{"title":"Competency frameworks, alternative credentials and the evolving relationship of higher education and employers in recognizing skills and achievements","authors":"S. Braxton","doi":"10.1108/ijilt-10-2022-0206","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"PurposeRecognizing, tracking and providing mechanisms for sharing an individual's comprehensive record of learning is necessary and essential for both her agency over and ability to manage sharing her qualifications with parties whom she desires to be aware of her learning record. In doing so, she may capture and present degrees, certifications, microcredentials or badges representing varying levels of knowledge, skill and abilities (KSAs) achieved in both formal and informal educational experiences. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned ideas.Design/methodology/approachIn the USA, competency frameworks are gaining more solid footing with both higher education institutions and employers as both move to address the changing landscape of education-to-work preparation and the relationships that exist between them. The need to support lifelong learning and the various pathways that individuals traverse in and out of educational pursuits and the workforce require a more personalized approach.FindingsThis paper will discuss the drivers of the newfound traction of competency frameworks among higher education and employers within the USA, present examples of the frameworks and how they are being applied to address the common interests of educators, employers and the learner/earners, and explain the role badges and microcredentials play in capturing and recognizing the broad spectrum of learning, skills and competencies achieved by an individual throughout the lifelong learning journey.Originality/valueThe digital badging taxonomy and concept of using badges as a representation of a unit of competency, both introduced in this paper, provide a unique strategy for contextualizing the relationship between levels of cognitive domain recognized in academic settings and the language of KSAs used by employers.","PeriodicalId":51872,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information and Learning Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Information and Learning Technology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-10-2022-0206","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
PurposeRecognizing, tracking and providing mechanisms for sharing an individual's comprehensive record of learning is necessary and essential for both her agency over and ability to manage sharing her qualifications with parties whom she desires to be aware of her learning record. In doing so, she may capture and present degrees, certifications, microcredentials or badges representing varying levels of knowledge, skill and abilities (KSAs) achieved in both formal and informal educational experiences. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned ideas.Design/methodology/approachIn the USA, competency frameworks are gaining more solid footing with both higher education institutions and employers as both move to address the changing landscape of education-to-work preparation and the relationships that exist between them. The need to support lifelong learning and the various pathways that individuals traverse in and out of educational pursuits and the workforce require a more personalized approach.FindingsThis paper will discuss the drivers of the newfound traction of competency frameworks among higher education and employers within the USA, present examples of the frameworks and how they are being applied to address the common interests of educators, employers and the learner/earners, and explain the role badges and microcredentials play in capturing and recognizing the broad spectrum of learning, skills and competencies achieved by an individual throughout the lifelong learning journey.Originality/valueThe digital badging taxonomy and concept of using badges as a representation of a unit of competency, both introduced in this paper, provide a unique strategy for contextualizing the relationship between levels of cognitive domain recognized in academic settings and the language of KSAs used by employers.
期刊介绍:
International Journal of Information and Learning Technology (IJILT) provides a forum for the sharing of the latest theories, applications, and services related to planning, developing, managing, using, and evaluating information technologies in administrative, academic, and library computing, as well as other educational technologies. Submissions can include research: -Illustrating and critiquing educational technologies -New uses of technology in education -Issue-or results-focused case studies detailing examples of technology applications in higher education -In-depth analyses of the latest theories, applications and services in the field The journal provides wide-ranging and independent coverage of the management, use and integration of information resources and learning technologies.