The Future of Postsecondary Credentials and Transcripts

According to the Fall 2021 Current Term Enrollment Estimates, postsecondary enrollment declined by 937,500 students since fall 2020. But research points to renewed demand in graduate degrees, micro-learning, or certificate education options.

In 2016, Sean Gallagher, founder and executive director of Northeastern University’s Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy, and executive professor of educational policy, wrote a book on the future of university credentials and made some predictions about what he thought the future would hold. Recently, based on the unexpected and unprecedented impact of COVID-19, Gallagher revisited his predictions in an article for EdSurge.

Growing Demand for New Alternatives Amid the Pandemic

At the time, Gallagher recalls few signs of demand for alternative credentials from students. This has changed, though, since the pandemic emerged, he says. “The number of open badges awarded nearly doubled from 24 million in 2018 to 43 million in 2020,” Gallagher writes. “And major companies and industry groups are increasingly getting into the credentialing game, exemplified by firms such as IBM and Google.”

At the Clearinghouse, we know that although college is certainly important, a lot of learning happens outside traditional college degree programs. Today, there are many other ways to gain valuable skills — and many other ways to quantify and demonstrate those achievements. Today’s learners may gain skills and credentials in college, online, at their workplaces, through nondegree programs, or through industry associations — just to name a few.

To paint a full picture of a learner’s valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities, all these achievements should count. Discover how the Clearinghouse integrates all of a learner’s accomplishments into a single, secure location — no matter where, when, or how those learning achievements were earned.

“The number of open badges awarded nearly doubled from 24 million in 2018 to 43 million in 2020. And major companies and industry groups are increasingly getting into the credentialing game, exemplified by firms such as IBM and Google.”

Sean Gallagher
Founder and executive director of Northeastern University’s Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy

Additional Resources:

• Discover Myhub to hold students’ credentials

• Contact your regional relationship manager about Myhub