Credential As You Go

A recently published article about Microcredentials in University World News co-authored by Alejandro Caballero, Sean Gallagher, Hanne Shapiro, and Holly Zanville caught my attention for a number of reasons. In their article titled Microcredentials: A new category of education is rising, the authors note that “a globally accepted definition doesn’t exist yet” and “UNESCO, the European Higher Education Area of 49 countries, Australia, and Canada have made great strides in developing microcredential frameworks.”

In the United States, the authors note that “the world of non-traditional credentials lacks centralization.” They continue to note that initiatives like Credential As You Go are working with state governments to “prototype incremental credentials at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

I was not familiar with Credential As You Go, so I took the time to visit its website and find out more. The mission of Credential As You Go is to “inform and facilitate the development of a nationally adopted incremental credentialing ecosystem that improves education and employment outcomes for all learners.” Its vision includes building an ecosystem where the meaning of all credentials will be understood by learners, employers, and educational institutions.

The feasibility of Credential As You Go was explored through an 18-month planning, research, and testing project supported by the Lumina Foundation from 2019-2021. The Credential As You Go research team conducted a nationwide environmental scan in 2020. The team uncovered more than 80 state and system level projects in 41 states that were connected to recognizing and credentialing learning. The team acknowledged that many initiatives are occurring at the institutional level but opted to limit the scan to states and systems because of their potential impact on policy change.

The themes that surfaced from the environmental scan of projects led to the development of the initial incremental credentialing model that was tested in several pilots in New York state. Two community colleges and a four-year college worked together and created microcredentials and credentialing pathways in six different disciplines. These disciplines were: Advanced Manufacturing, Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, Human Services, Addiction Studies, and Public Health.

The Incremental Credentialing Framework that was developed provides six strategies of credentialing that can be used to design credentials. CAYG’s website notes that Phase Two of the project will include strategies, tools, and resources to develop incremental credentials across all sectors. The current version is mainly focused on higher education incremental credentials but will be expanded in the future to include employer and learner feedback. The six strategies of the Framework are:

  • Learn As You Go – Incremental credentials stand on their own, unconnected to a degree, but prepare individuals for up-skilling, re-skilling, or developing new skills in specific workplace areas
  • Add On As You Go – Incremental credentials are obtained for specializations that add onto a degree pathway but may not necessarily be planning in the pathway.
  • Stack As You Go – Incremental credentials add together or stack into larger credentials and degrees and are planned into credentialing pathways.
  • Transfer As You Go – Incremental credentials are built to transfer across institutions and are a potential cost-sharing mechanism (students cross-register to another institution to pick up a specialty that the home institution does not offer).
  • Partner As You Go – Incremental credentials prepare for and include field-expected credentials for work, as well as work-related credentials that are accepted into degree or other credentialing pathways, developed in conjunction with business/industry partners.
  • Retro As You Go – Incremental credentials are awarded for learning already acquired but not yet credentialed.

Phase Two of the CAYG work is underway according to the website. The team’s goals are to:

  • Increase national awareness of and value for incremental credentials
  • Ensure equity, quality, and integrity of incremental credentials
  • Develop purposeful policy and practice reforms to support incremental credentialing
  • Align this work with other efforts within the team and work ecosystem.

CAYG has targeted six areas to increase the adaptability, scalability, and sustainability of incremental credentialing practices:

  1. Framing the National Campaign
  2. Equity and Inclusion
  3. Trust
  4. Rapid Prototyping and Research
  5. Policy Reform
  6. Learn and Work Ecosystem Library Portal

The website provides descriptions of what is planned for each of these six areas. I’m not sure how much time is allocated for Phase Two, but it will likely be measured in years, not months. The last two of these six items will require Herculean efforts.

The CAYG Staff Team appear to be individuals whose regular job is somewhere other than CAYG. Their names and roles/jobs are listed below.

Co-Leads, Credential As You Go

Nan Travers                 Director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning – SUNY Empire State College

Holly Zanville              Research Professor and Co-Director of the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy – George Washington University

Larry Good                  President & CEO – Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

State Coordinators

Stephanie Bailey         North Carolina State Coordinator for the CAYG Grant, working with the UNC System Office and the NC Community College System

Bitsy Cohn                  Colorado State Coordinator for the CAYG Grant

Patricia Pillsworth       Director of Academic Program Development for the Office of Academic Affairs – SUNY Empire State College – New York CAYG grant

Project Coordinator

Ashley Frank               Project Coordinator for the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning – SUNY Empire State College

Communications

Lucia Weathers           CEO – Weathers Strategy Group

Artist-in-Residence

Chloe Epstein

CAYG established a National Advisory Board that met throughout the 18-month research period. I was so impressed by the members of the board, I decided to make a list of their names and their organization and include it below.

