Empowering Learners Through Credential Innovation at UPCEA 2025 Convergence

At the UPCEA 2025 Convergence, two dynamic sessions showcased how UMGC empowers learners through flexible, skills-based pathways. Higher education stakeholders gained insights into new credential pathways designed to recognize prior learning and connect education to career advancement during an interactive panel Credential Ecosystems in Action. UMGC leaders Kimberly Whitehead, Pershail Young, Alexis White, Freda Powell-Bell, and Helen Barker guide educators in building student-centered credential ecosystems that integrate prior learning and academic experience-advancing lifelong learning and career mobility.

In a companion panel, Empowering Learners and Institutions with Skills-Based Records, UMGC's Insiya Bream and Darragh McNally join Morgan State's Keisha Campbell and Nicole Westrick to showcase how interoperable digital records, such as Learning and Employment Records and Comprehensive Learner Records empower learners with skills-based credentials and connect education to real-world outcomes.