Dive Brief:
- Credly is the first digital credential provider to receive official certification from the IMS Global Learning Consortium for meeting Open Badges Standards, reports Campus Technology. The current badge standard looks primarily at interoperability and portability.
- Open Badges, developed by Mozilla Foundation, was developed as an industry standard to ensure that achievements garnered across a range of learning environments were interoperable. Credly's compliance and recognition showcases a model for proper credentialing in online education which translates to real value in the workforce, according to a press release.
- Development of the Open Badges Standard as well as work from the IMS Global Learning Consortium on ensuring that digital credential providers meet certain functionality qualities reflects both the growth of online learning, as well as the importance of validating achievements made online so that they translate to real currency in the labor market.
Dive Insight:
As college and university presidents increasingly look toward online learning environments as an option for a growing population of nontraditional students and unique learners, it's important to pay attention to what types of credential standards are considered to be as valuable actual degrees in the workforce. In navigating the wide field of microcredentials and online badges available online, these standards provide a window into how educators can avoid buying into programs that may not actually translate to anything worthwhile for their students. Additionally, it also makes for good practice to understand the full extent of the technology that's being invested in.