PESC | COMPETENCIES & CREDENTIALS

PESC and THE TRANSFORMATION OF

Academic Credentialing

& EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

In June 2015 at its Annual Planning Retreat, the PESC Board of Directors, due to the impact of student mobility on the international credentialing landscape, authorized the formation of the Academic Credentialing and Experiential Learning Task Force. This Task Force formed & convened for its inaugural meeting at PESC’s Fall 2015 Data Summit in Washington, D.C.

With Tom Black, Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs & University Registrar at Stanford University (now with Johns Hopkins University), as Task Force Chair, and Co-Chairs Joellen Shendy, Associate Vice Provost & Registrar at the University of Maryland University College and Alex Jackl, CEO and Founder of Bardic Systems, the Task Force committed to:

monitoring

and tracking current initiatives

serving

as a clearinghouse for information sharing

providing

speakers & presenters at industry-leading

conferences & events

ensuring

PESC is prepared for standards development work

as the community is reaching the point

in which standards are needed.

Through analysis and discussion, Chair Tom Black identified an associated need in the North American market whereby no standards existed for the exchange of digital certificates, degrees & diplomas. Work began immediately to shape a standard and evolved into the PESC Approved XML Common Credential for Certificates, Degrees and Diplomas, now in production at Stanford University as part of its AACRAO and Lumina Foundation grant provision for the Comprehensive Learner Records Project.

The Task Force continues to convene and focus on new and specific use cases (business or process cases) to determine their value and need in the community while leveraging technology and standards to meet the needs of emerging mobile academic credentials.

In June 2016 at its next annual planning retreat, the PESC Board of Directors discussed the numerous industry groups and initiatives focusing on credentials. In-depth discussions lead to the realization that a significant part of community needs are not be addressed in that no organization is showcasing how to work with all the different groups and initiatives, and more importantly how the different groups and initiatives all relate to one another.

Subsequently, the PESC Board of Directors authorized the dedication of PESC’s Spring 2017 Data Summit to this one theme and purpose – Empowering the Mobility of Digital Academic Credentials. As PESC is a sponsor of Connecting Credentials, leaders at the Connecting Credentials Initiative correspondingly co-sponsored the Spring 2017 Data Summit.

In the spirit of interoperability, PESC and leaders of Credential Engine proposed a comprehensive data mapping initiative across Credential Engine, PESC, HR-Open Standards, and IMS in order to advance interoperability; and with immediate agreement by all, organizational meetings began in April 2017 and the first meeting of Credential Mapping was held at the PESC Spring 2017 Data Summit.

In continuing its efforts to educate and include all areas of the higher education ecosystem, PESC held the Fall 2018 Data Summit in San Francisco Inspiring Digitalization and Mobility Across Education & Employment.

COMPETENCIES & C REDENTIALS

USER GROUP

operates as an open,

PESC Member-based forum

for discussion, debate, new ideas,

pilots & demonstrations related to

competencies & credentials data;

participation in User Group meetings

is encouraged & open to representatives

of PESC Member organizations.

C OMPTENCIES & C REDENTIALS

USER GROUP

CO-CHAIRS

Alex Jackl

President & Founder

Bardic Systems

Joellen Shendy

Product Strategy Director

Workday

STEERING COMMITTEE

MEETING SCHEDULE
Launch at Spring 2019 Data Summit

Webinar/Meeting August 27, 2019 Noon EDT.

