Policy Recommendations
In light of these themes, the paper offers three, high-level policy recommendations
for policy-makers, funders, and the higher education community:
• Adjust quality assurance processes to allow for accurate and comparable
evaluation of alternative programs, robustly enforce quality standards for
all providers, and accelerate the process of integrating quality alternative
pathways and credentials into the federal financial aid system.
• Invest in a more comprehensive data system that captures longitudinal,
student-record data on students’ experiences across the full array
of postsecondary pathways, as well as information about providers and
their programs and credentials.
• Support rigorous research on the efficacy and return on investment of
existing and emerging alternative pathways and the value of alternative
credentials.

Keywords

micro-credentials · MOOC · policy recommendations