Lauren Conte
College Data Coach,
Education Design Lab
Catalyzing a Paradigm Shift: A First in the Nation Data Collaborative for Alternative Credentials
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 | 3:00PM–3:45PM CT | Poster #606, Halls F1, F2, Level 3
Session Type:
Poster Session
Delivery Format:
Poster Session
Increasingly, institutions are deploying short-term, stackable, non-degree credentials focused on in-demand skills to better prepare learners for the workplace. Yet concerns remain with ease of implementation, learning efficacy, employer adoption, and labor market value of short-term credentials. Data is needed to better understand skills-based learning and inform the way to alternative credentials. This presentation showcases collaborative efforts between Education Design Lab (Lab), Credential Engine, the National Clearinghouse, Brighthive, and the Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) to launch a Data Collaborative for a Skills-Based Hiring, a multisource data infrastructure to support institutions implementing alternative credentials, inform program evaluation, and data storytelling about enrollment, progression, retention, completion, and labor/wage outcomes. The micropathways established via the Community College Growth Engine (CCGE), an initiative with 43 community colleges funded by 15 foundations and investors, provide a first-use case with data flows already established in a cloud data structure supported by Brighthive and feeding dashboards built and maintained by the Lab for early insights.
