Abstract
Digital credentialing is changing higher education across the world in significant ways and represents an institutional imperative for all colleges and universities. Higher education institutions will have to make decisions about their involvement, or lack of involvement, in this movement. Digital credentials (in this chapter called “Alternative Digital Credentials,” or (ADCs) call for institutions to focus on serving the needs both of students and employers by attesting to workplace relevant skills and competencies. This shift has a profound impact on the relationship between students and institutions, institutions and regional development, pedagogy, organizational structure, and faculty roles. This chapter briefly describes ADCs, the benefits of serious involvement in issuing ADCs, and focuses on some of the most difficult challenges faced by higher education as it considers deeper engagement in ADCs. In addition, this chapter is founded on, and extends, a report issued by ICDE in January 2019 which describes the steps and challenges facing institutions which want to become involved in ADCs (Matkin et al., 2019).
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Notes
- 1.
Blockchain is the record-keeping technology behind bitcoin. The goal of blockchain is to allow digital information to be recorded and distributed, but not edited.
- 2.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.
- 3.
The mission of the Association of American Colleges and Universities is to advance the vitality and public standing of liberal education by making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in undergraduate education in service to democracy.
- 4.
NACE is the leading source of information on the employment of the college educated, and forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks starting salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks.
- 5.
Trada Education’s mission is to ensure that Americans gain the workplace skills they need to launch meaningful careers.
- 6.
Credly empowers organizations to officially recognize individuals for demonstrated competencies and skills. It’s mission is to connect people to opportunity based on their talent and capabilities.
- 7.
Parchment is the most widely adopted digital credential service, allowing learners, academic institutions, and employers to request, verify, and share credentials in simple and secure ways.
- 8.
Badgr for Canvas is a free service that enables organizations to automatically issue open badges to learners as they complete modules in Canvas courses.
References
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Matkin, G.W. (2020). The Challenge of Digital Credentials: How Should Universities Respond?. In: Burgos, D. (eds) Radical Solutions and eLearning. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4952-6_4
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