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:
- Framing the National Campaign
- Equity and Inclusion
- Trust
- Rapid Prototyping and Research
- Policy Reform
- 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.