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Nan Travers, SUNY Empire State University

Melissa Goldberg, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Colorado Fac2Fac Conference

April 14, 2023

CREDENTIAL AS YOU GO

Improving education and employment outcomes for all learners

Transforming the Nation’s

Credentialing System

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Four Drivers of Change

Degree-Centric Workforce
Equity
21^st Century Workforce Needs
Credential Expansion

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Earnings and Unemployment Rates by Educational Attainment (2020)

https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2021/data-on-display/education-pays.html

Earnings

Unemployment Rates

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Postsecondary Attainment in the U.S.

3 out of 6 have a college credential

White – 71%

Black – 10%

LatinX - 10%

Asian – 9%

1 out of 6

some college no credential

2 out of 6

Upper secondary or below

Source: Data based on 224.5M adults 25 years and older (Acquired from U.S. Census Bureau 2021)

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We have leaky pathways.

What is happening to our learners when they leave us?

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CDHE Institutional Retention and Completion Rates

Fall 2020 to Fall 2021 retention rate = 73%

Four-year institutions is 78%
Two-year institutions is 55%

Fall 2015 cohort 6-year graduation rate for 4-year institutions = 53.5%
Fall 2018 cohort graduation rate for 2-year institutions = 31.3%

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Within Group Comparisons�Degreed & Non-Degreed

39%

Degreed

Black Adults

28M

Data based on 224.5 million adults 25 years and older (U.S. Census Bureau 2020)

30%

Degreed

Latinx Adults

36M

57%

HS or less

43%

HS or less

53%

Degreed

White Adults

143M

32%

HS or less

18%

SCND

13%

SCND

SCND = Some College No Degree

HS = High School

15%

SCND

68%

Degreed

Asian Adults

14M

25%

HS or less

7%

SCND

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21^st Century Skills & Competencies

The 3^rd key driver for change is the 21st Century Workforce – so

different than it was 40 years ago. While employers still need workers with industry-specific knowledge and skills, employers increasingly value 21st century skills (also referred to as human, power, essential, durable, or soft skills).

Despite the current wave of shortages in many sectors of our workforce, some employers struggle to find workers because the knowledge and skills needed are often not well documented or credentialed; and some workers are finding their knowledge and skills are no longer up to date — and may even be obsolete. The skills dilemma —what skills are needed, for which industry sectors and job levels, and who provides them — has important implications for workforce preparation and credentialing.

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1,076,358 Unique Credentials in the U.S.

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

350,412 degrees, certificates

MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE (MOOC) PROVIDERS

13,014 course completion certificates, microcredentials, online degrees from foreign universities

NON-ACADEMIC PROVIDERS

656,505 badges, course completion certificates, licenses, certifications, apprenticeships

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

56,179 diplomas from public and private secondary schools, alternative certificates from secondary schools, high school equivalency diplomas

18 detailed credential categories across 4 types of credential providers:

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What are Incremental Credentials?

The purpose of incremental credentials is to ensure learners are recognized for what they know and can do as they acquire the learning and not leave learners without formal documentation of that learning.

Incremental Credentials capture learning as it is acquired along the learning pathway and formally recognizes and connects that learning to a larger context of work and education.

The Credential As You Go initiative uses the term, “Incremental Credentials” to refer to all types of credentials that formally document learning, including certificates, badges, microcredentials, degrees, apprenticeships, and other non-degree credentials. Incremental Credentials capture learning acquired along the learning pathway, and formally recognize and connect that learning to a larger context of work and schooling. Incremental credentials can be:

non-credit and credit-bearing
undergraduate and graduate level in higher education or at any level in industry
any size, from small units of learning through degrees

There are many terms being used to describe aspects of the learn and work ecosystem. As part of the Credential As You Go initiative, we have developed a document containing 43 terms, in “Definitions & Use of Key Terms & Concepts in Incremental Credentialing.” The dictionary is located on our website under Tool & Resources. We encourage you to explore this document -- we hope this will help us all develop a common language around incremental credentials.

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Credential As You Go

Mission & Vision

MISSION

To facilitate the development of a nationally adopted incremental credentialing ecosystem that improves education and employment outcomes for all learners.

VISION

All learners are recognized for what they know and can do
Learning counts from multiple sources
The meaning of credentials understood by learners, employers, and educational institutions, policymakers
Credentials fit learner needs and inform career navigation, education-career planning, and job transitions
Credentials used by employers in hiring and advancement and recognized within the postsecondary ecosystem as counting towards further learning

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Phase 1

Exploration and Development

Lumina Foundation planning grant

Phase 1

Exploration and Development

Lumina Foundation planning grant

Phase 1

Exploration and Development

Lumina Foundation planning grant

Phase 1

Exploration and Development

Lumina Foundation planning grant

2019-2021

Phase 2

Prototyping and Research

Institute for Educational Sciences, Credential As You Go Grant

2021-2024

Phase 3

Expansion and Scaling

Walmart Grant

2022-2023

Research

Prototyping

Professional Development / Technical Assistance

Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

Technology

National Campaign

Equity and Inclusion

Trust and Quality

Policy Change

Building Connections

Credential As You Go is an initiative that began in 2019 with a planning grant from Lumina foundation. Through the grant the team:

- worked with Pilot institutions within NY and

- researched the national landscape of the use of incremental credentials

This information was used to build the Incremental Credentialing Framework, which we will share later in this presentation.

In 2021, the initiative was awarded an IES grant (Phase 2) to further prototype (in three states: CO, NY, and NC), and engage in an official research study.

