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Credential Engine, CTDL, Registry for VC-EDU

W3C VC-EDU CG. Feb, 2022

Phil Barker, Cetis LLP, metadata consultant to Credential Engine

www.credentialengine.org

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Outline

Introduction

Credential Engine
CTDL
Credential Registry

Samples of use in Verifiable Credentials

Links to the Registry
Data in the VC

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Introduction to Credential Engine, CTDL and Registry.

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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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Credential Engine’s Open Technologies

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Publishing Tools

After creating a user account, organizations use the API or any of the Publishing System tools to convert information to CTDL and publish to the Registry.

Credential Registry More than a database, the Registry collects and connects credential data described with CTDL and supports an open applications marketplace.

Credential Finder

A tool to view and explore the information stored in the Registry.

Community – A wide range of stakeholders provide and receive technical assistance and other services to both publish to the Registry and consume the data it houses. Credentialing bodies, developers, and other users have access to resources such as do-it-yourself guides, best practices, and technical support.

Credential Transparency Description Language� Common language that describes key features of credentials/qualifications.

https://credreg.net

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CTDL: Credential Transparency Description Language

Because: it is not enough to just to say that you have a degree.
Natively RDF: for linked data by design.
Provides a vocabulary:

classes for the different types of entity related to credentials
properties to describe relationships between and characteristics of
enumerations (concept schemes) for controlled value spaces;

and:

definitions in human and RDF
handbook
I18Nable
process and policy for growth by consensus and stability.

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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.��Supports customizable CTDL profiles to meet community needs.�https://credreg.com/ctdl/terms

https://credreg.net/ctdl/handbook ��

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The CTDL is a comprehensive descriptive language that covers a wide scope of essential aspects of the education and training marketplace. This graphic gives you an idea of the range of the types of information that CTDL describes. This data can come from numerous different sources and be meaningfully connected and combined in CTDL.

There is a structure to CTDL that controls how the terms can be combined to describe different aspects of credentials, competencies, and jobs.

I won’t get into all of the details, but you can imagine that the connections can be usefully complex in describing many different types of credential and competency components, including linking between credentialing organizations, credentials, competencies, programs, courses, assessments, pathways, quality assurance, occupations, job skills….

The full details for all CTDL classes, properties and vocabularies are provided at https://credreg.com/ctdl/terms

A handbook describing their use is available at https://credreg.com/ctdl/handbook

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Supporting Rich Descriptions of Credentials

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Offerer information
Learning opportunities and assessments
Competencies earned
Alignments to QAF
Connections such as stacking of credentials across credential types
Accreditation and other third-party quality recognitions
Occupations for which the credential prepares
Prerequisites, requirements, cost and time to earn
Jurisdiction and revocation where applicable
Transfer value to other institutions
Components of education and career pathways
Bridge to jobs, work roles, and tasks
Aggregate outcome and labor market information

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Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) Terms

Defines many different types of credential, and other things that may be achieved.

Certification:

Time-limited, revocable, renewable credential awarded by an authoritative body for demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform specific tasks or an occupation.

Credential Engine has been developing the CTDL for over five years.

The work requires experts to agree on definitions of key characteristics and their structure in relation to each other. We’ve done this through open, consensus-based processes that include experts from education, employment, government, quality assurance, industry sectors, and other arenas.

CTDL is harmonized with Schema.org, the international Linked Open Data structure of the web. It is designed to be internationalized and also to support cross-walks to related structures that also use Linked Open Data (this is the nature of Linked Open Data– like links across web pages, data can link to other data).

CTDL is continuously evolving as valuable new use cases are defined. For example, we just added new structure for communicating transfer value from one learning provider to another, and we also added fields to more completely make the connections between education and jobs.

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Credential Example: all of the information about this credential is directly from the Credential Registry

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Credential Example: all of the information about this credential is directly from the Credential Registry as JSON-LD

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CTDL Coverage

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Outline

Introduction ✓

Credential Engine ✓
CTDL ✓
Registry ✓

Samples of use in Verifiable Credentials ☚

Links to the Registry
Data in the VC

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Base use case

As an education and training provider "In Ludo Docemus" awards credentials as VCs. The credentials range from micro-credentials to degrees requiring a four year program of study.
Data about In Ludo Docemus, their credentials and the skills required to earn a credential from them, the learning programs, courses and pathways is all openly available in the Credential Registry.
Pat has earned a credential from In Ludo Docemus, which is awarded as a VC.
As a privacy-minded individual, Pat wants to control who can see which details of this and other VCs through software applications such as wallets.

From here on presentation is based on (Google doc) CTDL terms and Registry data in Verifiable Credentials (VC / Open Badges 3.0 / CLR 1.1)

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Example in VC spec

{

"@context": [

"https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1",

"https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/examples/v1"

],

"id": "http://example.edu/credentials/3732",

"type": ["VerifiableCredential", "UniversityDegreeCredential"],

"issuer": "https://example.edu/issuers/565049",

"issuanceDate": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z",

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21",

"degree": {

"type": "BachelorDegree",

"name": "Bachelor of Science and Arts"

}

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It is not enough to just to say that you have a degree.

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CTDL Context, CTDL Types, and References to Registry [1]

{

"@context": [

"https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1",

"http://credreg.net/ctdl/schema/context/json", // makes all of CTDL available

"http://credreg.net/ctdlasn/schema/context/json", // ditto CTDL-ASN

{"res": "https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/"}, // to shorten URIs

{ // for new terms

"new": "http://example.org/new/",

"achievement": {

"@id": "new:achievement"

}

],

// pto

}

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CTDL Context, CTDL Types, and References to Registry [2]

{"@context": [...]

