For many, education does not follow a single, linear path. Students may take courses from multiple institutions, earn badges or certificates alongside degrees and build skills through work and other experiences.
The challenge is making all of that learning visible in a way that allows learners to share their story.
At Rio Salado College, that reality helped create interest in a new approach to learner records. Through a recent pilot, Rio Salado tested incorporating Arizona State University’s Trusted Learner Network platform into its ecosystem, as a trusted, interoperable way to exchange credentials and learning data.
For Rio Salado, the opportunity was especially relevant to the students it serves. More than 73% of the community college’s students are taking individual courses or accumulate learning across institutions, creating a need for better ways to connect those experiences.
“The TLN provided opportunities for learners to aggregate their credentials from multiple sources and have agency to choose where they wanted to share those credentials, which is a really unique model,” said Janelle Elias, EVP, Strategy & Academic Affairs at Rio Salado College. “It had the immutable ledger, data privacy and security that would enable us to have a system of trust that the learner could drive.”
The pilot also aligned with broader work underway through the Arizona Learning Mobility Collaborative to build a more connected learning and employment record ecosystem across the state.
This story was created by ASU. Read full story on ASU website.