So-called “alternative credentials” have been steadily gaining traction in the U.S. post-secondary career and job-preparation markets. We are rapidly approaching a tipping point at which credentials from coding (and other) “boot camps,” professional certifications, badges, and certificates no longer warrant the modifier “alternative.” In this session, we share case studies of projects with clients focused on designing, developing, and delivering competency-based, job-market-aligned credentials in healthcare, education, software development, project management, criminal justice, and business. In particular, we underscore the need for backward design and the right technological infrastructure to support modularized learning that yields marketable microcredentials.

1. © 2017 Learning Objects.
Beyond “Alternative Credentials”
The Coming Disruption in Career-Aligned, Postsecondary
Education
Jonathan Mott @jonmott
Chief Learning Officer
Learning Objects
Lou Pugliese @lcpugliese
Senior Innovation Fellow & Managing Director
Action Lab at EdPlus
Arizona State University

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Post-Secondary
Credentials

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What does
diploma
and
a transcript
communicate?

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96%
of Chief Academic Officers
believe they are
Very (56%) or
Somewhat (40%) Effectively
“preparing students for the world
of work.”

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33%
of Business Leaders
agreed (11%) or somewhat agreed
(22%) that “higher education
institutions in this country are
graduating students with the skills
and competencies that MY
business needs.”

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Signal-to-Noise Ratio

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“Despite a century of experience
with higher education, our system
tells us far too little about what a
college degree or other
postsecondary credential means.”
Jamie Merisotis
Lumina Foundation

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More noise than signal?
INSTITUTION EMPLOYER
SIGNAL
DIPLOMA TRANSCRIPT

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Adding More Signal

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OBI 2.0
eT
CASE

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Adding more signal
INSTITUTION EMPLOYER
DIPLOMA TRANSCRIPT
BADGES
eT
SIGNAL

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Increasing Signal Strength
Learning
Alignment
Triangle
Program
Outcome
Assessments
& Evidence
Learning
Activities
Traditional
Program
Outcomes

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Non-Degree Credentials

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Increasing Signal Strength
Evaluate
Employment
Market
Needs
Design Competency-
Aligned
Program Map
Develop & Deliver
Program
Issue Credentials

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Project Management Micro-Credentials

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Traditional Program Layer

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Increasing Signal Strength
Validate
Program
Outcome
Alignment
Create Outcome-to-
Assessment
Data Mapping in
Learning Objects
Accumulate data in
Learner Record Store
(LRS)

18. © 2017 Learning Objects.
Q&A
jmott@learningobjects.com
Lou.Pugliese@asu.edu