Newsletter #1: Efforts to “Connect the Dots” in Data Underway
Greetings from the Learner Information Framework initiative team! Our team is exploring how we can “connect the dots” of education and workforce data in support of lifelong learning journeys. We want to help institutions, employers, and adult learners work together to address the challenges around retrieving and sharing adult learners’ education and employment information across systems while safeguarding the privacy and security of those records. We thought updates on this effort would be of interest to you.
Our work builds on existing efforts within institutions and among organizations working on data standards across the country. Our Data Team has kicked off, with members including 1EdTech (Chris Houston), CETIS LLP (Phil Barker), Credential Engine (Michael Parsons), Education Analytics (Jordan Mader), DXtera Institute (Tom Coppeto), LiveWhatYouLove Studio (Kelly Page), Southern New Hampshire University (Andrew Zamecnik), Touchdown LLC (Chris Moffatt), and Western Governors University (Brent Capriotti).
The result of our effort will be similar to what exists in healthcare today, where technology applications have been developed to share electronic medical records across healthcare systems. This empowers patients to better manage their healthcare and allows providers to deliver the right care based on a full picture of the patient’s medical history. We believe these same improvements are both possible and necessary in education. To learn more about the vision for this work, read insights from Allan Golston, President of U.S. Programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We will provide regular updates on our activities and are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to share this update with those you think would be interested.