Transforming Chaos into Clarity: The Promises and Challenges of Digital Credentialing
The Next American Economy's Learning Series.
report de Chelsea Barabas & J. Philipp Schmidt de Agosto de 2016 de Rooselvelt Institute was made possible with the support of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. titulado "Transforming Chaos into Clarity: The Promises and Challenges of Digital Credentialing. The Next American Economy's Learning Series "
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.
Does competency based education with blockchain signal a new mission for univ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a new mission for universities?. Peter Williams
ABSTRACT
New technologies and the knowledge economy are destabilising graduate professions, with artificial intelligence and the analysis of 'big data' making significant impacts on formerly secure jobs. Blockchain technology, offering automated secure credentialling of undergraduate students' activities and achievements, may significantly erode existing systems of assessment. The challenge for universities will be not only to maintain the relevance of their curricula but also to manage erosion of their current near-monopoly in awarding degrees. This paper envisions a landscape in which universities must outsource parts of their course delivery and assessment in order to remain competitive. It examines a potentially sustainable mission strategy: to move away from narrow academic disciplines towards an authentic learning curriculum focusing on the development of students as whole persons with rounded educations. This paper examines implications for the academy of the convergence of artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain technology. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
Discover the advantages that can come with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business and how a business degree can set you apart in the eyes of a hiring manager. Learn more at http://www.aiuniv.edu/degrees/areas/business.
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.
Does competency based education with blockchain signal a new mission for univ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a new mission for universities?. Peter Williams
ABSTRACT
New technologies and the knowledge economy are destabilising graduate professions, with artificial intelligence and the analysis of 'big data' making significant impacts on formerly secure jobs. Blockchain technology, offering automated secure credentialling of undergraduate students' activities and achievements, may significantly erode existing systems of assessment. The challenge for universities will be not only to maintain the relevance of their curricula but also to manage erosion of their current near-monopoly in awarding degrees. This paper envisions a landscape in which universities must outsource parts of their course delivery and assessment in order to remain competitive. It examines a potentially sustainable mission strategy: to move away from narrow academic disciplines towards an authentic learning curriculum focusing on the development of students as whole persons with rounded educations. This paper examines implications for the academy of the convergence of artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain technology. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
Discover the advantages that can come with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business and how a business degree can set you apart in the eyes of a hiring manager. Learn more at http://www.aiuniv.edu/degrees/areas/business.
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a new mission for univ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a
new mission for universities?. Peter Williams.
School of Education and Social Sciences, University of Hull, Hull UK.
ABSTRACT
New technologies and the knowledge economy are destabilising
graduate professions, with artificial intelligence and the analysis of
‘big data’ making significant impacts on formerly secure jobs.
Blockchain technology, offering automated secure credentialling
of undergraduate students’ activities and achievements, may significantly erode existing systems of assessment. The challenge for
universities will be not only to maintain the relevance of their
curricula but also to manage erosion of their current near-monopoly in awarding degrees. This paper envisions a landscape in
which universities must outsource parts of their course delivery
and assessment in order to remain competitive. It examines a
potentially sustainable mission strategy: to move away from narrow academic disciplines towards an authentic learning curriculum
focusing on the development of students as whole persons with
rounded educations. This paper examines implications for the
academy of the convergence of artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain technology.
In this ebook, you will learn what innovative colleges, students, and employers are doing with their experiential practical learning to succeed in the 21st century.
If Asia's organisations are going to access enough 'value-creating' talent to capture the opportunities that are now in view, they're going to need to embrace better, smarter talent management and attraction strategies. They will need to embrace flexibility in their workforces in order to:
Fill critical skill gaps in a timely and efficient way
Keep talent engaged and retained, even across borders
Quest for Knowledge: MOOCs Provide Insigts to InnovationJay Gendron
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) could solve old problems in new ways. More than ever, people need access to knowledge. Since the earliest of days, this has been a never-ending quest. This paper looks at the knowledge process from the domain of education in order to stimulate innovation and advancement in another source of knowledge – modeling and simulation. This paper explores knowledge, starting with the innovations that propelled MOOCs to their current position in the marketplace. It then offers a framework based on current studies and draws parallels to modeling and simulation, probing the questions as to how modeling and simulation can learn from MOOCs so decision makers have greater access to knowledge more directly and easily through modeling and simulation tools as well as the discipline formed by that community. Today's modeling and simulation leaders need awareness of the MOOC business model and the potentially high returns on investment when integrating models and tools to solve new problems.
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a new mission for univ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a
new mission for universities?. Peter Williams.
School of Education and Social Sciences, University of Hull, Hull UK.
ABSTRACT
New technologies and the knowledge economy are destabilising
graduate professions, with artificial intelligence and the analysis of
‘big data’ making significant impacts on formerly secure jobs.
Blockchain technology, offering automated secure credentialling
of undergraduate students’ activities and achievements, may significantly erode existing systems of assessment. The challenge for
universities will be not only to maintain the relevance of their
curricula but also to manage erosion of their current near-monopoly in awarding degrees. This paper envisions a landscape in
which universities must outsource parts of their course delivery
and assessment in order to remain competitive. It examines a
potentially sustainable mission strategy: to move away from narrow academic disciplines towards an authentic learning curriculum
focusing on the development of students as whole persons with
rounded educations. This paper examines implications for the
academy of the convergence of artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain technology.
In this ebook, you will learn what innovative colleges, students, and employers are doing with their experiential practical learning to succeed in the 21st century.
If Asia's organisations are going to access enough 'value-creating' talent to capture the opportunities that are now in view, they're going to need to embrace better, smarter talent management and attraction strategies. They will need to embrace flexibility in their workforces in order to:
Fill critical skill gaps in a timely and efficient way
Keep talent engaged and retained, even across borders
Quest for Knowledge: MOOCs Provide Insigts to InnovationJay Gendron
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) could solve old problems in new ways. More than ever, people need access to knowledge. Since the earliest of days, this has been a never-ending quest. This paper looks at the knowledge process from the domain of education in order to stimulate innovation and advancement in another source of knowledge – modeling and simulation. This paper explores knowledge, starting with the innovations that propelled MOOCs to their current position in the marketplace. It then offers a framework based on current studies and draws parallels to modeling and simulation, probing the questions as to how modeling and simulation can learn from MOOCs so decision makers have greater access to knowledge more directly and easily through modeling and simulation tools as well as the discipline formed by that community. Today's modeling and simulation leaders need awareness of the MOOC business model and the potentially high returns on investment when integrating models and tools to solve new problems.