"id": "http://example.edu/credentials/3732", // do not put Registry CTID here- this is the � //ID for the issued credential, not the abstract credential

"type": "VerifiableCredential",

"issuer": "res:ce-ca493a91-b9ec-4a45-ac6f-a6259656ea50", // Issuer data in Registry

"issuanceDate": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z",

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21", //Pat's DID

"achievement": {

"id": "res:ce-49247727-7cbd-4f0e-8179-e51036d1f14a", // Credential data in Registry

"type": "ceterms:BachelorDegree",

"ceterms:name": {"en-US": "Bachelor’s Degree"}

// CTDL recognises other languages exist

}

},

"proof": { }

}

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In JSON-LD Playground : https://tinyurl.com/yrszsy6u

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More CTDL data included in the VC

"id": "http://example.edu/credentials/3732",

"type": "VerifiableCredential",

"issuer": "res:ce-ca493a91-b9ec-4a45-ac6f-a6259656ea50",

"issuanceDate": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z",

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21", //Pat's DID

"achievement": {

"id": "res:ce-49247727-7cbd-4f0e-8179-e51036d1f14a",

"type": "ceterms:BachelorDegree",

"ceterms:name": {"en-US": "Bachelor’s Degree"},

"ceterms:description": {"en-US": "... ... ... "},

"ceterms:subjectWebpage": "find:credential/0000/Science_and_Arts",

"ceterms:offeredBy": "res:ce-ca493a91-b9ec-4a45-ac6f-a6259656ea50"

// in this case credential offered and issued by same org

// for other use cases they could be different orgs.

"ceterms:subject": {

"type": "ceterms:AlignmentObject",

"ceterms:targetNodeName": "Science and Arts"

// alignment object allows identification of subject in

// a taxonomy or other framework.

},

"ceterms:requires": [

{

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"id": "res:ce-84958217-1323-46fe-87c8-652120800190",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKSCI1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Science",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of science…"

},{

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"id": "res:ce-8aa6b5b5-095c-4152-89b2-06438129002c",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKART1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Arts",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of arts…"

}

// This could be a long list of competencies…

]

}

},

"proof": { ... }

}

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Variation: Using the organization's own identifiers

{"@context": [...

{ "owl": "http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#", // add prefix for owl namespace

"owl:sameAs": { @type": "@id" } // make sure URI is a link

}, ],

"id": "http://example.edu/credentials/3732",

"type": "VerifiableCredential",

"issuer": {

"id": "did:example:4bc4ba39fc280d2549863dc74f6",

"owl:sameAs": "res:ce-ca493a91-b9ec-4a45-ac6f-a6259656ea50" // resolves to info about same resource

},

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21",

"achievement": {

"id": "http://inludo.docemus.edu/creds/BSSciArt",

"type": "ceterms:BachelorDegree",

"owl:sameAs": "res:ce-49247727-7cbd-4f0e-8179-e51036d1f14a", // info about same resource

"ceterms:name": {"en-US": "Bachelor’s Degree"}

}

},

"proof": { }

}

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In JSON-LD playground https://tinyurl.com/2p8n3tmv

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VC to assert Pat has achieved a Competency

{ "@context": [...],

"id": "http://example.edu/credentials/3732",

"type": "VerifiableCredential",

"issuer": "res:ce-ca493a91-b9ec-4a45-ac6f-a6259656ea50",

"issuanceDate": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z",

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21",

"achievement": [ // List of competencies acquired

{

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"id": "res:ce-84958217-1323-46fe-87c8-652120800190",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKSCI1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Science",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of science…"

},{

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"id": "res:ce-8aa6b5b5-095c-4152-89b2-06438129002c",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKART1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Arts",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of arts…"

}

]

},

"proof": { }

}

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Combination of degree and competencies

{"@context": [...],

…

"credentialSubject": {

"id": "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21",

"achievement": [

{ "id": "res:ce-49247727-7cbd-4f0e-8179-e51036d1f14a", // the degree achieved

"type": "ceterms:BachelorDegree",

"ceterms:name": {"en-US": "Bachelor’s Degree"},

"ceterms:requires": [ "res:ce-84958217-1323-46fe-87c8-652120800190",

"res:ce-8aa6b5b5-095c-4152-89b2-06438129002c" ]

},{

"id": "res:ce-84958217-1323-46fe-87c8-652120800190", // List of competencies acquired

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKSCI1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Science",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of science…"

},{

"id": "res:ce-8aa6b5b5-095c-4152-89b2-06438129002c",

"type": "ceasn:Competency",

"ceasn:codedNotation": "EXKART1",

"ceasn:competencyLabel": "Knowledge of Arts",

"ceasn:competencyText": "Demonstrate a good knowledge of arts…"

}

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In JSON-LD playground https://tinyurl.com/2twaddyv

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Some of the use cases met by CTDL in verifiable credentials

Identify a range of credential and other achievement types

different types of academic award, job-related tasks, competencies, courses, assessments,

Point to further information about the achievement and credential issuer in a registry
Include further information about the achievement and the issuer in the credential
Include links to data about the same thing from different sources

e.g. owl:sameAs

Include links to human readable web pages about the achievement and the issuer

ctdl:subjectWebpage

And a whole lot more.

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For More Information

Scott Cheney

Executive Director

scheney@credentialengine.org

��Jeanne Kitchens�Chief Technology Services Officer

jkitchens@credentialengine.org

Deborah Everhart

Chief Strategy Officer

deverhart@credentialengine.org

Website: credentialengine.org�Email us: info@credentialengine.org�Technical Information: credreg.net �Credential Finder: credentialfinder.org � � Find @CredEngine on Social Media

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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.