Credential Engine Technical Site

On May 6, Credential Engine hosted a public webinar to present and gather feedback on a proposed expansion to the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). The proposal introduces new terms to describe credential and qualification types formally defined by government authorities within national and regional qualification systems.

All webinar materials are open and available for review:

• Meeting Deck
• Meeting Recording, Audio, and Transcript
• Credential Types Proposal

Webinar Overview

Credential types—such as Bachelor’s Degree, Honours Degree, or National Certificate—must be described consistently across jurisdictions. Representing these distinctions as linked open data is essential to support transparency, comparability, alignment, and learner mobility on a global scale.

While CTDL already defines many credential classes issued by providers, it does not yet support full descriptions of formally defined credential types embedded in qualification systems. This proposal aims to close that gap.

Next Steps and How to Provide Input

We invite all interested individuals and organizations to review the proposal and share feedback by May 23, 2025. Your input will help ensure the CTDL Credential Type terms are useful, accurate, and globally relevant.

• Review the Credential Types Proposal: New terms are highlighted in yellow, and modifications to existing terms in blue. Please focus your comments on the definition, comment, and usage note fields for those terms. Detailed instructions are included in the document.
• Send Feedback by Email: if preferred, email your comments or questions to Phil Barker (phil.barker@pjjk.co.uk) and Jeanne Kitchens (jkitchens@credentialengine.org).

What Was Shared

• CTDL Overview: A recap of CTDL’s purpose and structure as a global, linked open data schema.
• Foundation: How this work builds upon the 2024 Qualifications Frameworks as Data Global Task Group, existing CTDL credential classes, and a recently completed Credential Types Focus Group.
• Examples and Use Cases: Credential types from Australia, South Africa, and Scotland were used to illustrate the complexity of government-defined types and how they differ from provider-issued credentials. Use cases included accreditation, learner guidance, quality assurance, system-level mapping, and international recognition.
• Proposal Overview: The proposal adds a small number of defined CTDL terms and leverages many existing properties:
• Introduces 1 new class: Credential Type
• Adds 2 new properties for the new class
• Modifies 1 existing property
• Introduces new terms for use with Qualifications Framework and Progression Level classes

Contact Credential Engine: Let us know if you have any questions info@credentialengine.org

Credential Engine is launching a global task group to unlock the information that governs how prior learning is recognized and credit for it is transferred. Policies, regulations, agreements, and institutional practices shape how—or whether—a person's prior learning continues to be recognized when they move between institutions, systems, and borders. Research shows that inconsistent acceptance of credit for prior learning (CPL) leads to unclear pathways, lost recognition of legitimate learning, and unnecessary barriers for learners.

To help close these gaps, Credential Engine is launching a short-term, global task group focused on making policies and agreements that define prior learning recognition easier to access and apply. Participants will work together to identify the kinds of requirements, conditions, and options found in CPL-related documents—so this critical information can be more clearly described, compared, connected, and used by people and systems alike.

Join this collaborative effort to shape practical ways of representing this information in CTDL so it can be adopted across jurisdictions, platforms, and systems—benefiting learners, institutions, policymakers, and the developers who build tools to support them.

Join the Global Task Group to Make Prior Learning Recognition Transparent and Connected

Everyone benefits when recognition of prior learning is portable, transparent, and connected. Learners gain recognition for what they already know. Institutions operate more efficiently and serve more learners. Policymakers and technologists get the data they need to improve guidance, planning, and systems. When information about the recognition of prior learning is unlocked and structured as linked open data, it becomes a catalyst for action and alignment across sectors. When the rules for transfer and recognition are unclear, opportunities stall. Portability suffers. Systems can’t support what they can’t see. That’s why we’re coming together to change that.

CTDL currently supports over 10,000 published Transfer Value Profiles—including information on credit recommendations and credit transfers accepted. However, it does not yet describe the policies, agreements, and criteria that govern whether and how prior learning is accepted. To address this gap, Credential Engine is convening a global, time-limited task group to expand CTDL by making this essential information transparent, connected, and reusable—supporting successful learn and work pathways for all.