Winners of the LinkedIn Economic Graph ChallengeLinkedIn
When we launched the LinkedIn Economic Graph Challenge in October 2014, our goal was to work with the best researchers across the U.S. to help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues of our time, using LinkedIn data. We have selected 12 finalists to work with us. Each team submitted a compelling proposal to utilize LinkedIn data to create economic opportunity. These teams aim to solve problems as diverse as closing employee skill gaps, achieving municipal economic improvements and relieving inequality in the labor market. Their results could potentially positively impact millions of people.
More at http://economicgraphchallenge.linkedin.com
"In October 2014, LinkedIn put out an open call for proposals asking researchers, academics, and data-driven thinkers how they would use data from the LinkedIn Economic Graph to solve some of the challenging economic problems of our times.
Out of hundreds of submissions, these are the eleven teams whose proposals met our challenge…"
Future of work employability and digital skills march 2021Future Agenda
The Future of Work, Employability and Digital Skills
This interim summary identifies 50 key insights for the next decade on this critical topic. These open foresight findings are based on the results of 20 workshops and 150 interviews with over 400 informed experts from across academia, business and government conduced in the last 12 months. These were primarily across Europe, but also include views from US and SE Asia.
The varied discussions identified multiple key shifts that expected to have greatest impact over the next decade. The top 3 of these are seen as pivotal for society, for government, for employers and for future workers.
Building Digital Skills
Reinventing Roles
Developing Soft Skills
To build a richer, deeper view, we would very much welcome your feedback – especially on which shifts may deliver most benefit in the next ten years, and what is missing that ought to be included in the mix.
Early Stage Edtech Investment Thesis (Sept 2016)Earnest Sweat
Here is an example of a personal investment thesis that I created to share with venture capital firms. In this example, I provide my personal perspective on the edtech sector. For details on how I build this thesis check out my blog (https://goo.gl/CU4Qid).
Note: Some of the confidential information has been redacted for privacy.
The STEM Integrated Marketing and Communications Plan (IMC Plan) describes a new, holistic approach to the institute’s external marketing and communication strategy. The plan serves as a guide to help reshape brand perception, enhance awareness, and increase applications and enrolment. Secondarily, the implementation of this plan will help build internal culture and pride by fostering engagement among all members of the STEM community: students, parents, administration and faculty, trustees and local and international partners.
In keeping with the strategic goals of STEM’s strategic plan and support of the Apajee’s workforce initiatives developed in collaboration with MS, it is essential that the institute builds on its collaborative marketing efforts to encourage more students to get the training necessary to succeed in today’s world.
Future of Business Education - working documentRoss Wirth
Summary of issues facing business education including some analysis of criticisms from hiring managers, what it means to be a College of Business, and emerging trends.
The Future of Youth Employment report offers an in-depth look at the changing nature of work in the United States—from microwork, to new coordination and automation technologies, and beyond. It explores challenges and opportunities these changes present for poor and vulnerable youth, and suggests policies and actions corporations, governments, and nonprofits can take to ensure positive futures for them.
As part of the AKQA Future Academy we were set the brief by a recognised high street bank to create a product or service that would define the student experience of tomorrow. This was in order to help the client capture a greater proportion of the student market. We pushed back on the clients understanding of a student and presented to them our product, UpSkill.
The Work Ahead in Higher Education: Repaving the Road for the Employees of To...Cognizant
Higher-ed institutions expect pandemic-driven disruption to continue, especially as hyperconnectivity, analytics and AI drive personalized education models over the lifetime of the learner, according to our recent research.
Evaluación de t-MOOC universitario sobre competencias digitales docentes medi...eraser Juan José Calderón
Evaluación de t-MOOC universitario sobre competencias
digitales docentes mediante juicio de expertos
según el Marco DigCompEdu.
Julio Cabero-Almenara
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España
cabero@us.es
Julio Barroso--‐Osuna
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España
jbarroso@us.es
Antonio Palacios--‐Rodríguez
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España
aprodriguez@us.es
Carmen Llorente--‐Cejudo
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España
karen@us.es
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL LAYING DOWN HARMONIS...eraser Juan José Calderón
Proposal for a
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
LAYING DOWN HARMONISED RULES ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACT) AND AMENDING CERTAIN UNION
LEGISLATIVE ACTS
Predicting Big Data Adoption in Companies With an Explanatory and Predictive ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Predicting Big Data Adoption in Companies With an Explanatory and Predictive Model
Predecir la adopción de Big Data en empresas con un modelo explicativo y predictivo. @currovillarejo @jpcabrera71 @gutiker y @fliebc
Ética y Revolución Digital
Revista Diecisiete nº 4 2021. Investigación Interdisciplinar para los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.
PANORAMA
Ética y Derecho en la Revolución Digital
Txetxu Ausín y Margarita Robles Carrillo
artículoS
¿Cuarta Revolución Industrial? El reto de la digitalización y sus consecuencias ambientales y antropológicas
Joaquín Fernández Mateo
Hacia una ética del ecosistema híbrido del espacio físico y el ciberespacio
Ángel Gómez de Ágreda y Claudio Feijóo
Aprendizaje-Servicio y Agenda 2030 en la formación de ingenieros de la tecnología inteligente
Angeles Manjarrés y Simon Pickin
Tecnología Humanitaria como catalizadora de una nueva arquitectura de Acción Exterior en España: Horizonte 2030
Raquel Esther Jorge Ricart
Revolución digital, tecnooptimismo y educación
Ricardo Riaza
Desafíos éticos en la aplicación de la inteligencia artificial a los sistemas de defensa
Juan A. Moliner González
notas y colaboraciones
Hacerse viral: las actividades artísticas y su respuesta ante los retos que impone la transformación digital
Marta Pérez Ibáñez
Salud digital: una oportunidad y un imperativo ético
Joan Bigorra Llosas y Laura Sampietro-Colom
El futuro digital del sector energético
Beatriz Crisóstomo Merino y María Luz Cruz Aparicio
Innovación y transformación digital en las ONG. La visión de Acción contra el Hambre
Víctor Giménez Sánchez de la Blanca
El impacto de la inteligencia artificial en la Sociedad y su aplicación en el sector financiero
María Asunción Gilsanz Muñoz
La ética en los estudios de ingeniería
Rafael Miñano Rubio y Gonzalo Génova Fuster
An ethical and sustainable future of work
David Pastor-Escuredo, Gianni Giacomelli, Julio Lumbreras y Juan Garbajosa
Los datos en una administración pública digital - Perspectiva Uruguay
María Laura Rodríguez Mendaro
Ciudades y digitalización: construyendo desde la ética
David Pastor-Escuredo, Celia Fernandez-Aller, Jesus Salgado, Leticia Izquierdo y María Ángeles Huerta
#StopBigTechGoverningBigTech . More than 170 Civil Society Groups Worldwide O...eraser Juan José Calderón
#StopBigTechGoverningBigTech: More than 170 Civil Society Groups Worldwide Oppose Plans for a
Big Tech Dominated Body for Global Digital Governance.