CAYG Advisory Board (as of June 8, 2022) (https://credentialasyougo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CAYG-Directory-of-Board-and-Staff-Team-June-8-2022-PDF.pdf )

Kyle Albert                  Co-Director, GW Institute of Public Policy’s Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy

Sara Allan                    Director of Early Learning & Pathways in the U.S. Program – Gates Foundation

Julian Alssid                Chief Marketplace Engagement Officer – Unmudl

Robert Anderson        President – State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)

Sara Appel                  Associate Director of Policy Initiatives – Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC)

Gianina Baker             Associate Director of Evaluation, Learning & Equitable Assessment – Office of Community College Research and Leadership

Erica Barreiro              Chief Learning & Diversity Officer – Nusenda Credit Union

Christine Barrow         Director – Education Strategy Group

Meg Benke                 Professor, Adult Learning – SUNY Empire State College

Terry Bower                Associate Vice President of Innovative & Lifelong Learning – Metropolitan State University of Denver

Naomi Boyer              Executive Director, Digital Transformation – Education Design Lab

Debra Bragg               President – Bragg & Associates, Inc.

Earl Buford                  President – Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

Gardner Carrick          Vice President of Strategic Initiatives – The Manufacturing Institute at the National Association of Manufacturers

Scott Cheney              CEO – Credential Engine

Cindy Cisneros            Vice President, Education Programs – Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board

Wendy Copeland        Chief Strategic Partnership Activation Officer – Goodwill Industries International

Ryan Craig                  Managing Director – Achieve Partners

Holly Custard              Deputy Director of Partnerships – Strada Education Network

Leanne Davis               Senior Learning Specialist – The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice

Susan Deer                  Provost and Executive Vice President – Rockland Community College

Amy Duke-Benfield     Senior Fellow – National Skills Coalition

Lisa Eads                      Associate Vice President of Programs – North Carolina Community College System

Christopher Ellis, Jr.     Director, State Legislative Affairs – Office of the Mayor, New York City

Dhanfu Elston              Chief of Staff and SVP – Complete College America

Ellie Fogarty                 Senior Vice President for Accreditation Relations – Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Eric Fotheringham       Director of Community College Partnerships and Adult Learner Initiatives  University of North Carolina System

Karen Francis-Begay    Assistant Vice Provost for Native American Initiatives – University of Arizona

Sameer Gadkaree        President and CEO – The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)

Sean Gallagher            Executive Director – Northeastern University’s Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy

Amber G Duncan        Executive Vice President – Competency Based Education Network (CBEN)

Paul Gaston                 Trustees Professor Emeritus – Kent State University

Julie Gedro                  Dean of the School of Business – SUNY Empire State College

Kimberly Green           Executive Director – Advance CTE

Tom Green                  Director of Strategic Enrollment Management – Salesforce

Tina Gridiron               Vice President – ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning

Deana Guido               Director of Learning Resource Center – Halifax Community College

Sarah Heath                State Director of Career and Technical Education – Colorado

Deb Hodge                  Managing Consultant – ED2WORK

Roberta Hyland           Chief Data Officer – National Student Clearinghouse

Natasha Jankowski      Assessment expert & higher education consultant

Lecester Johnson         Chief Executive Officer – Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School

Sally Johnstone            President of NCHEMS

Cathrael Kazin             Managing Partner – Volta Learning Group

Angela Kersenbrock    President – Community College Baccalaureate Association

Becky Klein-Collins      Vice President for Impact – Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

Andrew Koch               President and CEO – John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education

Michelle Lair               Director of Academic Programs – NC Community College System

Mary Beth Lakin          Director for the Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (C-PLAN) – Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Patrick Lane                Vice President – WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit

Jessica Langley-Loep   Executive Director of Education and Advocacy – National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

Jeannine Laprad          Managing Director of Policy and Research – National Skills Coalition

David Leaser               Senior Executive of Strategic Growth Initiatives – IBM’s Training & Skills program

Carolynn Lee               Senior Program Officer – Ascendium Education Group

Mary Lefebvre            Director of Workforce Policy – ACT State Government Relations

Dane Linn                    Senior Vice President of Corporate Initiatives – The Business Roundtable

Charla Long                 Executive Director – Competency-Based Network (C-BEN)

Lisa Lutz                       President and CEO – SOLID, LLC

Lisa Sax Mahoney        Director of National College Credit Recommendation Service – University of the State of New York, Board of Regents

Kathryn Jo Mannes     Vice President, Impact Partnerships – Jobs for the Future

Daniel Marschall         Research Professor – George Washington Institute of Public Policy

Kevin Martin               General Manager of Higher Education – Parchment

Audeliz Matias            Chief Diversity Officer – SUNY Empire State College

Robert Matthews        Associate Vice President, Workforce & Economic Development – Mott Community College

Alexei Matveev           Director of Training and Research – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Mary Alice McCarthy  Director of the Center on Education & Labor – New America

Kate D. McConnell      Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation – VALUE

Nicole McDonald        Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Strategies – University of Houston

Lisa McIntyre-Hite      Vice President of Learning Innovation – Guild Education

Heather McKay           Executive Director – Virginia Office of Education and Economics

Michael Meotti           Executive Director – Washington Student Achievement Council

Matthew Meyer          Associate Vice President for Business Engagement, National & International Partnerships – NC Community College System

Sarah Miller                Senior Adviser – Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity – Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Wanda Monthey         CEO – Monthey Associates

Nick Moore                 Director – Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation, Alabama