In Phase 3, we will be looking at expansion and scaling with a grant from Walmart.

Phases 2 and 3 focus largely on prototyping, research, professional development (including the development of playbooks), technology needs and LER landscapes, and the national campaign around the initiative.

For the work to be successful, we must always keep in mind how we affectively convey information around trust and quality, equity and inclusion, building the appropriate connections, and policy change.

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Incremental Credentialing Framework

The incremental credentialing process formally credentials learning that individuals acquire along the way so that they can be recognized for employment and further education. The framework provides six approaches to developing and implementing incremental credentials.

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Prior Learning

There are 6 approaches within the Credential As You Go’s Incremental Credentialing Framework, which is being used to create incremental credentials by participating institutions.

These approaches are often integrated combining different aspect to serve student, institutional, and industry/community needs.

Learn as you go are incremental credentials that stand on their own, connected or unconnected to a degree, to prepare individuals for up-skilling, re-skilling, or developing new skills in specific workplace areas.

Add on as you go are incremental credentials that are obtained for specializations that add onto a degree or employment pathway. They could be credit or non-credit. They aren’t necessarily planned as a part of the pathway.

Stack As You Go

Incremental credentials add together or stack into larger credentials including degrees, which are strategically planned into credentialing pathways.

Transfer As You Go are incremental credentials that are designed to transfer across institutions, and can be a potential cost-sharing mechanism (studens cross-register to another institution for a specialty not offered at the home institution).

Partner As You Go are incremental credentials that prepare for and include field-expected credentials for work, as well as work-related credentials that are accepted into credentialing pathways, developed in conjunction with business/industry partners.

Retro-Award As You go – are incremental credentials that are awarded for learning already acquired but not yet credentialed. This is where credit for prior learning and prior learning assessment come in.

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Prepare individuals for specializations in the workplace and in academic disciplines

Credentials built to transfer across institutions and/or academic programs

Recognize and embed workplace learning into credentials

Awards for learning already acquired but not yet credentialed

Credentials purposefully stack, forming a credentialing pathway

Prepare individuals for upskilling, reskilling, and/or developing new skills in the workplace and academic disciplinary areas

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Prior Learning

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https://credentialasyougo.org

Website Walk Through

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Network Registration

https://credentialasyougo.org/organization-member-registration/

Network Quick Guide

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What are we learning so far?

Credentialing Patterns

Lessons Learned

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Key Research Questions

1. What does it take to implement incremental credentials at institutions and change the national credentialing system?

2. What are the student outcomes from engaging in/completing incremental credentials?

Access
Enrollment
Persistence
Completion
Next Steps

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Incremental Credentialing Outcomes

So far, 101 incremental credentials have been identified to study

66% are launched
49% are credit-bearing, 37% are noncredit, and 15% are a combination – often including industry credentials or CPL
For credit credentials, the most common range is 10-12 credits within the first two years of undergraduate studies

The titling of these credentials (e.g., microcredential, badge, certificate, degree) varies, with microcredential the most common (41%)

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Credentials used more than one Framework approach

58%

24%

34%

3%

76%

48%

Only 15 credentials had just one approach

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Types of Common Credentialing Pathways

Incremental credentials:

Make up a full degree (credit-based)
Are developed to fit into parts of the degree (credit-based)
Provide specializations for a degree (credit-based)
Provide different tracks to a degree (credit-based)
Are awarded based on courses already completed (credit-based)
Embed credit for prior learning (noncredit or credit-based)
Are focused on employment (usually noncredit based)
Articulate noncredit to credit learning

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Information Technology (21)

Health Care (17)

Education (12)

Business (17)

Art (3)

Communication (4)

Design Thinking (2)

Hospitality/Culinary (8)

Advanced Manufacturing (2)

Veterinarian (2)

Space Flight (1)

Criminal Justice (1)

Trades (4)

Human Services (4)

Science Lab (5)

Credentialing Areas Across CO, NC, NY

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Credentials so far in Colorado

Red Rocks Community College

Early Childhood Director Certificate - Internship

*Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Certificate – Internship

*Early Childhood Education Certificate – Internship

*Early Childhood Teacher Certificate – Internship

*Paraprofessional Educator Certificate – Internship

Colorado State University Fort Collins

Certificate in Design Thinking - Online

*Certificate in Design Thinking - F2F

Colorado State University Global Campus

Strategic Decision-Making and Communications Certificate

Colorado State University Pueblo

Estimating & Planning Construction Costs Certificate

Metropolitan State University - Denver

Foundations of Translation and Interpretation

Fundamentals of Wedding Planning

Introduction to Journalism and Mass Media

*Analytical Chemistry Lab Skills

*Pipette Calibration

*Spectroscopically Determining Dye Concentration

*Standardizing a Base by Titration

*Verifying a Calibration Model

*Visual Literacy

*Social Justice and Advocacy

*Introduction to Cybersecurity

*Advanced Manufacturing and Workplace Preparation

*Introduction to Addictions Counseling

*Introduction to Construction Project Management

*Health Navigation Fundamentals

*Introduction to Business

*Introduction to Space Flight Operations

*Principles of Public Health

*Effective Business Writing

*Writing Principles

*Writing for Digital Media

Launched credentials are indicated with a star (*)

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What is possible at your institution?

How can you leverage the work that has already been done?

Which of your programs map to fields where shorter credentials are valued?

How can data help?

What do students want and need?

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/credential-as-you-go/

https://twitter.com/CredentialYou

https://learnworkecosystemlibrary.com/

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