Not only in developing countries but also in the US and EU, calls for stronger regulation of Big Tech
are rising. At the precise point when we should be shaping global norms to regulate Big Tech, plans
have emerged for an ‘empowered’ global digital governance body that will evidently be dominated
by Big Tech. Adding vastly to its already overweening power, this new Body would help Big Tech
resist effective regulation, globally and at national levels. Indeed, we face the unbelievable prospect
of ‘a Big Tech led body for Global Governance of Big Tech’.
PACTO POR LA CIENCIA Y LA INNOVACIÓN
8 de febrero de 2021.
El conocimiento y la innovación son esenciales para mantener y mejorar el bienestar social y el crecimiento
económico. La competitividad y la productividad del tejido económico depende, casi en exclusiva, de la
cantidad de conocimiento avanzado incorporado por la actividad productiva y, por ende, de su continua
renovación. La investigación en las ciencias naturales, sociales y humanas es fuente de valores y
enriquecimiento cultural.
Desigualdades educativas derivadas del COVID-19 desde una perspectiva feminis...eraser Juan José Calderón
Desigualdades educativas derivadas del COVID-19 desde una perspectiva feminista. Análisis de los discursos de profesionales de la educación madrileña.
Melani Penna Tosso * Mercedes Sánchez SáinzCristina Mateos CasadoUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, España
Objetivos: Especificar las principales dificultades percibidas por las profesoras y los departamentos y equipos de orientación en relación con la atención a las diversidades en la actual situación de pandemia generada por el COVID-19. Exponer las prácticas educativas implementadas por dichas profesionales para disminuir las desigualdades. Visibilizar desigualdades de género que se dan en el ámbito educativo, relacionadas con la situación de pandemia entre el alumnado, el profesorado y las familias, desde una perspectiva feminista. Analizar las propuestas de cambio que proponen estas profesionales de la educación ante posibles repeticiones de situaciones de emergencia similares.
Resultados: Los docentes se han visto sobrecargados por el trabajo en confinamiento, en general el tiempo de trabajo ha tomado las casas, los espacios familiares, el tiempo libre y los fines de semana. Las profesionales entrevistadas se ven obligadas a una conexión permanente, sin limitación horaria y con horarios condicionados por las familias del alumnado. Se distinguen dos períodos bien diferenciados, en que los objetivos pasaron de ser emocionales a académicos. Como problemática general surge la falta de coordinación dentro los centros educativos.
Método: Análisis de entrevistas semiestructuradas a través de la metodología de análisis crítico de discurso.
Fuente de datos: Entrevistas
Autores: Melani Penna Tosso, Mercedes Sánchez Sáinz y Cristina Mateos Casado
Año: 2020
Institución: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
País al que refiere el análisis: España
Tipo de publicación: Revista arbitrada
"Experiencias booktuber: Más allá del libro y de la pantalla"
Maria Del Mar Suárez
Cristina Alcaraz Andreu
University of Barcelona
2020, R. Roig-Vila (Coord.), J. M. Antolí Martínez & R. Díez Ros (Eds.), XARXES-INNOVAESTIC 2020. Llibre d’actes / REDES-INNOVAESTIC 2020. Libro de actas (pp. 479-480). Alacant: Universitat d'Alacant. ISBN: 978-84-09-20651-3.
Recursos educativos abiertos (REA) en las universidades españolas. Open educational resources (OER) in the Spanish universities. Gema Santos-Hermosa; Eva Estupinyà; Brigit Nonó-Rius; Lidón París-Folch; Jordi Prats-Prat
Pensamiento propio e integración transdisciplinaria en la epistémica social. ...eraser Juan José Calderón
Pensamiento propio e integración
transdisciplinaria en la epistémica social
Arlet Rodríguez Orozco.
Resumen. La educación evoluciona en la vida del estudiante
(ontogenia) y en la vida del sistema escolar (filogenia). Estas
rutas pueden consolidar la continuidad o producir un cambio en la formación del pensamiento propio como estrategia
pedagógica. La experiencia que expongo sucedió durante los
ciclos 2015-1 y 2016-1 al dictar la materia Epistemología de
la Investigación a nivel licenciatura en Estudios Sociales y Gestión Local en la unidad enes (unam) de Morelia. He basado la
praxis educativa en dinámicas de colaboración, buscando arraigar la formación cognitiva del pensamiento propio en jóvenes
aprendices del estudio social. El descubrimiento constante, la
recuperación del pensamiento en tiempo presente y el reconocimiento recíproco produjeron resultados sintéticos dispuestos
aquí para la develación reflexiva.
Escuela de Robótica de Misiones. Un modelo de educación disruptiva. 2019, Ed21. Fundación Santillana.
Carola Aideé Silvero
María Aurelia Escalada
Colaboradores:
Alejandro Piscitelli
Flavia Morales
Julio Alonso
Covid-19 and IoT: Some Perspectives on the Use of IoT Technologies in Prevent...eraser Juan José Calderón
Covid-19 and IoT: Some Perspectives on the Use of
IoT Technologies in Preventing and Monitoring
COVID-19 Like Infectious Diseases & Lessons
Learned and Impact of Pandemic on IoT
what is the future of Pi Network currency.DOT TECH
The future of the Pi cryptocurrency is uncertain, and its success will depend on several factors. Pi is a relatively new cryptocurrency that aims to be user-friendly and accessible to a wide audience. Here are a few key considerations for its future:
Message: @Pi_vendor_247 on telegram if u want to sell PI COINS.
