15 higher ed groups push for credential transparency

Fifteen higher ed groups have signed a statement calling on colleges and universities to describe their credentials more transparently. The organizations, which include the American Council on Education and the American Association of Community Colleges, are asking their members to develop a common language for discussing their credentials and to share that information in a widely-accessible, cloud-based registry. They hope doing so will help institutions better explain the value of the credentials they offer and address what the groups see as a need for better documentation, standardization and transferability of education across the sector. Another motivation for using a common language to discuss credentials is helping learners find programs and make better-informed choices about which ones to pursue. "As we look to bolster public confidence in our higher education system and improve student outcomes, colleges and universities should embrace credential transparency principles," ACE President Ted Mitchell said in a statement. "These principles will be integral in ensuring that quality learning is connected and counted."