A Framework to Implement Academic Digital Badges When Reskilling the IT Workforce

Autor/inn/en	Bell, Natalia; Liu, Michelle; Murphy, Diane
Titel	A Framework to Implement Academic Digital Badges When Reskilling the IT Workforce
Quelle	In: Information Systems Education Journal, 20 (2022) 1, S.36-46 (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1545-679X
Schlagwörter	Information Technology; Job Skills; Recognition (Achievement); Evaluation Methods; Information Storage; Graduate Study; Credentials; Job Training; Masters Programs; Certification; Nontraditional Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Informationstechnologie; Produktive Fertigkeit; Soziale Anerkennung; Informationsspeicherung; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studienbuch; Berufsqualifizierender Bildungsgang; Magister course; Magisterstudiengang; Abschlusszeugnis; Zertifizierung; Non-traditional education; Alternative Erziehung
Abstract	Information technology (IT) plays an increasingly significant role in today's world. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased that reliance. Employers in all industries are struggling with considerable shortages of skilled IT workers and are seeking innovative alternatives to meet these needs. Digital badging and micro-credentials have emerged as an alternative system to validate skills. The issuing of digital badges has spanned across a wide spectrum of settings and purposes. However, there is currently less application of digital badges in graduate-level programs to link to important academic or subject-matter related achievements and higher-level competencies. Reskilling and upskilling existing employees need a more practical and sustainable approach and often do not require completion of an entire IT master's degree. To align with such demand, this study aims to demonstrate how a digital badging system can be used to validate stackable certificates for micro-credentials in a graduate-level program. The paper starts with a background introduction of the current IT employment landscape. The next two sections provide an overview of micro-credentials in workforce development and higher education today. This is followed by a section on our conceptual framework used to determine the potential value of digital badging to our graduate programs. The next section focuses on the case study. The last sections conclude with the lessons learned and the future research directions. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals. Box 488, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480. e-mail: publisher@isedj.org; Web site: http://isedj.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2022/4/11