1. Mainnet Launch: As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, Pi was still in the testnet phase. Its success will depend on a successful transition to a mainnet, where actual transactions can take place.
2. User Adoption: Pi's success will be closely tied to user adoption. The more users who join the network and actively participate, the stronger the ecosystem can become.
3. Utility and Use Cases: For a cryptocurrency to thrive, it must offer utility and practical use cases. The Pi team has talked about various applications, including peer-to-peer transactions, smart contracts, and more. The development and implementation of these features will be essential.
4. Regulatory Environment: The regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies is evolving globally. How Pi navigates and complies with regulations in various jurisdictions will significantly impact its future.
5. Technology Development: The Pi network must continue to develop and improve its technology, security, and scalability to compete with established cryptocurrencies.
6. Community Engagement: The Pi community plays a critical role in its future. Engaged users can help build trust and grow the network.
7. Monetization and Sustainability: The Pi team's monetization strategy, such as fees, partnerships, or other revenue sources, will affect its long-term sustainability.
It's essential to approach Pi or any new cryptocurrency with caution and conduct due diligence. Cryptocurrency investments involve risks, and potential rewards can be uncertain. The success and future of Pi will depend on the collective efforts of its team, community, and the broader cryptocurrency market dynamics. It's advisable to stay updated on Pi's development and follow any updates from the official Pi Network website or announcements from the team.
What website can I sell pi coins securely.DOT TECH
Currently there are no website or exchange that allow buying or selling of pi coins..
But you can still easily sell pi coins, by reselling it to exchanges/crypto whales interested in holding thousands of pi coins before the mainnet launch.
Who is a pi merchant?
A pi merchant is someone who buys pi coins from miners and resell to these crypto whales and holders of pi..
This is because pi network is not doing any pre-sale. The only way exchanges can get pi is by buying from miners and pi merchants stands in between the miners and the exchanges.
How can I sell my pi coins?
Selling pi coins is really easy, but first you need to migrate to mainnet wallet before you can do that. I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi merchant to trade with.
Tele-gram.
@Pi_vendor_247
how can i use my minded pi coins I need some funds.DOT TECH
If you are interested in selling your pi coins, i have a verified pi merchant, who buys pi coins and resell them to exchanges looking forward to hold till mainnet launch.
Because the core team has announced that pi network will not be doing any pre-sale. The only way exchanges like huobi, bitmart and hotbit can get pi is by buying from miners.
Now a merchant stands in between these exchanges and the miners. As a link to make transactions smooth. Because right now in the enclosed mainnet you can't sell pi coins your self. You need the help of a merchant,
i will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi merchant below. 👇 I and my friends has traded more than 3000pi coins with him successfully.
@Pi_vendor_247
Seminar: Gender Board Diversity through Ownership NetworksGRAPE
Seminar on gender diversity spillovers through ownership networks at FAME|GRAPE. Presenting novel research. Studies in economics and management using econometrics methods.
Lecture slide titled Fraud Risk Mitigation, Webinar Lecture Delivered at the Society for West African Internal Audit Practitioners (SWAIAP) on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
What price will pi network be listed on exchangesDOT TECH
The rate at which pi will be listed is practically unknown. But due to speculations surrounding it the predicted rate is tends to be from 30$ — 50$.
So if you are interested in selling your pi network coins at a high rate tho. Or you can't wait till the mainnet launch in 2026. You can easily trade your pi coins with a merchant.
A merchant is someone who buys pi coins from miners and resell them to Investors looking forward to hold massive quantities till mainnet launch.
I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi vendor to trade with.
@Pi_vendor_247
US Economic Outlook - Being Decided - M Capital Group August 2021.pdfpchutichetpong
The U.S. economy is continuing its impressive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and not slowing down despite re-occurring bumps. The U.S. savings rate reached its highest ever recorded level at 34% in April 2020 and Americans seem ready to spend. The sectors that had been hurt the most by the pandemic specifically reduced consumer spending, like retail, leisure, hospitality, and travel, are now experiencing massive growth in revenue and job openings.
Could this growth lead to a “Roaring Twenties”? As quickly as the U.S. economy contracted, experiencing a 9.1% drop in economic output relative to the business cycle in Q2 2020, the largest in recorded history, it has rebounded beyond expectations. This surprising growth seems to be fueled by the U.S. government’s aggressive fiscal and monetary policies, and an increase in consumer spending as mobility restrictions are lifted. Unemployment rates between June 2020 and June 2021 decreased by 5.2%, while the demand for labor is increasing, coupled with increasing wages to incentivize Americans to rejoin the labor force. Schools and businesses are expected to fully reopen soon. In parallel, vaccination rates across the country and the world continue to rise, with full vaccination rates of 50% and 14.8% respectively.
However, it is not completely smooth sailing from here. According to M Capital Group, the main risks that threaten the continued growth of the U.S. economy are inflation, unsettled trade relations, and another wave of Covid-19 mutations that could shut down the world again. Have we learned from the past year of COVID-19 and adapted our economy accordingly?
“In order for the U.S. economy to continue growing, whether there is another wave or not, the U.S. needs to focus on diversifying supply chains, supporting business investment, and maintaining consumer spending,” says Grace Feeley, a research analyst at M Capital Group.
While the economic indicators are positive, the risks are coming closer to manifesting and threatening such growth. The new variants spreading throughout the world, Delta, Lambda, and Gamma, are vaccine-resistant and muddy the predictions made about the economy and health of the country. These variants bring back the feeling of uncertainty that has wreaked havoc not only on the stock market but the mindset of people around the world. MCG provides unique insight on how to mitigate these risks to possibly ensure a bright economic future.
how to swap pi coins to foreign currency withdrawable.DOT TECH
As of my last update, Pi is still in the testing phase and is not tradable on any exchanges.
However, Pi Network has announced plans to launch its Testnet and Mainnet in the future, which may include listing Pi on exchanges.
The current method for selling pi coins involves exchanging them with a pi vendor who purchases pi coins for investment reasons.
If you want to sell your pi coins, reach out to a pi vendor and sell them to anyone looking to sell pi coins from any country around the globe.
Below is the contact information for my personal pi vendor.
