Decision consistency (DC) is the reliability of a classification decision based on a test score. In professional credentialing, the decision is often a high-stakes pass/fail decision. The current methods for estimating DC are computationally complex. The purpose of this research is to provide a computationally and conceptually simple method for…

Information technology (IT) plays an increasingly significant role in today's world. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased that reliance. Employers in all industries are struggling with considerable shortages of skilled IT workers and are seeking innovative alternatives to meet these needs. Digital badging and micro-credentials have emerged as an…

This article is intended as a practical resource to help interested organizations design and implement an open badging system. Open badges are a type of open credential designed to recognize a variety of skills, knowledge, and experiences, both inside and outside of traditional educational settings. While growing in popularity, common questions…

Human beings are compulsive learners. Strong demographic and economic factors coincide with this natural desire to learn. This current paper focuses on quality aspects of shorter-term educational experiences. What features determine quality? What type of quality reviews would be most suitable? Are accreditation and quality assurance as they have…

The CLAVIER (Connected Learning And Virtual Intercultural Exchange Research) network grew rhizomatically as a result of open practice (Blyth, 2019), which is central to the CLAVIER approach. Informed by the field of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), the network has provided a safe space to experiment with the development and implementation of…

This case explores the creation of an open badge student-employee training program. Utilizing competency-based learning, we created nearly 40 digital credentials for technical skills related to various software products. We specifically share the decisions we made related to the process of defining competencies, formatting badge criteria, and…

CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] recently convened a wide range of stakeholders through the Certification and Licensure Collective (CLC) to support states to improve certification and licensure systems, including initial licensure, renewal, and reciprocity or teacher mobility. Educator micro-credentials are a critical part of this…

For several decades members of the American Evaluation Association have discussed and disputed the issue of evaluator certification. Our past inability to agree on a certification solution may have been partially caused by the weaknesses of traditional certification systems, which rely on candidates obtaining a degree and completing a…

This report describes the adult student's experience with prior learning assessment (PLA) using student record data from 72 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States, primarily focusing on the data from 69 of those institutions based on the more detailed data provided by those institutions to the study. Researchers from the…

This report describes the adult student's experience with prior learning assessment (PLA) using student record data from 72 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States, primarily focusing on the data from 69 of those institutions based on the more detailed data provided by those institutions to the study. Researchers from the…

Digital badges are quickly becoming an appropriate, easy and efficient way for educators, community groups and other professional organisations, to exhibit and reward participants for skills obtained in professional development or formal and informal learning. This paper offers an account of digital badges, how they work and the underlying…

With an increasing number of higher education institutions now offering "digital badges," some suggest that this credential has become a practical commodity in the world of college credentials. Colleges and universities are in a unique position to be the gatekeepers of many of those credentials. Among the many institutions of higher…

In the twenty-first century, learning takes place almost everywhere, at all times, on all kinds of paths and at all kinds of paces. With the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen, young people and adults can access a wealth of information, analyze it, and produce new knowledge at any time. These learning opportunities break wide open the…

The global demand for higher education currently exceeds the world's existing university capacity. This shortfall is likely to persist for the foreseeable future, raising concerns that frustrated students might choose to purchase fraudulent credentials from counterfeiters or diploma mills. International efforts to encourage the development of…

A wide array of federal funding opportunities exists to help states build a secure infrastructure to support data use and ensure that students are prepared for college and careers. Because the reporting requirements for these programs are frequently developed without input from other programs and agencies, grantees are required to report data that…