A magnifying glass over the word "transparent" illustrates the idea that digital credentials need more transparency.

Digital credentials need more transparency


Through a partnership, education leaders could reach a more agreed-upon shared vision of digital credentials

A partnership between two groups aims to advance new interoperability and transparency standards for digital credentials and institutional data systems.

As part of the agreement, IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS Global) and Credential Engine will build interoperability between IMS Global’s widely-adopted standards and Credential Engine’s Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), which is a common language that enables credential issuers to publish data and information on the content and value of digital credentials to the public Credential Registry and the open web.

Already, a combined 12 states and regions, nearly 400 credential providers, and several federal agencies have joined this cloud-based library that makes information such as competencies, cost, quality assurance, earnings, and connections to occupations, and pathway information searchable to the public.

“To address emerging skills gaps in the new world of work, employers and learners alike need agreed-upon digital representations of competencies, achievements, and credentials,” says Dr. Rob Abel, chief executive officer of IMS Global.

“This new integration with Credential Engine is a critical step as we work toward a shared vision of a credentials marketplace that is verifiable by employers, searchable and discoverable, and controlled by learners.”

Moving forward, IMS Global and Credential Engine will lead the development of new tools to publish information on competencies and add linking to the Credential Registry as an IMS standard for digital credentials.

“To tap the full potential of today’s workforce, learners need clear information on the market value of a credential, and that requires us to build out new types of data and technical infrastructure,” says Scott Cheney, executive director of Credential Engine.

“This new partnership will accelerate the adoption of critical new standards that make the value, requirements, and competencies associated with all credentials more transparent.”

Alternative digital credentials are positioned to transform the relationship between higher ed and students. Institutions must respond to these fast-developing credentials in a way that is measured and thoughtful, but quick enough so as to not be left behind.

Establishing such a credential system will help “create a new and dynamic ecosystem for the evaluation of applied learning in the workplace,” according to The Present and Future of Alternative Digital Credentials, a report issued by the International Council for Open and Distance Education.

The working group authoring the report notes that calling alternative digital credentials an imperative isn’t an exaggeration, because alternative digital credentials represent the culmination of various influential higher-ed forces.

The need for and value of a degree won’t change, but these credentials will challenge the workplace efficacy of traditional transcripts and are already highlighting the need for change in higher ed.

The report offers a number of recommendations to move forward with digital credentials, including seriously considering the implementation of an alternative digital credential infrastructure and set of services; securing support from senior administration and academic leadership for the adoption of a service system; and assuring uniform standards, administration, and oversight of credential issuance.

Another report shows that adults who do not hold college degrees, but who have earned non-degree credentials, report greater income and happiness with their educational paths compared to adults without credentials.

The Strada Education Network and Lumina Foundation’s report, Certified Value: When do Adults without Degrees Benefit from Earning Certificates and Certifications?, intends to fill the still-empty space around what is known about the value and impact non-degree credentials, such as certificates or certifications, have for those who earn them.

Specifically, adults without a degree who hold a certificate or certification:

  • Have higher full-time employment rates compared to peers without non-degree credentials (85 percent vs. 78 percent)
  • Have self-reported median annual incomes of $45,000 compared to $30,000 for those without non-degree credentials
  • View their education paths are more valuable and are more likely to recommend them to others than are those without non-degree credentials

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Laura Ascione

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