The Power of Unlocking Prior Learning Policies and Agreements: Unlocking the information relevant to understanding prior learning acceptance—and structuring it as linked open data—is transformative. It makes this information transparent, usable, and actionable for learners, institutions, and systems—not just once, but over time. Some of the benefits include:

• Clearer Pathways for People: Learners and workers can see how their prior learning connects to future opportunities. Requirements become publicly accessible, machine-readable, and easier to navigate.
• Greater Portability: Prior learning can be transferred more consistently across institutions, systems, and borders.
• Smarter Tools and Guidance: Moving from static documents to dynamic, linked data allows for easier updates, better version control, and more responsive information strategies.
• Future-Ready Systems: Linked open data supports interoperability, automation, analytics, and emerging technologies like AI to improve student mobility and credential recognition.

Your Input Matters: This work succeeds when there is collective action. Whether you're involved in shaping policies, advising learners, designing systems, or building tools, your perspective is essential. Together, we can ensure that the recognition of prior learning is not only transparent, but also truly usable and impactful across systems.

By contributing your insights and engaging with others across sectors, you’ll help shape practical solutions that reflect real-world needs. Through collaboration, shared learning, and open development, we can build a stronger foundation for learner mobility and credential transparency.

Who Should Join: No prior experience with CTDL is needed. We welcome both experienced professionals and emerging contributors who want to make an impact. This global task group is open to individuals and organizations across academic education, training, workforce, policy, and technology, especially those involved in determining requirements, recognizing, awarding, supporting, or enabling the transfer of prior learning. Participants may include:

• Practitioners and Policy Leaders:Experts in credit transfer, articulation, prior learning assessment, or learner mobility
• Institutional and System Representatives: Professionals from schools, colleges, universities, and public systems
• Advising and Intermediary Organizations: Practitioners with organizations that support learner navigation and recognition practices
• Developers and Technical Experts: Technologists working on credit transfer articulation and tools, data infrastructure, or interoperability
• Emerging and Aspiring Experts: Interested in growing their understanding and contributing to the field

When and Where: The task group is planned to launch on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. It will meet via Zoom for approximately six, one-hour bi-weekly sessions on Wednesdays at 11:00 AM Eastern Time, concluding in early September 2025. Specific meeting dates will be shared directly with participants. All meetings will be recorded, and materials will be available between sessions to support asynchronous input.

What to Expect and Process: This is a collaborative effort built on shared learning, open contribution, and meaningful feedback, all within a focused, time-bound process. Participants will engage in focused discussions, iterative drafting, and structured review opportunities, supported by briefings from experts to deepen understanding and spark ideas.

This work will be guided by recent and highly relevant research, ensuring that the group’s recommendations are practical, grounded, and ready for real-world application. It will build on real examples and diverse input from participants to reflect a wide range of contexts and needs.

The process has a proven track record and is continually refined, with a 100% success rate across previous task groups. Final outputs will be presented in a public webinar, open for comments, and incorporated into the CTDL standard and Credential Registry tools, delivering durable, high-impact results.

Resources and Outcomes: Credential Engine will provide participants with all the materials needed to contribute effectively, including examples, templates, draft models, and working documents. All materials will be open for review and input throughout the process. The task group will collaboratively develop:

• A charter outlining the scope, objectives, and deliverables
• Expanded CTDL use cases describing the requirements, conditions, and options that govern prior learning acceptance
• A structured domain model for representing agreement and policy information
• Proposed new CTDL terms and definitions
• Real-world examples modeled in CTDL

All outputs are openly licensed and available to everyone for broad adoption and reuse.

Join the Global Task Group to Make Prior Learning Recognition Transparent and Connected

Contact Credential Engine: Have questions or want to learn more? Reach out to us at info@credentialengine.org We look forward to hearing from you.

