Trade Adjustment
Assistance Community College Career Training
(TAACCCT) funding designed to expand job-
driven training partnerships between community
colleges and employers. The TAACCCT Grants
were a $2B initiative (DOL, 2014).
• Review and use the good work and best practice
models of TAACCCT-funded projects such as the
TAACCCT-funded website Knowledge to Work
(www.knowledgetowork.com/) designed by Lord
Fairfax Community College.
• Understand PLA and CBE on the Competency
Continuum through CAEL (www.cael.org/pla/
publication/pla-and-cbe-on-the-competency-
continuum).
• Use CAEL’s 5-minute PLA assessment Credit
Predictor Tool on your college’s website as
does the CUNY School of Professional Studies
(https://earncollegecredit.org/cuny-sps/cp#/
home).
• Identify your state’s portion of the 37 million-plus
adults with some college credits and no degree
and develop a strategic and targeted marketing
plan (with metrics) to reach out to and re-enroll
and retain them.
• Review the Adult Completion goals and strategies
of the Lumina Foundation and various states
(www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/06/
texas-wants-60-percent-young-adults-hold-
college-degrees-2030).
• Develop specific and focused educational and
training partnerships and pathways such as The
Alamo Colleges Institutes (www.alamo.edu/
main.aspx?id=48814) or Houston Community
Colleges’ Centers of Excellence (www.hccs.edu/
centers/?utm_source=centers-of-excellence&utm_
medium=web&utm_campaign=hccs-redirects/)
or The City Colleges of Chicago College to
Careers initiative (www.ccc.edu/menu/pages/
college-to-careers.aspx).
• Develop a statewide PLA organizational
infrastructure such as Ohio Higher Ed’s (https://
ohiohighered.org/PLA-members).
• Prioritize Prior Learning Assessment at the state
level with a statewide Prior Learning Assessment
office with identified PLA coordinator positions
and contacts at each institution (www.cccs.edu/
current-students/prior-learning-assessment/).
• Train faculty (subject matter experts) in portfolio
assessment so that they are able to successfully
evaluate prior learning and identify if the learning
warrants the award of credit.
• Develop a comprehensive Search Engine
Optimized PLA/CBE website that is user-friendly
and navigable to potential PLA/CBE students.
Excelsior College has a user-friendly website
(www.excelsior.edu/transfer-more-credits/prior-
learning-assessment) where they offer Learning
Portfolios in partnership with CAEL through
LearningCounts.org. Houston Community
College has a user-friendly PLA website as well
(www.hccs.edu/district/students/acc).
The NISOD Papers • July 2016 Page 2