Telegram: @Pi_vendor_247
Abhay Bhutada Leads Poonawalla Fincorp To Record Low NPA And Unprecedented Gr...Vighnesh Shashtri
Under the leadership of Abhay Bhutada, Poonawalla Fincorp has achieved record-low Non-Performing Assets (NPA) and witnessed unprecedented growth. Bhutada's strategic vision and effective management have significantly enhanced the company's financial health, showcasing a robust performance in the financial sector. This achievement underscores the company's resilience and ability to thrive in a competitive market, setting a new benchmark for operational excellence in the industry.
how can I sell pi coins after successfully completing KYCDOT TECH
Pi coins is not launched yet in any exchange 💱 this means it's not swappable, the current pi displaying on coin market cap is the iou version of pi. And you can learn all about that on my previous post.
RIGHT NOW THE ONLY WAY you can sell pi coins is through verified pi merchants. A pi merchant is someone who buys pi coins and resell them to exchanges and crypto whales. Looking forward to hold massive quantities of pi coins before the mainnet launch.
This is because pi network is not doing any pre-sale or ico offerings, the only way to get my coins is from buying from miners. So a merchant facilitates the transactions between the miners and these exchanges holding pi.
I and my friends has sold more than 6000 pi coins successfully with this method. I will be happy to share the contact of my personal pi merchant. The one i trade with, if you have your own merchant you can trade with them. For those who are new.
Message: @Pi_vendor_247 on telegram.
I wouldn't advise you selling all percentage of the pi coins. Leave at least a before so its a win win during open mainnet. Have a nice day pioneers ♥️
#kyc #mainnet #picoins #pi #sellpi #piwallet
#pinetwork
when will pi network coin be available on crypto exchange.DOT TECH
There is no set date for when Pi coins will enter the market.
However, the developers are working hard to get them released as soon as possible.
Once they are available, users will be able to exchange other cryptocurrencies for Pi coins on designated exchanges.
But for now the only way to sell your pi coins is through verified pi vendor.
Here is the telegram contact of my personal pi vendor
@Pi_vendor_247
when will pi network coin be available on crypto exchange.
Transforming Chaos into Clarity: The Promises and Challenges of Digital Credentialing The Next American Economy's Learning Series
1. Transforming Chaos into
Clarity: The Promises
and Challenges of Digital
Credentialing
The Next American Economy's Learning Series
Report by
Chelsea Barabas
Philipp Schmidt
August 2016
2. 2COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
This report was made possible with the support of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.
Higher education serves as a critical vehicle for upward mobility and equal opportunity in the U.S. labor market.
First, it provides opportunities for workers to develop critical skills and competencies, and more generally pursue
goals for self-improvement throughout their lives. Second, higher education provides a process for obtaining
credentials, which play a critical role in differentiating workers in the labor market by providing signals that
represent their skills, competencies, and accomplishments. In an ideal world, credentials would be tightly coupled
with the skills and competencies that a student obtains from an educational experience. In reality, traditional
academic credentials function more like roughly hewn proxies for ability, whose signaling power must be
supplemented by other information. This tends to entrench social stratification rather than transform it.
This shortcoming of traditional credentials is evidenced by the disparities in employment along race and class
lines that continue to persist even after the massive expansion in higher education opportunities in the United
States in the decades after World War II. For example, a recent study revealed that black college graduates have
faced unemployment rates more than double those of their white peers since 2008 (Jones and Schmitt 2014).
Some of these disparities can be explained by the stubborn persistence of implicit bias in our hiring practices,
whereby subtle cognitive biases shape our impressions of people from backgrounds different from our own. Other
research has indicated that poorer students also get lower returns on investment from state-school education
(Soria et al. 2013). The authors argue that this is mostly due to differences in social capital accrued through
expensive college socialization activities, such as sororities and fraternities, which serve as a valuable network for
sourcing employment opportunities post-graduation. These trends are magnified by the more fundamental
challenge of figuring out how to make more objective and fair decisions about who is the best person for the job.
About the Authors
Chelsea Barabas is the head of Social Innovation - Digital Currency Initiative at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab. Chelsea's research focuses on how alternative learning
pathways translate into career opportunity for individuals who traditionally face significant
obstacles to accessing higher education. The heart of this work is concerned with understanding
evolving notions of meritocracy within the tech industry, and how that shapes the way that race,
gender and educational pedigree influence an individual's career trajectory in technical fields. She
has a MS in Comparative Media Studies from MIT and a BA from Stanford in Sociology, Feminist
Studies and Arabic.
J. Philipp Schmidt is Director of Learning Innovation at the MIT Media Lab, where he leads the ML
Learning initiative, teaches courses, and conducts research on learning communities. He is also a
cofounder and board member of Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU), a non-profit organization that
provides access to online courses through public libraries. Philipp has received Shuttleworth and
Ashoka fellowships, and came to MIT as a Media Lab Director's fellow. He is a serial university
drop-out.
3. 3COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
The stated objectives for assessments and credentials often include a desire to overcome human biases with more
“objective” measures of a person’s skills, qualifications, or character. However, results have generally fallen short,
either by replicating existing inequalities or by overemphasizing skills that are easy to measure in a standardized
way. A persistent challenge has been to develop assessments that are both meaningful and accurate. At best,
educational assessments tend to be roughly hewn proxies for complex social structures and experiences. For
example, the SATs are intended to measure objective qualifications regarding one’s critical thinking and cognitive
abilities; however, studies have shown that standardized assessments such as the SAT are a more accurate
indicator of class and race than intelligence or future potential (Herrnstein and Murray 2010). Similarly, the
college degrees with the strongest signaling power tend to come from elite private schools, whose student
populations tend to be comprised disproportionately of the economically privileged.
In response to these challenges, people have begun to call for a fundamental rethinking of how we train and
credentialize the future workforce. In the rest of this paper, we will explore the challenges and opportunities
related to some of these efforts. First, we discuss the emerging challenges associated with credentialing given the
increasingly diverse landscape of higher education. We then explore the specific risks and affordances related to
two distinctive approaches to capturing meaningful signals from this “unbundled” (and increasingly digitized)
landscape of higher education: first, unbundling credentials from the university degree, and second, moving
beyond credentials to more direct data-based evaluations. Based on this discussion, we offer a few guiding
principles for future development of an ideal infrastructure for managing credentials.
The Chaotic Landscape of Unbundled Credentials
The 21st century workplace is much more transient than it was 50 or 60 years ago. During the post-war era, it was
normal for large firms to invest in training and professional development for a young recruit, expecting the
investment to pay off over the long (often lifelong) course of the recruit’s career in the firm. Yet today, the burden
of professional development has largely shifted from the firm to individual workers, who are expected to
continuously reskill as they move from job to job over the course of their careers.
