Kathleen Radionoff Dr. Michael OlneckDean of Continuing Education Professor EmeritusMadison College University of Wisconsin-Madison

(Comments)

Madison College Case Study:

Using Digital Badges to Assess Non-Credit Learning Outcomes

A National Conversation

20.8m students in non-credit programsTwo year schools: 6.5m credit/5m non-

creditAdult students and informal learning

The National Council on Continuing Education and Training (2004)

Rigid silos between non-credit and credit programming

The need for adult students to transition easily between credit and non-credit education

The need for life-long learning to keep workers current in their skill sets.

The National Council on Continuing Education and Training (2004)

Transitional

Worker

Moving from one

career to

another

Occupational

and

developmental

learning

Credit or non-

credit learning;

possible

developmental

coursework

Entrepreneurial

Worker

Small business

owner

Learning to

enhance their

business

opportunities

Contract training,

non-credit short-

term certificates,

discrete non-credit

classes

Incumbent

Worker

Adult employee Learning to

enhance current

skills

Contract training,,

non-credit short-

term certificates,

discrete non-credit

classes

Flynn’s Worker Segments

Ganzglass, Bird and Prince (2011)

Non-credit classes are completely disconnected from degree programs

The national credentialing system is in chaos and does not serve the needs of employers or nontraditional students

U.S. needs a consistent and market relevant credentialing system that uses competency based assessment

Business Roundtable (2009)

Traditional educational systems are unable to validate non-credit learning

A new national system to measure and value non-credit coursework is urgently needed

Non-credit coursework provides a valuable benefit to workers and employers

Schooley, Moore and Magarie (2011)

Informal learning can keep worker skill sets relevant and can be delivered on a just-in-time basis

Millennial demographic cohort are both social media and digital natives

Companies are beginning to support informal learning opportunities to engage employees

Dean’s Assessment of Incumbent Worker Training Trends

Digital badges meet several market needs

Pedagogy impact

Business and market strategy impacts

Madison College Continuing Education Program

Madison Area Technical College serves more than 44,000 students at 11 locations in portions of 12 counties

Continuing Education served 14629 individuals in 2012

Broad programming range

Program Challenges

Moved to self-funded status

Student population shift

Shift to professional development programming

Competition

Introduction of Badges at Madison College

Improved learner outcomes through assessment

Employer credibility

Marketing opportunities

Lessons Learned

Technology not well supported; few vendor options

Resource intensive

Faculty training

Student training

Market strategies for roll-out; badges are ahead of customer demand

Thank You

Contact information : Kradionoff@madisoncollege.edu

Potential Research Questions

The credit - non-credit divide (Slides 3,5,6)

Skills and competencies (Slides 3,5,7)

Employers' needs and practices with respect to credentials (Slides 5, 11)

Standardization versus Mozilla's commitment to "openness" (Slides 5,6)

Impact on pedagogical, curricular, and assessment practices in higher education (Slides 8,11)

Submitted for discussion by Dr. Olneck

Bibliography

2009). Counting the hidden assets. Business Roundtable, Retrieved from http://www.businessroundtable.org

Fain, P. (2013, 4 22). Competency-based education's newest form creates promise and questions. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.edu

Flynn, W. J. (2004). Eight strategic questions for community college. NCCET, Retrieved from http://www.nccet.org

Ganzglass, E., Bird, K., & Prince, H. (2011). Giving credit where credit is due. Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, Retrieved from http://www.clasp.org

Better futures for 2 million americans through open badges. (2013, 6 13). HASTAC. Retrieved from http://www.hastac.org

Schooley, C., Moore, C., & Magarie, A. (2011, 7 11). Informal learning garners acceptance as a legitimate learning approach [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.forrester.com

Soares, L. (2013). Post-traditional learners and the transformation of postsecondary education: A manifesto for college leaders. American Council on Education, Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu

Van Noy, M., Jacobs, J., Korey, S., Bailey, T., & Hughes, K. American Association of Community Colleges, (2008). Noncredit enrollment in workforce education: State policies and community college practices. Retrieved from website: http://www.aacc.nche.edu