התמלול המלא של How Micro-Credentials, Digital Badges, And Global Partnerships Power Lifelong Learning

00:02:26.719 So for listeners who may not be familiar, what is professional and continuing education or PCE? 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:38.479 Yeah, we we uh use the short term PCE, but it's basically all kinds of both business to business and business to consumer offerings that are skills-based. 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.680 Uh, and it can be across multiple disciplines. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:50.879 So we do training and consulting services uh for local and regional uh employers and even with some of our international partners. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:03:13.439 Uh and the professional and continuing education unit, while we've been doing some of the kind of continuing education uh for about 100 years at Fort Hayes State University, the PCE unit is a reimagined and reorganized unit at the university that is really trying to build a lifelong learning ecosystem. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:18.319 So it's not just about degree credentials, both undergraduate and graduate. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:26.400 It's really about being a one-stop shop for everyone across the lifespan, uh, no matter where they are in their career. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:51.439 Um reskilling and upskilling, short courses, even individual workshops and webinars and power hours on a variety of different topics that people find they need to have additional training on just to keep up with their professional skills and the way that things are changing in this fast-paced uh working environment that we find ourselves in in 2026. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:59.840 And I know we've talked about this before, and uh we have all we are all either currently working in higher ed, I used to work in higher ed. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.879 So we absolutely believe in undergraduate degrees. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:23.199 We do we believe in graduate degrees, but what we're finding is that the world and technology and everything is changing so quickly that about five years after earning an undergraduate degree, whatever you learned that was specific to your major is obsolete within five years of graduation. 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:29.680 So professional and continuing education is much more important now than it's ever been. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:39.439 What kinds of problems or opportunities does PCE aim to address for adult learners, employers, communities? 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:48.079 It's not typically something that someone fresh out of high school is going to go into professional and continuing education because they don't really have anything to do. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:49.120 That's right. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:49.920 That's right. 00:04:50.160 --> 00:05:01.120 So continuing education uh is built into many professions, like health studies, uh counseling, some of the education professions, attorneys. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:08.160 There are some professions that require continuing education throughout the career to stay fresh, if you will. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:10.160 That's been true for a long period

of time. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:14.800 And typically those are the ones where you might get licensed in some way, shape, or form. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.120 And so it helps people keep their licensing. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:27.360 But professional education is needed across a variety of industries, across a variety of majors, across a variety of career stages and roles. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.279 And you're absolutely right. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:35.120 And as a matter of fact, I would say that in some areas, it might not even be five years. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.279 Um, it might be more like three. 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:53.120 Think of people who are in a field that is being very disrupted by AI, for example, or other digital um digital skills that people find themselves really kind of in the middle of this um disruptive economy and labor market. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:59.360 And so professional education really is that idea of keeping up with very specific skills. 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:14.000 And also to enhance for people who have undergraduate or graduate degrees, that doesn't necessarily mean that they have some of the durable skills that they find themselves in need of when they're in professional environments. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:23.120 So human skills, some basic skills in uh finance and some of those digital skills, those may not have been part of your major. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:40.319 You may have taken a finance class, but if you're not, if you didn't get an MBA or if you weren't a finance major, you might find yourself a little bit below some of the skills you need if you're mid or late career and you end up being in charge of um quite a large budget, and that's not something you've done before. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.759 I'm speaking from experience. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:43.839 That's what happened to me whenever I got into this role. 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:45.279 That's why I use that example. 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:48.639 Um educated on a whole bunch of things, not that area. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.879 Uh so I've found myself uh needing to take a few upskilled classes. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:56.800 Um, I think Kaylee's doing the same thing uh as well. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:10.399 So we're trying to uh figure out what those opportunities for both durable skills and some of the um other skills that people are needing in industries as they change so that they can keep up with the professional requirements that they need. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:18.480 And I'm kind of laughing because my undergraduate degree is in anthropology and everybody was pretty sure I'd be back living in my parents' basement. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:19.759 Right. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:28.399 I I was in a leadership role, and part of my job was the was managing the PL. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:36.399 And someone had to teach me what PL meant because believe it or not, it doesn't come up much in an anthropology major. 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:46.560 No, but you have all those durable human skills that you need wherever you know how to study cultures and people and and teams and things like that. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.839 So I think you're doing just fine with your anthropology discovery. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:57.839 So, how does professional and continuing education integrate with the broader Fort Hayes State University mission? 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:08.720 Well, our mission is to develop engaged global citizen leaders and to offer affordable and accessible education to uh to all who want it. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.519 Uh, and we really stay true to that mission. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.800 We are a rural, regional, comprehensive university. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:22.319 And for those who are outside of higher education, that might not necessarily mean anything, you know, uh in terms of a classification. 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:33.840 Um, but one of our key things is to and always has been since uh since we became a university in the early 1900s, was to provide the uh some professional workforce. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:50.159 So our history is in nursing and education in rural areas, and then this university grew out of that, um, being that kind of extension uh uh university to build the skills in those two areas, and we've just built on that over the years. 00:08:50.320 --> 00:09:04.639 Um, we believe that to develop engaged global citizen leaders, um, that you should have some educational opportunities throughout your lifetime to be a good citizen, uh, to be a good leader, and to operate in the global economy that we have. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.720 So it really fits right in with that. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:17.919 And then as a regional uh comprehensive university, we have a responsibility within our state to meet the workforce and economic development needs uh of Western Kansas. 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:23.919 And I'm not sure how much your listeners might be aware of just how rural Western Kansas is. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:31.120 Um, but we are right snack in the middle of the left or the westernmost two-thirds of the state. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:40.879 And we are the big town, uh, right in the center of that uh two-thirds portion of the western state, and our town is a little over 20,000. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:43.279 And so, and and there's multiple counties. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:45.120 Yes, it's it's quite rural. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:10:01.600 And so um uh we need to meet the the needs uh within our uh regional area, and that is absolutely mission-driven, and it's why the university uh exists as part of the uh system of Kansas public higher education. 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:07.679 I do want to talk a little bit about uh continuing education as a strategic priority. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:14.080 So for IPX, that's something that we believe in from an educational standpoint. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:20.639 So Fort Hayes offers continuing ed credits for our CM2

certifications. 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:25.200 Uh, you also offer academic credit for our CM2 certifications. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:34.559 But what should organizations be looking at in business and industry or reskilling and upskilling their existing workforce? 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:55.919 Well, I think they need to really understand and define what are the skill gaps that currently exist to try to fill some of those skill gaps, but also an investment in the future vision they have for their company and how they can build the skills of their workforce to meet whatever that new vision is. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:00.960 Uh so it's not just individual people that need to upskill, refresh, reskill. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.399 Organizations have to define where they're going as well. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:09.840 And there are many industries that really are in the midst of that kind of disruption. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:29.679 And so, how do you want to invest in your people to be able to have them be the best workers, no matter what, whether that's blue collar, whether it's white collar, service industry, banking industry, manufacturing, or small businesses even, uh that focus a lot on customer service? 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.600 Um, what is it that your business or your industry needs to thrive? 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:41.440 And how do you meet the needs of the people that are working on your behalf and on the organization's behalf to be the best that they can be? 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:47.759 So it's really an investment in that the skills that you that you need to thrive and grow as a business. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:12:01.200 And I know it's dizzying for a lot of organizations that, oh my God, I mean, it felt like we all woke up one day and AI was available to all of us and it's going to solve all of our problems. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:06.080 And well, we don't need actual professional training. 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:11.440 What we need is an AI bot to teach our certain department to do this particular task. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:18.559 And I think organizations are starting to figure out now that that's not exactly what we need to be doing. 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:24.960 We still require education, we still require training, that AI is not going to get us there. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:32.080 Well, I'm going to switch a little bit and we're going to talk micro-credentials and digital badging. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:36.480 So, Kaylee, first of all, what's a micro-credential? 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:42.879 Yeah, you know, that is actually an oddly complicated question. 