These occupational changes are less and less about voluntary transitions to better-paying jobs. Rather, they
reflect the growing uncertainty around how best to invest in talent development in such a rapidly evolving
economy. As Auguste and Mariani (2015) have pointed out, too many Americans are “stuck” without a clear way of
translating their skills and credentials into real professional opportunity. When hard-working Americans are laid
off during times of economic hardship, it is increasingly difficult for them to discern the best way to “skill up,” i.e.,
gain the skills they need to find their next job in tomorrow’s economy. This heightens the need for educational
opportunities well beyond the traditional university pathway, as people need cost-effective ways to continue
developing new skills and competencies throughout their careers. They also need to be able to demonstrate their
skills, competencies, and achievements to potential employers in a way that helps them find a job.
As a result, options for customized “lifelong learning” experiences— professional boot camps, online courses, and
corporate training, to name a few—are increasing. Less formally, vibrant communities of practice have emerged
on online platforms such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, and YouTube, yielding an immense amount of informal
learning support for everything from software engineering to Arabic calligraphy. While this changing landscape
provides promising new opportunities for lifelong learning, it’s also quite confusing. Unbundling the education
4. 4COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
system could increase the agility of our workforce, but it also makes it hard for students and workers to choose the
best option for achieving their goals.
Moreover, the most successful technology-driven alternative education programs thus far have increased
opportunities for a relatively small group of well-educated people with high socioeconomic status. Last year, the
U.S. Department of Education announced that 36 million Americans were considered “low-skill” adults, meaning
that they lack the basic literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills necessary to engage in gainful employment
(U.S. Dept. of Education 2015). It remains a challenge to figure out ways of deploying new technology and
pedagogical formats that can better address the needs of this grossly underserved population.
Another challenge learners face is the limited ability to transfer skills and accomplishments from one job or
profession to a new employer or domain. In addition, there is an increasing awareness that we may be paying
attention to the wrong skills altogether. For example, companies are reporting the need for more creativity and
ability to collaborate, but assessment and credentialing systems focus on easily measurable skills or content
knowledge, which are rarely good predictors for workplace success.
The more accurately and specifically credentials reflect new competencies learned in these emerging educational
settings, the better study programs can be matched to employment opportunities. But new credentials, even if
they are accurate, face trust problems: Students don’t know if it is worth investing time and effort in new
educational experiences, and employers don’t know how to compare them to other, more traditional credentials.
The ambiguity around the value of new forms of credentials tends to produce suboptimal results for workers
seeking to use them as entry points into better-paying jobs.
Digital technology offers some interesting new opportunities for lifelong learning and credentialing. It allows us
to design systems in which skills, competencies, and accomplishments are captured more granularly across many
different contexts, are associated with an individual’s online identity, and can be easily shared. In an ideal world,
evidence of skills could be developed through interaction with peers, structured classes, or in the workplace and
would include a broader variety of skills, including the ability to think creatively and work collaboratively. Such a
system would enable the curation and presentation of more nuanced snapshots of learner competencies to
various audiences, including potential employers, mentors, peers, and collaborators.
This is the direction in which many entrepreneurial and innovative learners are already moving, but the systems
to support new approaches for more learners are still missing. We need better signals, but we also need better
systems to create and manage those signals. In the following pages, we discuss two emerging trends that call into
question fundamental assumptions about how we evaluate and credentialize this expanded set of educational
experiences and professional development activities. We analyze opportunities that these practices offer to
advance equal opportunity by rethinking signaling practices in the labor market, as well as the risks and
challenges we see in designing these systems moving forward.
Trend 1: Expanding credentials beyond the degree
As the education system becomes increasingly unbundled, we are seeing a similar diversification of credentials.
Some of the new credentials are issued by institutions that already have a history of issuing traditional degrees.
For example, MIT recently started issuing certificates of completion for some of their online courses, which taken
5. 5COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
together provide access to the MITx MicroMaster program that will lead to a traditional MIT degree. Other
credentials are offered by non-accredited organizations, for example General Assembly, which only recently
started offering certificates for its range of modular technology and design courses. Another example is online
course platform Udacity, which partners with technology companies, such as Google or AT&T, to design
certificates for courses that provide pathways into jobs. On the other end of the spectrum are organizations like
Portland State University, which now issues digital badges for students who participate in academic programs
that focus on creativity and collaboration.
For these new types of credentials, digital or not, the main challenge is to establish trust. Only if these credentials
“count” for something will they be able to attract potential students. Trust can be created through different
strategies: by leveraging the reputation of an existing higher-education institution, such as MIT; by connecting a
credential to the reputation of a well-known employer, such as Google, which commits to recruiting applicants
with a particular credential from online course provider Udacity; or by trying to position new credentials as
innovative complements to formal education, such as in the case of General Assembly’s courses.
However, establishing trust is hard. While the examples above demonstrate a few successful strategies, most
alternative credentials have very low signaling value. They may be included in a job application to demonstrate an
applicant’s motivation to invest in further training, but they rarely serve as replacements for traditional
credentials. In the case of digital badges for professional boot camps or mid-career intensive programs, there are
no easy mechanisms to transfer them into official school transcripts. Digital technologies have the potential to
allow for new strategies to gather data and establish trust and reputation based on evidence rather than existing
reputation of partners. By recording information about which credentials correlate with employment and job
success, students can make more informed decisions about education programs and employers can monitor the
acceptance of new credentials by other companies.
The application process, which includes writing a letter of interest, preparing a CV, and sharing relevant
information during an interview, allows job applicants to represent their professional experience to a potential
employer. However, as the higher education landscape grows increasingly varied, it becomes a bigger challenge for
individuals to tell a coherent story about what skills and experiences they have developed across various platforms
and programs. In addition, different audiences may need different representations of skills and accomplishments;
the criteria for evaluating a restaurant manager are quite different from those for new airline pilots.