Credential Engine invites organizations to participate in a focused, collaborative pilot that is planned to launch in June 2025 to advance the transparency, comparability, and interoperability of qualifications data globally. In partnership with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) , Groningen Declaration Network (GDN), South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), and other key stakeholders, this Qualifications Frameworks (QF) Publishing Pilot will demonstrate how qualifications frameworks, related credentials, and information that supports quality assurance can be structured as linked open data using the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL).

Transparency and interoperability are essential for global credential portability and learner mobility.

By participating, organizations will help test and refine the structured publishing of QF data in the Credential Registry sandbox environment—a safe, non-production space for research, testing, and learning.

This pilot builds on the work of the Qualifications Frameworks as Data Global Task Group and outcomes from the Credential Type Focus Group. It is designed to balance impact with efficiency, producing valuable outcomes without requiring significant time or data entry. Credential Engine staff will fully support the effort.

Why Participate?

• Showcase how your qualifications and credential data can be published as structured, linked open data
• Contribute to a global initiative to improve transparency, comparability, and mobility for learners and workers
• Help shape interoperable publishing practices and strengthen international alignment across systems
• Provide practical insights and feedback to improve CTDL terms, publishing methods, and supporting tools
• Support communication and demonstration of the benefits of transparent, structured data across jurisdictions
• Receive personalized technical and strategic assistance from Credential Engine throughout the pilot
• Engage in a right-sized, time-conscious pilot with clear goals and meaningful outcomes

Who Should Participate?We’re seeking organizations such as national and regional qualifications authorities, government education and labor agencies, quality assurance bodies, and postsecondary or training providers. Each organization should designate one or more individuals or a team who are subject matter experts responsible for qualifications frameworks, credentials and qualifications information, and/or quality assurance information such as accreditation or approvals and outcome metrics.

No prior experience with CTDL or publishing tools is required. Credential Engine will provide all training, resources, and assistance needed to participate successfully.

Pilot Overview:

• Start Date: May 2025
• Duration: ~4 months
• Time Commitment: ~8–10 hours total
• Environment: Credential Registry Sandbox
• Format: A combination of a small number of Zoom meetings, asynchronous activities, and personalized 1-on-1 support from Credential Engine
• Focus: Real, publicly available data only (no student or personal records)
• Partners: In collaboration with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN), American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and other global stakeholders

Pilot Activities: All data publishing activities are in a sandbox environment for testing and research purposes.

• Publish QF levels, competencies, and government-defined credential types
• Publish qualifications offered by postsecondary and training providers
• Align qualifications to QF levels
• Publish and link quality assurance and/or aggregate outcome metrics
• Establish cross-framework referencing
• Explore use cases for quality assurance and credential recognition
• Provide feedback to improve publishing tools and clarify the benefits of transparency
• Contribute to a published global case study and benefits summary

Join Us:

• Join the pilot:https://forms.gle/2mTfsE33TtvuF7FLA
• Review the Pilot Plan here.
• Interested but have questions? Contact Jeanne Kitchens, Chief Technology Services Officer at Credential Engine: jkitchens@credentialengine.org

This pilot lays the groundwork for future global collaboration in publishing qualifications frameworks and related data as open, linked data. These efforts are designed to benefit all systems—education, training, employment, and quality assurance—by making data more transparent, comparable, and usable globally.

Together, let’s build a future of more connected, trusted, and usable qualification systems.

Credential Engine invites you to a public webinar to review and provide input on a proposed expansion to the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). This proposal aims to support the accurate and comparable description of credential and qualification types as defined within national and regional systems around the world. This work is essential to advancing global credential transparency, portability, and learner mobility by enabling consistent representation of credential types across jurisdictions.

About This Work:

Global Transparency Matters: Many countries define credential and qualification types through legislation, qualification frameworks, or regulatory bodies. These distinctions are essential for aligning learning across systems, supporting mobility, and ensuring credential and skill transparency. While CTDL already includes broad credential classes like degree, certificate, and license, it is evolving to describe the more specific structured credential types that are critical within national systems.

