The SSI Orbit Podcast – Self-Sovereign Identity, Decentralization and Digital Trust

#61 - How Digital Credentials are Transforming Learning Data (with Kate Giovacchini & Andrew A. Johnson)

Oct 20, 2023

01:14:34

Kate Giovacchini (Arizona State University) and Andrew Johnson (Fluree, PBC) are both working on The Trusted Learner Network (TLN) initiative, a new, secure, and decentralized approach to recording, curating, and sharing learner data on abilities and skills across the learner’s lifespan. Kate Giovacchini is a higher education technology leader who passionately believes in the power of education to change lives and change the world. She has nearly a decade of experience working at Arizona State University where she has spent her time working in the areas of online education technology, business intelligence, ERP delivery, and large initiative execution. Andrew Johnson is a lead software engineer at Fluree, PBC where he leads architecture and implementation for client projects. He's worked on software development solutions for projects that include university student information systems, patent publication records, consumer data ownership, and federal public housing policy.

About Podcast Episode

Read more about the episode by heading to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://northernblock.io/podcasts/how-digital-credentials-are-transforming-learning-data⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The full list of topics discussed between Kate, Andrew and Mathieu in this podcast episode include,

Impact of freely available online information on higher education - How has the trend of easily accessible online information, such as courses and certificates, influenced the strategies of universities and higher education institutions?
Value of diplomas and other credentials in the modern age - With the rise of various credentials and certificates, is the traditional university diploma still as valuable? What other credentials might a learner want to accumulate?
Modernizing systems of records and the role of issuers - How are systems of records being modernized to make credentials more mobile and trusted? Who are the potential issuers beyond traditional universities?
Value of personal references and incentives for issuers - Is there value in making it easier for individuals, like professors, to provide references or credentials? How do incentives differ for various types of issuers?
Importance of governance in the context of digital credentials - With the growing focus on governance over technology, how is the authenticity and trustworthiness of digital credentials being ensured?
User experience (UX) and wallet infrastructure for digital credentials - How is the user experience being optimized for digital credential wallets? Where will learner credentials be stored, and how will they be accessed?
Role of verifiers in the TLN digital credential ecosystem - How are verifiers being integrated into the network, and how does their role tie into the prioritization of use cases? How will the adoption of digital credentials be spurred among verifiers?