Jonathan Finkelstein joins our series in which higher ed leaders answer questions about changes in postsecondary education.
In this series, we ask education leaders how they perceive current opportunities and threats in postsecondary education. Read the previous post here.
Since it launched in 2013, Credly has tried to help recognize the shorter bursts of learning that happen within and outside of traditional degree pathways.
Its short-form credentials, sometimes called “badges,” have been used by colleges and employers to reward students or workers for mastering hard and “soft” skills.
But this is an area higher education is still sorting out. Among its questions are how to compare similar short-form programs across institutions, and whether employers will universally accept them. And while colleges are beginning to offer them, they are doing so gradually.
Jonathan Finkelstein, Credly’s founder and CEO, is optimistic that the market will become more open to these credentials. For its part, the company is working with other credentials providers to develop a common language for describing these programs that, they hope, will aid their uptake by making their value easier to determine.