This document discusses the need for open educational credentials to evidence flexible learning pathways in an open and transparent manner. It outlines some issues with current digital credentials, including that they are expensive and closed, lack technical standards, and do not aggregate credential data. The document presents some existing technical standards and initiatives that could help build an open system for educational credentials, including open badges, blockchain technology, and projects creating open standards for credential documentation and verification. It argues that open educational credentials are important for a future where recognition of skills and learning is universal, automatic, and seamless.

1. OpenCredentials for
Open Education
Moving the Needle Forward
Ildiko Mazar
Knowledge InnovationCentre
European Distance LearningWeek – 6 November 2018

2. Education is a PublicGood
This means
 Open Access to Educational Opportunities
 Use of Open Educational Resources
 Empowerement of Students through Open Educational Practices

3. A typical
process model
forOpen
Education
Input Process Output
Open
Educational
Resources
Open
Educational
Practices
?
Educational
Credentials

4. Credentials are still not digital
Limited Access to Underlying Information
Lack of (Technical) Standards for
Credential Information
Closed Standards for Security &Verification
No Aggregation of Credential Data
What’s
wrong with
(digital)
credentials?

5. LimitedAccess
toUnderlying
Information

6. The average
employer will
not research
applicants’
credentials
Source: Career Arc
If it costs an employer more to verify a credential then
to test the skills,
the credential is effectively worthless.

7. Lack of
Technical
Standards
leads to
exclusion
Source: Career Arc

8. Closed
Standards for
Security and
Verification

9. No
Aggregation of
Credential
Data

10. Closed
Credentials
 expensive and time consuming to
acquire
 hard to use and share
 hinder Open Education by failing to
evidence flexible learning pathways
in a transparent manner
 exclude the people who need them
most
 can be abused by networks of
intermediaries
 do not inform policy

11. The Road toOpen
Disrupting Credentials for the Public Good

12. Wehaveallthe
piecesfor an
opencredential
system

13. EUStandards
for
Qualifications
EU standards for qualifications
European Qualifications Framework: gives an indication as to
the level of various qualifications
European Diploma Supplement: provides a standardised
template to give additional information about a degree
European CreditTransfer System: allows for individual
learning units to be described in terms of knowledge, skills,
responsibility and autonomy
European Skill, Competences, Qualifications and
Occupations database provides a standard terminology

14. EUStandards
for
Qualifications
EU standards for qualifications
European Qualifications Framework: gives an indication as to
the level of various qualifications
Not for non-formal education or microcredentials
European Diploma Supplement: provides a standardised
template to give additional information about a degree
Only for degrees
European CreditTransfer System: allows for individual
learning units to be described in terms of knowledge, skills,
responsibility and autonomy
Only for Higher Education - not included fully in qualification
European Skill, Competences, Qualifications and
Occupations database provides a standard terminology
Not used by all the tools above

15. Technical
Standards:
OpenBadges
too open
to be useful

16. National ID
Systems
can replace
companies as
sources of trust
for signing
too complex to use
for the average person

17. WithBlockchainyoudon’tneedanintermediarytosigna
documentatall
the technology is still
extremely young

18. AGlobal Platform forSkills alreadyexists…
should one company have
a monopoly on skills data?

19. Elements of a
System for
Open
Educational
Credentials
User-Held
Credentials
Open
Standards
OpenTech
Stack
Independent
Verification
Open
Aggregation

20. TwoOngoing
Initiatives
Our little big challenge….
Create a digital standard format
for documenting open education
credentials based on ECTS
oepass.eu

21. TwoOngoing
Initiatives
Our little big challenge….
Create a model blockchain
infrastructure for storing and
automatically verifying credentials
microcredentials.eu

22. www.microcredentials.eu
Imagine a Future
where recognition is
universal
automatic
seamless

23. A typical
process model
forOpen
Education
Input Process Output
Open
Educational
Resources
Open
Educational
Practices
?
Educational
Credentials

24. A typical
process model
forOpen
Education
Input Process Output
Open
Educational
Resources
Open
Educational
Practices
Open
Educational
Credentials

25. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
You can download this presentation at:
Ildiko Mazar
ildiko@knowledgeinnovation.eu
https://www.slideshare.net/ildikomazar

26. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the
contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
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