Bridging to Tomorrow: A Historical and Technological Review of Credential Exchange in Higher Education Within Canada

Abstract

Canadian higher education assessment practices for admission and transfer are contextually situated in that they are informed and influenced by local government legislation and binding policy directives, quality assurance frameworks, and institutional policies and procedures within colleges and universities. The opportunity exists to embrace this diversity in all its complexity while providing system level technical supports to aid quality assured assessment practices. This opportunity is readily apparent in the area of document and credential delivery. The dual goals of facilitating learner mobility and reducing document fraud are being supported by existing and emerging technology which is in turn helping to evolve quality assured credential recognition assessment and document handling practices. The case for change is clear. The research in one study cited below indicates of 2.6 million background checks found, over 40% respectively exhibited evidence of lies about work history and education achieved, and more than 20% presented false credentials and licenses (Babcock, 2003). Another organization found more than 40% of CVs had education discrepancies, a 7% increase from the prior year (Prospects HEDD, 2017).

Digitization and technology have improved electronic exchange practices in the areas of document and data management and reduced occurrences of fraud thereby encouraging greater trust in the verification and assessment process for admission and transfer. This chapter explores the history and identifies how available and emerging technology at the system level is resulting in new opportunities to collaborate and address document fraud for colleges and universities using innovative technology.