Four scenarios for how the credential landscape will look 10 years from now are presented in a fascinating brief from KnowledgeWorks.
In the most likely scenario, educational credentials are still the gold standard, but pathways have multiplied and students gain certifications and micro-credentials, such as badges, to stand out from the crowd.
Then, author Jason Swanson stretches his imagination to envision futures that break more startlingly from the past:
- A scenario in which the power of traditional education credentials has largely been broken, and micro-credentials are booming. Education has become even more personalized, backed by competency-based strategies. Employers are deeply involved in the education process and a new agent, a “career connector” who guides promising students along a pathway into employment, is proposed.
- Going further, the next scenario imagines that all experiences can be captured as learning experiences and saved in Learning Record Stores. In this scenario, educators are basically consultants, guiding students on their individualized pathways. Employers use Learning Record Stores for informal workplace learning and for hiring.
- In the farthest-on-the-frontier scenario, brain mapping can now measure students’ cognitive, emotional and social skills, totally changing our relationship to how skill attainment is measured and rewarded.
Which scenario do you think is the most likely?
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