LIST
CBE@lists.pesc.org

USER GROUP

Dennis Becker

University Registrar

University of Denver

Matt Bemis

Associate Registrar

University of Southern California

Kristi Blabaum

Systems Integration Analyst

Ascendium Education

Mark Cohen

Product Manager

California Community Colleges

Andrew Cunsolo

President & CEO

Talemetry

HR Open Standards

Brandon Dorman

Lead Assessment Specialist, Assessment Systems

ACT

Jeff Elliott

University of Missouri System

Doug Falk

CIO & Vice President

National Student Clearinghouse

Julia Funaki

Associate Director

AACRAO

Darin Hobbs

University Registrar

Western Governors University

Doug Holmes

Manager, eTranscripts

Ontario Universities' Application Centre

Jim Kelly

Senior Director

Educational Credential Evaluators

Jeanne Kitchens

Associate Director

Center for Workforce Development

Southern Illinois University

Mike Margitich

Liaison International

Steve Margenau

Technical Advisory Board

David Moldoff

CEO & Founder

AcademyOne

Carrie Morris

ACT

Michael Morris

Senior Software Engineer in Test

ACT

James Murray-Beckman

COO

Digitary

Robert Powell

Jenzabar

Simone Ravaioli

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Digitary

Paul Robinson

Associate Vice Provost & University Registrar

University of Michigan

Ken Sauer, Ph.D.

Associate Commissioner & Chief Academic Officer

Indiana Commission for Higher Education

Monterey Sims

Director of Admissions & Evaluation

University of Phoenix

Rick Skeel

Director of Product Management

Ellucian

Cathy van Soest

Manager

EducationPlannerBC

Anne Valentine

President & CEO

DegreeData

Jason Weaver

Head of Product

Parchment

Joshua Westfall

Senior Manager, Policy & Programs

US Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Mike Williamson

Product Manager

OCAS

Kristi Wold-McCormick

University Registrar

University of Colorado Boulder

C OMPETENCIES & C REDENTIALS

USER GROUP

>> WHAT IS THE PESC COMPETENCIES & CREDENTIALS USER GROUP?

The USER GROUP is an open, permanent group of PESC Member organizations that produce, collect, process, research, report, store, consume, issue and share competency & credential data - that hosts discussion, debate, new ideas, demonstrations and pilots related to competency & credential data.

>> HOW DID THE USER GROUP START?

The USER GROUP is the third initiative to launch under PESC's Academic Credentialing & Experiential Learning Task Force which launched after the Spring 2015 Data Summit in Washington, D.C. The PESC Board of Directors authorized the formation of this Task Force at its annual planning retreat in June 2015 due to the impact of student mobility on the international credentialing landscape. As a discussion group, clearinghouse and point of contact for the emergence and awareness related to knowledge, skills and abilities, the Academic Credentialing & Experiential Task Force collaborated with Credential Engine to launch and host the Credential Data Mapping Initiative at the Spring 2016 Data Summit. The second major initiative was development, approval and release of a Common XML Credential for Certificates, Degrees & Diplomas in March 2017 now in production at Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University (as part of AACRAO’s Comprehensive Learner Record Initiative).

>> WHO IS INVOLVED WITH THE USER GROUP?

The USER GROUP is PESC Member-based and includes many leading institutions, organizations, providers and vendors in academic credentialing and competency & credential data.

>> WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE USER GROUP?

The USER GROUP is open and includes a number of leaders and experts in academic credentialing; and institutions and organizations conducting experiments and pilots in digital credentialing. This open forum enables open communications, sharing of ideas & activities and a coordinated, community approach focused on the needs of all students, learners and credential providers.

>> HOW IS THE USER GROUP GOVERNED?

The USER GROUP is a permanent group within PESC, managed by a Steering Committee and ultimately governed by the PESC Board of Directors. The USER GROUP encourages active participation and diverse membership. It is semi-autonomous, reporting directly to the PESC Board of Directors, and is responsible for its overall activities, communications, meetings and outreach. The USER GROUP Co-Chairs are from PESC Member organizations and appointed by the PESC Board of Directors.

>> WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE USER GROUP?

The USER GROUP launched at the PESC Spring 2019 Data Summit in Washington, D.C. and held its 1st meeting July 23, 2019.

>> HOW MUCH DOES THE USER GROUP COST?

The USER GROUP is PESC Member-based and included as a benefit of PESC Membership. There is no limit on the number of representatives from the same PESC Member organization that may participate in PESC User Groups. Associations that are PESC Members can 'pass through' Member benefits to all their Members (meaning that association and all its members are welcome and encouraged to participate in all free and open and PESC Member-based groups and initiatives).

>> HOW DO I GET JOIN THE USER GROUP?

The USER GROUP is open to institutions, service providers, organizations and all stakeholders with an interest in academic credentialing who are also PESC Members. Join the USER GROUP meetings.