by Jamie Merisotis, EDUCAUSE Review
A powerful shift in postsecondary credentialing has taken place over the last few decades, with an explosion in the number of pathways to an education beyond high school. As a result, today’s job-seekers can possess not just four-year college degrees but everything from associate’s degrees and apprenticeships to occupational licenses and education certificates, all the way to digital badges and employer-based certifications. The myriad options—and the subsequent push to better connect them—are unleashing the power of technology to fundamentally reshape the higher education landscape. A future system is shaping up in which students are situated at the center and are able to navigate their postsecondary options, from traditional institutions of higher education to a whole host of other learning providers: employers, unions, online programs, and even libraries and museums. Learning, rather than seat time, will be the core measure of progress in this new system, and students will be able to demonstrate what they’ve learned through dynamic online platforms.
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