Over the past five years UPCEA has published two Hallmarks of Excellence frameworks, first in Online Leadership and then Professional and Continuing Education. These quality frameworks have been endorsed and used by countless organizations and institutions as they evaluate, enhance, and sometimes even build professional, continuing, and online enterprises. Today, I am so pleased to share UPCEA’s third set of the series—the Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation.

Each of these Hallmarks of Excellence is intended to be both aspirational and a practical toolkit to assist those in Professional, Continuing, and Online Education (PCO) to think systematically and concretely about the nature of credentials at their institution as well as the strategy and logistical components of supporting learners throughout their lifetimes. This most recent Hallmarks of Excellence is focused on alternative credentials, which includes certificates, micro-credentials, digital badges, or micro-certificates, signaling specific competencies, certification, and sometimes licensure. Use these Hallmarks to:

• Assess your institution’s readiness for more flexible student learning opportunities
• Plan for meeting workforce needs and employer demand in the new economy
• Define roles and responsibilities required for an enterprise-wide effort to achieve credential excellence
• Benchmark against key performance indicators
• Generate revenue with quality credentialing programs and badges

Get your copy of the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation here.

A special thanks to Dr. Jay Halfond, formerly Dean of Boston University’s Metropolitan College, who led the team of experts who developed the new Hallmarks. Jay is the 2020 recipient of UPCEA’s most prestigious award, the Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership, and is the new faculty director of UPCEA’s professional development certificate programs, launching in July—yes, UPCEA practices what it preaches!

Also, please join us for a free webinar, The New UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation + Benchmarking Research Findings, on June 17th. The webinar explores the new Hallmarks of Excellence and how members plan to use them, and shares a report from a research study on alternative credentials by UPCEA and MindEdge entitled The State of the Alternative Credential Market.