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.840 Um, because I'll I'll be totally transparent with you. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:54.240 I mean, higher education institutions have been trying to figure out like a clean definition for that term uh for a couple of years now. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:58.320 But broadly speaking, it's a non-degree credential. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:08.000 And so you have your traditional associates, bachelor's, master's degrees, doctorate degrees, but this is a credential that does not take that long. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.440 Um and so it is that non-degree credential. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.440 It can include a variety of things. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:18.480 Um, it can be professional development experiences that validate your learning. 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:22.960 Uh, it can be based on industry verified professional certifications. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:28.879 I would say that the IPX CM2 certifications are micro-credentials in their own right. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:39.039 Um, and you know, anything uh from kind of the computer science or informatics industry, there's a lot of um different professional certifications in that area. 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:44.960 Um, there's a lot of uh uh micro-credentials surrounding different leadership skills. 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:49.360 And so just broad, I mean, it's a simple answer from our point of view. 00:13:49.519 --> 00:14:02.320 Broadly speaking, it's a non-degree credential, but it still has value uh to the employer and it validates a really structured learning experience based on skills development. 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:12.080 So, why did Fort Hayes decide to invest in micro-credentialing and all the things that come along with that? 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:18.000 It's expensive to do, it's expensive to run from an organizational standpoint for a university. 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:19.600 Why invest in that? 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:24.080 Why not just add some more degrees or things like that? 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:38.720 Yeah, I mean, there there's probably a lot, there's several reasons for that, but I think the reason that the main reason that Fort Hayes really took that leap is that we just really have a history of innovation at our institution. 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:43.440 We have tended to kind of punch up above our weight for many years. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:56.000 I will tell you that we were one of the first institutions nationwide to adopt correspondence learning, which turned into virtual learning, it turned into distance education and online learning. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:04.639 Uh, we were one of the first nationwide that explored even the concept of an international partnership without outsourcing. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:11.600 So a lot of international partnerships out there might just like sell, you know, your curriculum to an international school. 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:12.639 We don't do that. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.000 We actually partner with international institutions. 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:23.120 Um, and and we have built our online programs without using your third-party online program managers. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:27.200 And we're just always trying to be responsive to Western Kansas needs. 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:33.519 Uh, knowing, you know, where we are and the population we serve, the region we serve.

00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:39.120 Um, we know that learning takes place in a vast geographical area. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:50.799 And so we've always kind of had that innovation mindset of how can we reach new learners and how can we make sure that anyone who is seeking learning can find it accessibly. 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:56.480 And so I think that's really kind of at the heart of why we decided to invest in this. 00:15:56.639 --> 00:16:10.320 Um, because of where we are, we really needed to make sure that we were providing those learning opportunities, not just at the traditional degree level, but throughout the entire life cycle of a human's learning. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:17.120 I love that this is partially about making learning accessible to people because we're so many. 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:19.600 My daughter is a junior in high school. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:27.600 So we have started all of that college talk, and it's sort of great, can't wait to spend$100,000 on this. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:40.000 Making accessible and affordable is really, really, really important as a lot of degrees are priced out for the average student. 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:46.799 So walk us through the process of how a micro-credential is designed and approved at Four Hays. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:51.519 Yeah, so we kind of take uh multiple approaches to that. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:57.919 So uh one that uh really hits us probably the most is that we work directly with employers. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:07.599 Uh so we have several employer partners or clients who are really seeking ways to professionally develop their workforce. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:20.480 Um so we work directly with them trying to understand what their needs are, any particular problems that they're trying to solve in their organization, any particular skills that need to be developed. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.880 Um, and we develop those programs for those employers. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:36.160 Uh, so whether it's supporting them with computer application training, I'll tell you Microsoft Excel is a big one, um, or if it's leadership development or supervisory skills. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.839 Uh, so we work directly with what employers need. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.599 Um, we also do research on labor market needs. