Kate Giovacchini talks about digital credentialing on The eLearn Podcast
Bridges, ponds and the Trusted Learner Network (TLN) – these were topic discussions shared by TLN’s Managing Director Kate Giovacchini as she dove deep into the digital credential ecosystem on The eLearn Podcast, a go-to resource for creating successful learner outcomes.
Giovacchini met up with host Stephen Ladek, Principal eLearning Advocacy, Open LMS, to talk about how she got into her role at ASU’s Enterprise Technology, the Trusted Learner Network and its role as a bridge in the digital credentialing space, how credentials can be trusted and more.
When asked about what digital credentials are and their importance, Giovacchini explained that these credentials are achievements and valuable pieces of information that now can be freighted with lots of contextual information. Instead of just a grade for a course, digital credentials are discrete items that are full of potential – they include important details like the course description, content covered and competencies and skills achieved by completing the course.
Where the TLN comes in is that it creates a bridge between learning and employment, recognizing that “it isn’t a one way trajectory from learning to employment – it’s a circle, where we’re continually learning new things, trying new things and creating new things,” said Giovacchini. “We’re at an incredible moment of growth.”
Giovacchini used the metaphor of a pond when describing the digital credential ecosystem:
“Picture a pond in early winter. The ice begins to form on the edges. You need a certain mass of ice for skaters to be able to skate across the pond instead of walking all the way around to get where they want to be.
When it comes to the ecosystem, there are a lot of people who are building that ice with pilots and new ideas. What we are aiming for is that we need that pond to freeze over so our learners can start crossing it, and get real value.”
Listen as Giovacchini explains the TLN’s role in the digital credentials ecosystem, the value and importance of trust and more.