This webinar builds on the outcomes of a recent global focus group convened by Credential Engine . The focus group brought together experts from multiple countries and sectors to contribute:

• Use cases where data on credential types is essential
• Examples of government-defined credential and qualification types
• Feedback on a proposed CTDL Credential Type model and terms

Topics Covered & How to Participate:

• Present outcomes from the Credential Type Focus Group, including a draft of the CTDL Credential Type class, a visual domain model, illustrative international examples, and a terms proposal, for broader community input
• Review examples that illustrate credential type distinctions and how they align to identified use cases
• Walk through the proposed CTDL Credential Type class, terms, and model
• Invite public feedback to ensure global utility and relevance

We need your input to help ensure this expansion meets real-world needs across jurisdictions and systems.

Who Should Attend:

We welcome participation from interested persons:

• National and regional qualifications authorities
• Credential issuers and education/training providers
• Credential evaluators and recognition professionals
• Quality assurance and regulatory bodies
• Policymakers, employers, system developers, and standards organizations
• Others interested in supporting credential transparency

Prior knowledge of CTDL is appreciated but not required.

Webinar Details

• Date: May 6th, 2025
• Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Time (See the World Clock for your local time.)
• Location: Virtual via Zoom
• Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6VNEUIxQQhqyIqXxZIbPOg

All webinar materials, slides, and recordings will be shared afterward as public resources. All CTDL updates are openly licensed and freely available.

Join us to help shape the next phase of credential transparency. Your voice matters in ensuring CTDL continues to support global comparability and alignment.

For questions, please contact us at info@credentialengine.org

Opportunity to Provide Input

Credential Engine is convening a focus group of subject matter experts to review and provide feedback on a proposed approach to enhancing the way the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) describes different types of credentials and qualifications.

The goal is to ensure that CTDL fully represents the many distinct credential and qualification types defined within national and regional qualification systems worldwide.

Background

In many parts of the world, the terms credential and qualification are used interchangeably. Most countries have qualification systems that define types of credentials, describe their key characteristics, and position them within a progression of learning or occupational levels.

The CTDL already includes numerous, well-defined types of credentials and qualifications—such as degrees, diplomas, certificates, badges, and licenses. These high-level classes support broad, consistent descriptions across learn and work ecosystems, helping systems, platforms, and stakeholders understand and connect different types of credentials

See the CTDL Types List

However, many countries define credential and qualification types in ways that are unique to their systems, even when the names are similar. Our recent work with the Qualifications Frameworks as Data Global Task Group made it clear that CTDL must be able to reflect these differences to support global transparency, comparability, and alignment.

Focus group participants

Participants in this focus group will help shape how credential types are described in CTDL by:

• Reviewing and commenting on a proposed solution for how CTDL can represent these distinctions
• Helping ensure the model supports global flexibility, accuracy, and usefulness
• Sharing examples of credential and qualification types defined by authorities in their countries and sectors
• Identifying the defining features that distinguish those types—such as level, purpose, legal recognition, or learning context

What to Expect

• Time commitment: 1–3 hours total over 4–6 weeks
• Format: Up to two Zoom meetings (each 60 minutes), plus optional review of draft
• Scheduling: Meetings will be offered at different times to accommodate global participants
• Optional: A third meeting may be added if additional discussion is needed

Credential Engine will provide all materials and present solutions for feedback. The focus group will respond with examples and suggestions, and help refine the approach to ensure that it works for diverse use cases around the world.

Who Should Participate

We welcome participation from:

• National and regional qualifications authorities responsible for defining or managing qualifications
• Quality assurance agencies that accredit or validate qualifications with respect to government defined qualifications
• Credential evaluators and others who rely on clear definitions of qualification types
• Education professionals and providers who offer credentials aligned to national or system-defined requirements

Anyone with expertise in how government-defined credentials or qualifications are structured and used

Sign Up to Participate

If you would like to join the focus group or learn more, please complete this short form and select all of the meeting dates and times that work best for you:

Sign up here

If someone else in your organization is better suited to participate, feel free to share the link with them.

For questions, please contact us at info@credentialengine.org

This announcement is also available on the Credential Engine website.