6/27: USDLA Brief — Don’t miss tomorrow’s webinar!

An item from the folks at the USDLA, who I should note have been somewhat K-12 friendly – but are primarily higher ed focused.

USDLA BRIEF Don’t miss tomorrow’s webinar! Portable Microcredentials: Applications of Blockchain to the Disaggregation of a Degree Program About the webinar: This session will focus on ways that blockchain technology can improve the portability of micro-credentials. Blockchain, a tool that originated in the financial sector, has recently supported enhanced documentation and information sharing in education. The pilot presented here involved disaggregating the three specialization courses of a degree program to create micro-credentials. One key goal was to develop micro-credentials that aligned with the degree program. A second goal was to ensure that the credentials existed as part of a formal ledger and provide shared access. GitHub, an open-sourced repository, created a soul-bound token for adding credentials to the chain. The chain supports ease of verification, thereby improving outcomes for students. Expanding this initiative may help support equity for students seeking short-term credentials. About the presenters: Dr. Michelle Dennis serves National University as Director of Curriculum in the School of Business and Economics and Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology and Social Sciences. Dr. Dennis has held various positions in academic affairs over the past 22 years, and she formerly served as a statistician. Dr. Dennis provides service as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and as a Reviewer for the International Journal of Smart Education and Urban Society. She previously served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Anafiel House, a nonprofit serving survivors of intimate partner violence. Dr. Dennis also previously served on the Online Administration Network of the Association for Professional, Continuing, and Online Education as Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion, and she is a member of the Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prisons. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University, her MA in Training and Development from Roosevelt University, and her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the American College of Education. Dr. Dennis has published in online faculty management, virtual student and faculty engagement, online faculty training and evaluation, and best practices for online instruction. Dr. Dennis will be joined in this presentation by colleagues from the National University, Dr. Eric Roe, Dean, and Dr. Justin Goldston, Academic Program Director. Register here for the webinar! Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors John Chen, Google, Instructure, Verizon, Carolina Distance Learning, Harmonize, IAP, Pronto, VDO360, Wolfvision, Anatomage, CILC, Honorlock, InScribe, BocaVox, My learner Journey, Startup Wars, Simple Syllabus, Symbiosis, Tarrant Community College Connect Campus, VirtualCare, BrightThinker, Merlot, SmartBrief Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Chuck Sengstock, President Valary Oleinik, President-elect   About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Formed in 1987, USDLA is a 501(c)3 non-profit association formed in 1987. Our weekly newsletters reach more than 100,000 people globally, including our members and sponsors working in industries including pre-K-12 education, homeschooling, higher education, continuing education, corporate, military, government, and telehealth. Our mission is to promote the development and application of distance learning for education, training, advocacy, and networking: USDLA.org USDLA | www.usdla.org

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