Platforms such as LinkedIn, Bayt.com, or Xing.com aim to facilitate this process by becoming management
platforms for professional identities. These platforms retain a high level of control by ingesting and centrally
managing the analysis of an individual’s professional data. This data analysis feeds into recruitment tools that
platforms then sell to human resource professionals to support the recruitment of new employees. Most closed
platforms keep the way they evaluate user data a secret, which makes it challenging to know what factors
contribute to users’ reputation. As proprietary platforms gain more and more users, they develop a strong
gravitational pull of network effects, which makes it challenging for users to opt out if they have concerns about
how their data is being analyzed to produce a reputation or status.
Open credential systems would place greater control in the hands of the individual and enable the development of
third-party services for validation and evaluation, without the risk of platform centralization. For open systems to
emerge, we need better access to the underlying sources of data that fuel them. Most current credentialing
systems retain information at the level of the issuing institution. In the case of university transcripts, graduates
6. 6COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
are typically required to pay a fee to access the record of their academic achievements. In the case of corporate
learning, much of the data and certification is locked away in corporate databases and cannot be shared easily with
others. Digitizing credentials would provide a good first step toward making them easier to share, transfer to third
parties, and manage, but digitization is not enough. These digital credentials need to be accessible and
transferable in order to be useful.
Open digital credential systems would enable the development of an entirely new set of ways to identify
meaningful signals in the labor market. Meta-credentials could represent a particular combination of skills and
other achievements. When credentials are digital and open, it makes it easier to knit together a more complete and
detailed profile of a learner’s experiences and competencies. Digital credentials can also contain richer types of
information, such as videos or testimonials, and they can link to additional evidence on the web. They could even
update dynamically, for example by representing the number of times a software developer’s source code has been
downloaded, which could serve as an indicator of the quality of the code. Finally, current credential systems make
verification and authentication burdensome and unreliable, and degree fraud is rampant in some parts of the
world. Digital tools could more easily validate a credential’s integrity (ensuring that it wasn’t tampered with) and
authenticity (confirming that it was in fact awarded by a particular issuer to a particular recipient).
With traditional degrees or cumulative grades, much of the process that led to the degree is abstracted and lost.
Digital credentials enable the documentation of more fine-grained sets of experiences, providing not only more
complex information to potential employers but also guidance for other learners who want to evaluate the quality
of a given learning experience. The more fine-grained these signals get, the less they look like “credentials,” per se,
and the more they look like a corpus of data that can be processed in novel ways to yield insights into workers’
abilities and potential.
Trend 2: Moving beyond credentials with big data
In recent years, there has been a surge in interest surrounding the potential use of “big data” to increase the
efficiency and accuracy of recruitment and hiring decisions. The term big data refers to very large data sets and
the processes used to analyze them, which have the ability to reveal certain patterns, trends, and associations that
otherwise are not readily apparent. Over the last couple of years there have been a growing number of companies
which use big data to build platforms and tools intended to help recruiters identify promising candidates for jobs
ranging from software engineering to corporate management.
In order to conduct this type of analysis, companies harvest data from a wide range of digital platforms where
communities of practice convene to share their expertise and seek out advice.i
Such resources foster a rich
digitized environment for peer-to-peer learning to take place between learners with varying levels of expertise. In
addition to serving as a valuable learning resource, these sites generate a large amount of data about what types of
projects people are working on, the skills they are developing, and the level of expertise they have in a given
domain. Given the open nature of these sites, the data generated from them is often public, making it possible for
third parties to gather and integrate it into data-based predictive models.
i
For example, on sites like Stack Overflow anyone can post a question regarding a problem they are struggling to solve. The question is typically answered
within minutes of being posted. As a query receives more and more responses, the community up-votes those they find most helpful, thus making it easier
for others to find the most relevant and accurate guidance related to the topic.
7. 7COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
One appeal of big data is that it is ostensibly “hypothesis-free,” meaning that we could avoid implicit bias in
decision-making by finding new, data-based proxies for evaluating talent. Proponents of big data argue that, by
allowing insights to emerge from the data, they can uncover a new perspective on what trends and patterns are
most relevant when sifting through the talent pool for a new employee. Their aim is to expand, or altogether
replace, clunky university degrees with more refined credentials that give us a much more detailed picture of a
learner’s abilities.
However, other researchers have challenged the notion that big data practices provide a fairer or more objective
basis for decision-making. Scholars like Boyd and Crawford (2012), Gillespie (2012), and Sweeney (2013) are
exploring the ways that deep-seated biases are hidden behind the promise of “neutral data.” At the heart of this
research is the recognition that big data analysis remains essentially a process of interpretation, one that is prone
to the same biases and limitations we encountered in prior protocols for decision-making.
For example, big data models are developed using “learning algorithms,” which identify patterns and trends from
a set of “training data,” meaning the example data that they’re fed in order to build predictive models of reality. If
the training data contain discrepancies that are present in the real world (i.e., disproportionate percentage of
CTOs are white men who are fans of Lord of the Rings), the algorithm is likely to integrate those biases into its
model (i.e., predict that other white, male Lord of the Rings fans are good candidates for CTO positions). Another
common misconception is that if attributes associated with protected classes—race, gender, sexuality—are struck
from the data, biases associated with them will not carry over. However, these protected attributes are often
double-encoded in the data, meaning that they are latent in the included attributes and are therefore considered
in the model regardless. Without taking thoughtful precautions to understand and minimize such biases, big data
recruitment companies will simply amplify them.
This is not to say that these methods are altogether bad. The question is how these emerging practices compare to
existing methods of talent evaluation and recruitment. To answer this, it’s important to understand a few key
distinctions between status quo credentialing regimes and practices based on big data.
First, big data recruitment platforms enable the evaluation of “passive” candidates, or people who have not
actively submitted a resume or application for a job. When a recruiter identifies a promising applicant in this way,
the recruiter will then reach out to the candidate to invite them for an interview. Passive recruitment is most
popular in industries where there is a high demand and limited supply of skilled labor, such as software
engineering. Hypothetically speaking, if these practices were limited to fields where the demand for talent is
greater than the supply, then there would be little reason for concern: Passive recruitment would simply enable
employers to competitively compete for scarce resources. However, if these practices seep into other fields (as
they are beginning to do, particularly for low-wage, low-skill jobs such as truck driving and retail work), then this
becomes a bigger issue.
