2025 Badge Summit

This discussion is designed to engage conference attendees in an open discussion about how higher education can better organize redesign itself to better prepare learners for the evolving world of work. The audience will be asked to share how they would redesign higher ed to do more of this work. The discussion will especially focus on the role of experiential learning, academic and third-party microcredentials, LER's, and college-employer partnerships.

Facilitators will introduce the Living Life As Art (LLAA) program from Raleigh, NC, which empowers youth through community service, nature exploration, and creative expression. The program addresses disconnection from community, nature, and creativity. Participants will design their own LLAA program and imagine an open recognition system.

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston is in the planning phase of launching at microcredential program to serve the needs of both students (on campus and professional) and the UTMB workforce.  In an effort to plan for the future and set up sustainable models, we would like to establish a robust data stream from the awarded credential, including all metadata, to a "Source of Truth" data lake that has housed traditional student records (transcripts).  In this session, we would like to engage with peer institutions who are working on the same or similar problem and vendors who have unique solutions.  We recognize that this problem will not be solved in a day or likely a year, but we do want to set our data structures up such that we will be moving in the direction that will support the digital credential ecosystem at large. 

The Institute for Workforce Excellence works with employers to adopt skills-based practices for talent strategy.  Western Governors University has partnered with Indiana to develop the Indiana Achievement Wallet. Their combined effort is transforming the employer and workforce landscape to match skills to employer demand and create a feedback loop for the evolving talent ecosystem that addresses existing and emerging skills needs.
Our speakers will help participants create/enhance current approaches in their respective states, institutions, or organizations.

This design session will highlight an educational leadership through collaborative practice model that integrates digital badge ecosystem with leadership development. Participants will: map organizational trust networks, design equity-centered leadership strategies, and brainstorm a micro-credential system that documents collaborative leadership competencies. Blends technology  and relational trust-building for systemic educational transformation.