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Discover �CTDL Support Services�Terms & Credential Registry�Publishing Options

June 28, 2023

Nate Argo, Associate Solutions Architect

Julia Gianoulis, Accounts and Publishing Manager

Jeanne Kitchens, Chief Technology Services Officer

Mike Parsons, Senior Solutions Architect

We encourage reuse and remix of this resource with attribution to Credential Engine.

www.credentialengine.org

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Credential Engine:

Who We Are & What We Do

�Our Mission: Credential Engine is a non-profit whose mission is to map the credential landscape with clear and consistent information, fueling the creation of resources that empower people to find the pathways that are best for them.

Our Vision: We envision a future where millions of people worldwide have access to information about credentials that opens their eyes to the full range of opportunities for learning, advancement, and meaningful careers.

How we accomplish our Mission and Vision:

Building common infrastructure and language
Collaboration
Empowerment

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Topics

Welcome and Introductions - Jeanne Kitchens
CTDL Support Services Origins- Jeanne
CTDL Updates: Support Services - Nate Argo
Support Services: Publishing and Consuming Options - Mike Parsons

Bulk Upload Demo and Instructions - Julia Gianoulis

Closing - Jeanne

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Using Technology to Map the Credential Landscape

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CTDL Linked Open Data & Consuming Tools

Providers use the API or any of the data consuming tools to use CTDL data in the Registry, powering ecosystems.

CTDL Publishing Tools

Providers use the API or any of the publishing system tools to convert information to CTDL, publish to the Registry, and create globally unique identifiers (CTIDs).

Credential Registry

The Registry collects and connects credential, skill, and job data described with CTDL as a linked open data graph to power tools and applications, including the Credential Finder.

Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL)

�Linked open data schema that describes over 800 characteristics of credentials, skills, jobs, and providers.

Technical site: https://credreg.net

Transforming credential information into linked open data means it can be shared, connected, and used across applications.

These are our freely available technology components for credential and skill transparency.

Credential Engine’s openly licensed metadata schema, the Credential Transparency Description Language, or CTDL, gives us all a common schema for defining over 800 characteristics of education and training credentials. CTDL is human and machine-readable, used by people and systems for understanding and comparing credentials based on characteristics such as their cost, quality assurance, connections to other credentials, occupational alignment, skills, employment and earnings outcomes, and more.

Credential Engine provides at no cost a global Credential Registry where any credential issuer can publish information about the credentials they offer. The Credential Registry automatically generates globally unique identifiers, CTIDs, for each credential, credential organization, skill, and other data components. These unique identifiers can be critically valuable for organizing and managing data about credentials and skills from different sources.

In the Registry CTDL supports linked open data connections not only among one organization’s data, but also across the wide variety of data in the Registry. Developers can create specialized applications and products to utilize Registry data for different purposes.

Credential Engine does not develop end user tools, except we support the Credential Finder, which is a web interface to view and explore the information stored in the Registry.

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Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL)

A common language modeled on the semantic web for transparency and comparability of credential and competency information.��https://credreg.net/ctdl/handbook

Current CTDL family of schemas:

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CTDL Support Services Origins

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How CTDL and Registry Updates Get Done

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Implementation by Credential Engine Team

CTDL terms with definition
CTDL Handbook
Credential Registry Minimum Data Policy
Credential Registry Publishing API and Credential Registry Publishing System
Credential Registry Consuming Services
Related instructions, announcements, and webinars.

Task Group

Approved Task Group Charter
Identify use cases
Real-world data examples expressed as CTDL linked data
CTDL domain model and terms with definitions proposal ready for a public webinar followed by a public comment period
Credential Registry Minimum data policy proposal

Public Webinar & �Comment Period

Occurs approximately 2 weeks following the closing Task Group meeting and is widely disseminated via multiple distribution venues and networks
Followed by a two-week comment period
CTDL team reviews all comments and, if needed, adjusts the final terms with definitions proposal

This efficient process follows our Schema Update Process and Namespace Policy ensures orderly changes that support and expand the durable, persistent value of CTDL Linked Open Data.

CTDL Advisory Group Members: �Participate with and disseminates task group and other involvement opportunities and�provide input to the Annual CTDL Plan of Work.

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Chartered Support Services Task Group

The Support Services Task Group (SSTG) completed it’s work on April 28, 2023. The focus was on data that includes learner and earner supports to enter into, navigate, and complete informal and formal education to career pathways.

Learning recognition can be dynamic, cyclical and ongoing such as work-based learning. Often, support is provided based on whether or not a person has a formal affiliation with an organization such as schools, employers, community-based, and government service agencies. �
Support can occur with or without direct affiliation and also include pre-affiliation, post-membership, and post-exit. The SSTG will explore use cases that consider all of these dynamics. It will also consider demographic information with outcome data and other information about how organizations develop and implement equitable access and outcomes.

