57. A Credential by Any Other Name

We all have lists that help direct our lives.  So does higher ed.  The National Student Clearinghouse has a list of people who have attended college but never completed a degree or other formal course of study.  It’s called the Some College No Credential list. Supposedly this list identifies individuals whom Institutions can help bring back into the higher education fold. This list triggered a lively conversation on LinkedIn recently, ignited by Joe Sallustio. In this episode I’ll highlight some of the key issues.  For instance, what the heck is a “credential” anyway?  And why does higher ed hold the conviction that  education is not legitimate unless it is validated by a formal piece of paper,  and that the current higher ed structure is the only avenue to getting that paper?   The bottom-line question is that while SCNC lists may be interesting for higher education and the NSC, do they mean anything to the people who get put on the list?  Has it occurred to anyone that maybe people are OK with where they are with their education and don’t want/need more? What if we ASK people whether they have enough education and whether they want more, rather than TELL them that they need to do to get off an artificial list?  Personally, I don’t want to be part of a list that would have me. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience podcast network.