Judy Mortrude            Senior Technical Advisor – World Education’s National College Transition Network

Suzanne Ortega          President – Council of Graduate Schools

Amelia Parnell            Vice President for Research and Policy – NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Julie Peller                   Founder and Executive Director – Higher Learning Advocates

Jackie Pichette            Director of Research, Policy and Partnerships – Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Canada

Kim Poast                    Chief Student Success & Academic Affairs Officer – Colorado Department of Education

Cynthia Proctor           Director of Communications and Academic Policy Development – SUNY System

Chris Rasmussen         Senior Director for Academic Pathways and Innovation – Colorado Department of Education

Anne Reed                  Director of Microcredentials – University of Buffalo

Brian Reed                  Associate Vice Provost for Student Success – University of Montana

Kathryn Regjo             Vice President of Academic Affairs, Colorado Mountain College System

Denise Roosendaal     Executive Director – Institute for Credentialing Excellence

Shannon Rowan          Senior Manager, Opportunity – Walmart Foundation

Lauren Runco              Director of Strategy – Solutions for Information Design (SOLID).

Casey Sacks                 President – Bridge Valley Community and Technical College

Janet Salm                   Managing Director – Strada Institute for the Future of Work

Ken Sauer                    Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Academic Officer – Indiana Commission for Higher Education

Greg Schmidt              Director of Workforce Initiatives – CVS Pharmacy

Frank Scuiletti             Senior Program Administrator, Engineering & Technical Programs – NC Community College System

Wendy Sedlak             Strategy Director for Research & Evaluation – Lumina Foundation

Peter Smith                 Orkand Endowed Chair and Senior Advisor to the President – University of Maryland Global Campus

Louis Soares                Chief Learning & Innovation Officer – American Council on Education

Karen Solomon            Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer – Higher Learning Commission

Mitchell Stevens          Professor – Graduate School of Education, Stanford University

Jeff Strohl                    Director of Research – Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Kevin Stump                Vice President of Economic Mobility and Workforce Innovation – Rockland Community College

Roy Swift                     Executive Director – Workcred, affiliate of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Wayne Taliaferro        Director, Strategy – Lumina Foundation

Van Ton-Quinlivan      CEO – Futuro Health

Andy Tonsing              Director, Postsecondary Education – Charles Koch Foundation

Monica Parrish Trent  Vice President of Network Engagement – Achieving the Dream

Jason Tyszko                Vice President – U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Julie Uranis                  Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives – University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA)

Natalie Van Kleef        Chief Learning Officer – Qwiklabs at Google

Michelle Van Noy        Director, Education and Employment Research Center – Rutgers University

Brett Visger                 Senior Director, Postsecondary Attainment – Education Strategy Group

Thomas Weko             Director, Higher Education Policy Team – OECD

Ramik Williams           Founder – Doing Good Business Well consulting

Amanda Winters         Program Director – National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

Eboni Zamani-Gallaher           Professor of Higher Education and Community College Leadership and Director of the Office for Community College Leadership

Jennifer Zeisler           Senior Program Director – ECMC Foundation

Lucinda Zoe                 Senior University Dean and Vice Provost for Academic Programs & Policy – City University of New York

By my count, CAYG has 117 members on its advisory board. Many of the members have experiences that their current titles do not adequately describe. They are wonderful people, and I am proud to say that I know a number of them. I think they’ll be more helpful for areas one, five, and six in Phase Two than crafting framework documents and recommending state and federal policies for adoption.

Two of the members of the board are Paul Gaston and Michelle Van Noy. Their book, Credentials: Understand the Problems, Identify the Opportunities, Create the Solutions, is an excellent explanation of credentials ranging from the four major degree categories to non-degree credentials whose numbers are unknown. They deliberately chose not to use the term microcredentials in their book (because there is no agreed upon standard definition) but include them in the NDC (non-degree credential) category. For anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the complexity of trying to organize, standardize, and recognize non-degree credentials from a higher education institution’s perspective based on the credentials’ value to learners and employers, I recommend this book.

The authors of the University World News article that called my attention to Credential As You Go made excellent points about why microcredentials are expanding the postsecondary education market, the innovation with new certificates designed for jobs in a digital economy, and the addition of private providers who can meet the needs of the learners and employers quicker than many traditional higher education providers.

Gaston and Van Noy offer a sentence in their book that may explain why Lumina funded Credential As You Go and why so many luminaries agreed to serve on its advisory board. “An environment that offers an extraordinary range of educational options invites extraordinary mistakes.”

Credential Engine tracks the numbers of credentials offered and the types of providers that offer them. In their most recent report of postsecondary credentials (https://credentialengine.org/counting-credentials-2021/ ), they list 359,713 degrees and certificates offered by postsecondary institutions, 9,390 course completion certificates offered by MOOC providers, and 549,712 badges, course completion certificates, licenses, certifications, apprenticeships offered by “nonacademic” providers. We clearly need a framework and more for non-degree credentials. Let’s hope initiatives like Credential As You Go help us get there sooner rather than later, or never.

Subjects of Interest

EdTech

Higher Education

Independent Schools

K-12

Student Persistence

Workforce