ISKME's presentation on our alternative credentialing research from the 2012 Open Education Conference.

1. 10.16.1
2
OER and Alternative
Certification Models: Bridging
Boundaries Between Formal
and Informal Learning
Cynthia Jimes, Lisa McLaughlin
ISKME 2012:
Open Education Conference
October 16-18, 2012
Vancouver, BC

2. About This Project
In working with OER teacher champions, ISKME has been looking at how OER
supports alternative learning pathways for students. This work, funded by the
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, is meant to help foster new strategies for
how existing open education resources can inform credit-earning pathways.
Contributors to this project include:
•Lisa Petrides
•Cynthia Jimes
•Lisa McLaughlin
•Clare Middleton-Detzner
•Rudy Rubio
•Amee Evans Godwin

3. The Education Context
Setting the stage for alternative models
 The rising costs of education
 Decreases in funding that reduce the number of classes available for students
 The need to better align workforce needs with the needs of students
 The demands of a service-based knowledge economy
 A demand from employers for a stronger focus on core competencies
 An increasing number of students for whom college becomes less affordable
each year
 An increasing number of students demanding flexible class times to meet their
varied learning needs and life contexts

4. The Education Context, cont.
Setting the stage for alternative models – what the literature says
 New technologies and web-based community spaces shifting the ways in which
students and teachers access and interact with, and even create, new
information and data
 An environment in which learning becomes more community-based, with no
traditional start and end points
 Emerging modes of assessment as a means of recognizing informal learning
and competency-based learning

5. A Working Definition
What we mean by OER and alternative certification models
 Support student learning through the use of OER or freely available content
 Offer courses or content bundled into topic or knowledge areas
 Guide learners as they build their knowledge through, for example, feedback
mechanisms and increasingly challenging content
 Reward learners for mastery of content
 Have been publically launched and are currently available for learners

6. The Questions We Asked
 What OER and open access-based pathway models exist and how do they work?
 How can these new pathway models best be categorized and understood?
 How are these models distinct from formal education pathways? What gaps do
they fill? What gaps remain?
 What are the possible implications of these new models for teaching and
learning?
 If these new models really took off, what would it mean for education as we
know it?

7. Approach
 Review of the literature to capture recent thinking on the factors driving the
emergence of new learning pathways, and how they differ from traditional,
formal education pathways (see list of references)
 Examination of OER and open access-based alternative pathway models to
assess how they support and recognize learning through technology, content,
pedagogical approach, and other factors
 Development of an analytical framework for assessing and categorizing the
models that helps to answer our key study questions

8. Mapping the Models: Big Picture
An early framework o Use OER
 Use freely available content
Learning Recognition of Achievement
Model
Degrees/Credit Certificates of Badges
Completion
Instructor Led o Open High School
o OLI Carnegie Mellon
o Open University UK  Udacity, edX
o U of the People  Coursera, Venture
 Sophia Lab
o P2PU
Self-guided or
 ALISON  Codecademy
Peer-Led Learning o Saylor  Khan Academy
Note: This framework is a work in progress, and is not intended as a comprehensive map of alternative pathway models. It
includes 14 models from our analysis, selected as representatives for our study’s working definition of alternative pathway
models.

9. Recognition of Achievement
Overview of where the models fall
 For the models reviewed, three types of recognition emerged: 1) degrees or credit,
2) certificates, and 3) badges
 On the whole, the type of recognition offered is related to the model’s level of
affiliation with a formal institution.
 Specifically, degrees are offered by models that are under the umbrella of formal
institutions, certificates are offered by models that have partnerships with formal
institutions, and badges are offered by grassroots models with limited or no ties to
formal institutions

10. Recognition of Achievement
A move toward accredited learning pathways
 Although only four of the models offer accredited courses (OHSU, OU UK, Sophia,
OLI), several other models are moving toward accreditation (U of the People, Saylor,
P2PU, Codecademy)
 For two of models that currently offer accredited courses, learners are charged for
enrolling in the credit-granting courses (Sophia, OLI); For one of the models, learners
may be charged for receiving credit based on where they live, income, qualifications,
course offered, etc. (OU UK)
 For those that are moving toward accreditation, new solutions are beginning to
emerge, including Codecademy’s recent partnership with NYU to offer a
programming course that may be later incorporated into NYU’s accredited
curriculum

11. Learning Model
An emphasis on ‘learner-driven’ learning and content
 The majority of the models reviewed Examples:
rely more upon self-guided or peer-
Khan Academy: Learners navigate their own
based activities to support student learning path by working through topics
learning, with no or limited within a ‘knowledge map’
interaction with instructors
Venture Lab, P2PU: Assignments and
 Most of the models that do rely projects are completed in groups
more heavily on instructors to guide P2PU, U of the People, Coursera: Learners
learning, also incorporate peer- provide feedback on their peers’ assignments
based learning activities P2PU: Learner assignments are openly
licensed and shared back with the P2PU
 A few models also support learners community, for others to use and reuse
as content creators and curriculum
developers

12. Learning Model
Use of learner data to gauge and personalize learning
 Several models are collecting data Examples:
about the ways learners are moving
OHSU and Khan Academy: Collect learner data
through and using content, and how on time spent on resources and topics, and on
they are performing areas of weakness/proficiency. Data are shared
with educators and learners to support learning
 These data are made accessible to
instructors and learners, and are fed OLI: Collects student performance data
through quizzes and assessments. Data are
back into the overall learning model
shared with educators to tailor classroom time
to support the personalization of and content, and are used to provide feedback
learning, through, e.g., changes to to students on areas of weakness
content and to how learning is
edX: Collects learner data about number of
supported attempts at answering questions and resources
used to solve them. Data are used to improve
the development of course offerings

13. Learning Model
A trend toward competencies and soft skills
 Several models offer courses that are
Examples:
aligned to the needs of specific fields
and support learners in gaining core Udacity: Offers courses in mathematics,
competencies needed to succeed in computer science, and technology to help
learners transition into the tech field
the workforce
ALISON: Focuses on preparing learners for
 Two models plan to support learners specific professions (nursing, childcare), and
in connecting with potential aims to help employers connect with learners
employers upon completion of their who have demonstrated content mastery
curriculum Codecademy: Has partnered with NYU to
 A few models are emphasizing the offer programming courses that help to build
development of ‘soft skills’ students’ skills in “flexible thinking”,
alongside coding

14. What This All Means
Key implications that we see
 New, alternative pathway models are helping to bridge boundaries between formal
and informal learning—through new modes of recognizing and supporting informal
learning, and through partnerships with formal institutions
 As alternative models continue to gain legitimacy, they will likely play an increasing
role in supporting (and even putting pressure on) formal institutions as they seek
efficient, innovative solutions to meet needs of their stakeholders in the face of
constrained budgets
 Alternative pathway models will need to remain flexible enough to respond to
students and employers in terms of curriculum that emphasizes competencies, and
that is recognized by employers
 The emphasis on personalized learning will be enhanced through learner data

15. Discussion

16. References
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18. Cynthia Jimes
cynthia@iskme.org
Lisa McLaughlin
lisa@iskme.org
Institute for the Study of Knowledge
Management in Education
Half Moon Bay, California