Online Course | Badging and Employer Engagement

Part 1: May 9, 2018 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Part 2: May 16, 2018 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Part 3: May 23, 2018 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET

Building on foundational knowledge of digital credentials, this course strategically takes participants through the process of developing a credential system that is aligned to industry and employer needs. Digital credentials allow the sharing of evidence of skills and knowledge acquired through a wide range of lifelong learning, empowering learners and employers make desired skills transparent. As such, industry leaders and employers are now recognizing and even searching for employees with “transparent skills.” Digital credentials can validate an applicant’s performance capability and enable industry employers to expand their workforce or improve the skills of their workforce .

Viable digital credential ecosystems rely on an exchange of perceived value or "currency" between three different parties: credential issuer, credential earner, and credential consumer. This course will help you clarify your ideas on why you are entering the workforce or employer-driven digital credential space.

Learning Objectives:

During this course, participants will:

  • Identify an actionable set of target industry or employer stakeholders
  • Identify specific workforce challenges
  • Create credentials that directly impact industry and employers
  • Design internal and external employer-focused communications
  • Verify that a feedback loop exists between industries, employers, and the institution

NOTE: Participants will be asked to complete assignments in between the course segments that support the learning objectives stated below and will receive feedback and constructive critique from course facilitators on how to improve and shape their work.

Course Facilitators

Jonathan Finkelstein Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO, Credly

Jonathan Finkelstein is founder and CEO of Credly, creator of the Open Credit framework, and founder of the open-source BadgeOS project. Together these platforms have enabled thousands of organizations to recognize, reward, and market skills and achievement. Previously, he founded LearningTimes and co-founded HorizonLive (acquired by Blackboard), helping mission-driven organizations serve millions of learners through online programs and platforms. Finkelstein is author of Learning in Real Time (Wiley), contributing author to The Digital Museum, co-author of a report for the U.S. Department of Education on the potential for digital badges, and a frequent speaker on digital credentials, open badges, and the future of learning and workforce development. Recent speaking engagements have included programs at the White House, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Smithsonian, EDUCAUSE, IMS Global, Lumina Foundation, ASAE, and the Federal Reserve. Finkelstein is involved in several open standards initiatives, such as the IMS Global Learning Consortium, Badge Alliance, American Council on Education (ACE) Stackable Credentials Framework Advisory Group, and the Credential Registry. He graduated with honors from Harvard.


Susan Manning Susan Manning, EdD, Chief Success Strategist, Credly

Susan Manning is the chief success strategist at Credly. In that role, Susan guides organizations through the process of designing, developing, and maintaining credential systems that are valuable to many stakeholders. Having spent nearly 18 years teaching in higher education, Susan brings a rich understanding of higher education systems and specifically faculty development. She was recognized by the Sloan Consortium with the prestigious 2013 Excellence in Online Teaching Award. Susan has worked with a range of academic institutions to develop competency-based programs that integrate digital badges. Several of her publications specifically speak to digital badge systems; other work is centered on technology tools and online education.


Brenda M. Perea Brenda M. Perea, Director of Educational and Workforce Solutions, Colorado Community College System

Brenda M. Perea, director of educational and workforce solutions at Colorado Community College System, brings 25 years of experience spanning secondary, postsecondary, and workforce educational fields to help learners identify and target workforce skills not apparent in traditional credentials. She successfully led CCCS to implement a system-wide badge initiative. She believes identifying competencies is critical to establishing career and educational pathways in conjunction with business and industry to ensure to postsecondary education and career training is relevant for today’s workforce. Brenda speaks nationally on digital badges and works with the international Open Recognition Alliance and IMS Global to shape the national conversation on badging, industry, and business engagement and workforce credentialing.