Open Badges for Higher Education

Higher Education institutions are being challenged as never before. Parents, students and legislators are questioning the return on investment for a college education because many degrees are only loosely linked to employability after graduation. Increasingly, the degree itself is not as critical as the skill set behind it. Employers are searching for specific skills to fit their business needs and often find the pool of recent college graduates lacking. At the same time, online education providers are flooding the market with convenient, accessible, less expensive or even free course offerings. While these classes may or may not be on a degree path, they offer students the opportunity to spend their time and money building the specific skills they need to compete in the marketplace. Some online education providers are traditional colleges trying to woo students more interested in a more convenient learning experience while upgrading their skills. Learning, skills and knowledge extend well beyond what is represented on the college transcript for many non-traditional students (who now comprise a majority of total college enrollments).

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