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SSTG Charter

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CTDL Updates: Support Services

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CTDL Terms: Support Services

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New Class: Support Service �
New Properties

Concept Schemes

Support Service

Definition: Resources and assistance that help people overcome barriers to succeed in their education and career goals.

Comment: Support services can be provided at any stage of an individual's education or career, and may be targeted towards people with or without direct affiliation with an organization. The goal of support services is to provide people with the assistance they need to achieve their full potential. Examples of Support Services include career advice, job placement, childcare, transportation, tools, mentorship, counseling, and other forms of aid.

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CTDL

Support Services “Triple” Diagrams

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This diagram is based on Support Service data for a University. It does not cover everything, but gives a sense of how the class can be used with real data.

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This diagram shows multiple instances of the Support Service used to describe services available in different contexts:�

The Organization level
The Program level
The Course level
The Offering level
The Location level

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CTDL Concept Schemes

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A concept scheme is a structured and predefined set of related terms that can be used for various purposes, such as search and discovery, creating predefined selection lists, and providing semantic meaning to categories of accommodations and support services. Concept schemes play an important role in information organization and retrieval, helping to standardize terminology and facilitate communication and interoperability between systems. They are commonly used in fields such as library science, information science, and education to classify and organize information.

Two New Support Services Concept Schemes:�

Accommodations
Support Service Category

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Accommodation

Definition: Types of features, changes, modifications, or adjustments made to a facility, service, or resource to provide equal access and opportunity to people with diverse needs and preferences.

Comment: These accommodations can include existing physical features or modifications to the environment, alternative formats or modes of communication, flexible scheduling, and personal assistance services, among others.

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Support Service Category

Definition: Types of support services to help people succeed in their education and career goals.

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CTDL Handbook: Support Services

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CTDL Handbook: Support Services Section

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CTDL Resource and Terms

CTDL terms are available for anyone to use under an open Creative Commons license.�
The Credential Engine Technical Site (https://credreg.net) provides open access to resources ranging from all CTDL terms to searializations, to guides, to policies and more. ��It’s all available for anyone to use, no login is required.�
Use CTDL with your…

Data design and databases
Backend Interfaces
Data Outputs
User Interfaces
Software systems and products
Learner and Employment Records
And more…

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Support Services�Data Publishing and Consuming Options

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Support Services:Publishing Options

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Publishing Assistant API

Directly publish structured data from a database to the Credential Registry. All API publishing is required to test in the Credential Registry Sandbox.

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The Credential Registry Publishing System offers a full suite of tools for converting information into CTDL Linked Open Data Structure. Learn more.

CSV Bulk Upload

Download the Support Services template, populate it, and upload.

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Support Services:Consuming Options

Each app, tool, or system has its own unique use case, data, and interface requirements. The options that best support the user needs should be explored. Contact Credential Engine to get started info@credentialengine.org and learn more https://credreg.net/registry/handbook#consume.

Get a record directly via its CTID.�

Search queries via the Credential Registry Search API.�

Download or Import for Offline Use:

Download all Registry resources as a CTDL encoded JSON LD in a zip file.
Download selected or all Registry data as separate CTDL encoded JSON LD documents.
Download and import selected or all Registry data to a local SQL database. �

Credential Finder

Credential Finder Widgets to display subsets of data and embed in a website.
Credential Finder API and search providing the filters and detail page searches seen on the Credential Finder.

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Support Services:Bulk Upload Demonstration

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Set up and log into your Credential Registry Account.

Use the Bulk Upload: Support Services CSV template, populate with support services, and upload it.

Approve your support services.

See everything published to the Credential Registry via the Credential Finder.

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Bulk Upload: Support Services

Select the CTDL terms to include with your CSV template.
Download the template.
Add your support services to the template.
Upload your support services.

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Approve Support Services

Via your Organization Summary, select the “Support Services” tab.
Select All
Approve All Selected Items

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Credential Finder

See your published support services via the Credential Finder https://credentialfinder.org

A tool for seeing all of the data published to the Credential Registry.

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Support Services Bulk Upload Demonstration

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https://youtu.be/2ZNK49LCi-E

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Start Publishing

The CTDL Support Services terms, publishing and consuming options are available now.

To get started create or log in to your Credential Registry Account https://sandbox.credentialengine.org/accounts

Begin publishing Support Services to the Credential Registry. Visit https://credentialengine.org/2023/06/28/support-services-resources/ for all of the materials shared with this webinar. �

Contact publishing@credentialengine with any questions. We monitor this account during normal U.S. business hours.��

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