The key difference between active and passive recruitment lies in how a candidate’s profile is constructed at the
top of the recruitment funnel. Traditionally, candidates have played an active role in detailing their experiences
and qualifications via their resume or CV. However, these emerging data practices take that process out of the
hands of the individual worker and automate it with the help of algorithms and data scrapers. The benefit of this
approach is that it helps recruiters identify promising candidates who may not respond to a job posting because
they are not actively looking for a job; the downside is that it limits the ability of learners to “pitch” for jobs they
might want. A further problem with this approach is that evaluations are made on the basis of information
8. 8COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
compiled from a wide range of sources, without the explicit knowledge or consent of the individual
worker/learner. If inaccurate information becomes associated with one’s profile, there are currently no processes
in place to audit and edit that information.
The opacity of these methods also makes it challenging for us to assess how fair and accurate they are. Big data
recruitment offers a new set of possibilities for reimagining the way we gather signals for talent and competency
in the labor market, and it provides new means for us to capture insights about our interests and skills outside the
paradigm of educational credentials. However, without better avenues for integrating the consent and
participation of workers in this process, we run the risk of replicating and, worse, obfuscating deep-seated biases
and inequalities that are redundantly encoded in the digital breadcrumbs we leave online.
Characteristics of Ideal Credentials Infrastructure
In light of these trends, we’ve developed a list of key features we’d like to see integrated into an ideal digital
credentials infrastructure:
● Learner control: An ideal infrastructure for credentials management would place the learner, not third-
party companies or educational institutions, at the center of the process and in control of her professional
and educational identity.
● Portability: Learners/workers need the ability to share and translate their credentials from one context to
another and to represent them in different combinations for different audiences.
● Verifiability: We need better ways of verifying the source and authenticity of new credentials. This is a
fundamental aspect of increasing trust in novel forms of credentials and assessments based on big data.
There is an increasingly diverse set of experiences and data that workers can use to document their interests and
abilities. An ideal credentials infrastructure would be able to support different types of media, including videos,
audio, and portfolios, and allow expansion to new formats and programs in the future. Up to now, evaluating a
digital credential has proven difficult, both for the individual holder of the credential and for external evaluators.
It is relatively easy to issue, share, and display a new digital credential, but it requires additional effort to evaluate
what it really stands for. The above features would enable us to draw out the most relevant contextual data
necessary for evaluating the meaning and value of different credentials.
The Blockchain: Laying the Foundation for the Future
At the MIT Media Lab, we have begun experimenting with technologies that could provide the foundation
necessary for building out a credentialing infrastructure that embodies many of the characteristics listed above.
Digital credentialing systems have the potential to put a lot more control in the hands of the recipients of the
credentials. However, they also carry the risk of increasing tendencies toward platform monopoly, either in the
hands of existing institutions or new intermediaries, such as LinkedIn and new big data recruitment platforms. A
step in the right direction would be an open issuer system that allows credential holders access to their data and
credentials through APIs rather than the registrar’s office.
9. 9COPYRIGHT 2016 BY THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | ROOSEVELTINSTITUTE.ORG
However, we favor a more decentralized approach, in which credential holders are free to establish and manage
their own credentials without requiring permission from issuers or intermediaries. Intermediaries could focus on
providing value-add services, but should not act as middlemen or gatekeepers between issuer, recipient, and
employer. In this scenario, a marketplace of third parties could offer certificate verification services, competing
on quality and price, as opposed to a winner-takes-all scenario in which one organization could establish a
verification monopoly. Such a system would also give learners the opportunity to actively opt in to providing
additional information about informal work they’ve done. Such a system wouldn’t prohibit third-party data
collectors from gathering information on implicit professional activity, but it would provide a compelling
alternative version of a learner’s profile, one verified and approved by the individual learner in a canonical record.
In order to move toward decentralized certification systems, we have two recommendations: First, the
development of a flexible standard for digital credentials, building on existing efforts such as the open badges
specification; and second, moving to blockchain-based solutions to issue credentials and record data about how
they are used.
For the Media Lab Digital Certificates project, we are testing and implementing both aspects of this proposed
solution. The blockchain is the underlying technology that makes decentralized cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin
function in an open, decentralized manner (Nakamoto 2008). At its essence, a blockchain can be understood as a
distributed ledger to record transactions and ownership. What makes it special is that it is durable, time-stamped,
transparent, and decentralized. Those characteristics are useful for managing a wide array of data beyond
financial transactions.
Issuing a certificate on a blockchain is fairly simple. First, we create a digital file that contains basic information
such as the name of the recipient, the identity of the issuer (i.e. MIT, Udacity, etc.), the data of issue, etc. The
contents of that certificate are then cryptographically signed using a private key to which only the issuer has
access, and that signature is appended to the certificate itself. Next we create a hash, which is a short string of
numbers and letters that can be used to verify that nobody has tampered with the content of the certificate. And
finally we use our private key again to create a record on the Bitcoin blockchain that states we issued a certain
certificate to a certain person on a certain date. Once that information is recorded in the blockchain, it is possible
to verify to whom and by whom a certificate has been issued and validate authenticity of the certificate’s content.
This kind of platform provides many of the desirable features we are looking for in a digital credentials
management system. As we’ve discussed, evaluating a digital credential can be difficult, both at the level of the
individual holder of the credential, and also regarding the credential’s acceptance in the market. It is relatively
easy to issue, share, and display a new digital credential, but it requires additional effort to evaluate what it really
stands for. One solution (conceptually outlined in Evans and Goudzwaard 2015) would be to track data about how
credentials are used in a central place.
By recording who accepts a digital credential, and for what purpose, it becomes possible to build up a reputation
over time. If a university accepts a particular credential for transfer credit, or an employer starts hiring people
based on a combination of credentials, this information can be recorded in a shared repository. The hard work of
evaluating the credential would only have to be done once, by one (or a few) trusted organizations, but would
increase knowledge about a particular credential for the entire network. Instead of tracking the individual, our
blockchain-based system would track credentials and the ways in which institutions interact with them.
Furthermore, this system would fundamentally shift the stewardship model for storing and sharing such
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credentials from large institutions such as universities to individual learners. Public key cryptography and
cryptographic hash functions ensure our ability to verify the provenance and ownership of credentials, as well as
ensure that the content of those credentials isn’t inappropriately modified or attributed to the wrong person.
Currently, the Media Lab is piloting this project internally to distribute credentials to valued members of the
community who are not enrolled in a traditional degree program in the university. However, the goal is to expand
this work to enable the development of the next generation data infrastructure we need in order to support the
rapidly evolving landscape of higher education and workforce development for the future economy.
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