Integrating Stackable Credentials — Breaking Things Down, And Rebuilding For Success

Concurrent Session 5

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Stackable Credentials (you know, “badges” and such?) sound “great”. But then you have to implement ‘em. And then integrating with credit-bearing courses for the real student value? It requires a specific set of skills. You, dear learning designer, have those skills. Come find out how to make the most of your superpower.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Chris Edwards, MindEdge Learning

Chris Edwards is part of the team at MindEdge focused on new ways to bring accessible courseware to learners and the institutions who serve them. Chris has spent 18.5 years around all aspects of higher ed tech and administration. A first-gen student, he got his MBA online at UMass Isenberg -- and is currently wrestling with the next step in his own academic journey.

Extended Abstract

Stackable Credentials might be the latest EdReform buzzword to land on the discard pile. But, the news reports are persistent — employers want students to demonstrate skills that can contribute to immediate success in the world of work. And aligning credit/degree courses to certificates, badges and the like is one way to translate schoolwork to skills achievement.

That said, trying to ensure that two discrete sets of information align with student expectations, the faculty’s approach, and institutional outcomes creates quite a tangled web that needs superpowers (or maybe supercomputing) skills.

So, where does the learning designer fit into this? Come find out about those superpowers you hold. We’ll unpack the challenges and cover some strategies and approaches you can take back to campus to help make progress in this arena.