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:57.440 Um, and so we have access to a couple of different databases here at the institution where we can examine what are what skills are employers looking for right now that they're having trouble finding people for. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:06.799 Um, so if there are certain jobs uh that that stay open and posted for long periods of time, clearly there's a gap in the workforce. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.880 And so we need to try to fill that. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.759 Um so we identify what those skills are. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:26.720 Um and PCE, uh, our unit either creates that uh program on its own, or we might partner with subject matter experts throughout the institution, through our academic departments, um, or even externally. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:35.680 Um, if there is an industry partner we know who is interested in passing along their knowledge through education, we'll work with them. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:51.200 Um, and so what we go through those kind of two primary avenues, but we've also uh had conversations with academic departments who want to provide continuing education to our alumni because our alumni know Fort Hayes. 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:55.279 They know our quality of education and quality of experience. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.960 And so we want to provide those learning opportunities as well. 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:03.680 Uh so it really is a collaborative effort with PCE. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.160 We don't really do anything in a silo. 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:15.039 Um, we are either working off of what employers are telling us they need or what the data out there is telling us what the community needs. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.000 I want to talk about digital badging. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:29.599 I think a lot of people, if you're over the age of 30, maybe you've heard that term in passing, but for a lot of people it sounds like, oh, you got a cute little sticker to put on your LinkedIn page. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.640 So, how does digital badging together with micro-credentials? 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.359 And why does digital badging even matter? 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:45.920 I do think for a lot of people, it kind of feels like a gold star that we would get on our spelling tests in elementary school. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:48.880 Explain that. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:51.359 That would be really helpful, I think, for our most course. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:54.079 Yeah, absolutely. 00:19:54.319 --> 00:20:02.799 So the the bottom line with digital badging is that it supports transparency and confidence in the learning experience. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:17.440 Uh, so I think we've all seen resumes, right, uh, of candidates applying for positions at our organizations where they say that they've completed all of these professional development opportunities, but we don't really know what that means, right? 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:20.960 What actually occurred in that professional development opportunity? 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:25.359 Did you just attend a webinar and answer emails while you were logged in? 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:31.759 Or did you actually do something with what you were learning to actually prove you learned something? 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:44.640 Um, and so our digital badges um follow the open badging standards uh that have been adopted nationwide by um almost all digital badge companies at this point. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:21:03.119 Um, and they are aligned with specific skills identified through labor market research, which means that there is metadata, and that's a very technical term, um, but it's the behind-the-scenes data,

the information that an employer wants to know about that learning experience. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:11.599 So you can almost kind of think of it akin to like a digital transcript of sorts, specifically for that learning experience. 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:16.400 So it really isn't just a fancy sticker that's on your LinkedIn page. 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:18.079 It's it's not just an image. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:30.079 There is data behind that that verifies the learning experience and what the employee and what the employee gained in terms of specific skills through that learning experience. 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:32.160 And so it's not just a sticker. 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:37.200 Um, it is proof that you learned something and that you know how to do something. 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:51.200 Uh, so I I really consider it as, you know, I think it is just as high a quality and can be just as highly valued as any professional certification you receive hard copy paperwise. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.559 This just happens to be in a digital portable format. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:22:02.880 I I love the digital badging because the medical Data does describe what you learned. 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:11.920 Even looking at an official transcript from a college, you can guess maybe based on the title of the course, what they learned. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.839 But it's not like there's a syllabus attached to anything. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:21.279 There's not a rubric of skills that were acquired in this class. 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:32.000 So you really are sort of relying on what you think maybe somebody learned as opposed to being able to click on that digital badge and go, aha, this is the thing. 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:39.759 And I think we've talked about this before, and I don't know the answer, and you may not know the answer either. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:58.480 So one of the things that we hear a lot is that the way that we've gone about automating resume and application reviews so that a very qualified person, if they didn't outwit the algorithm, their resume won't even make it to a decision maker. 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:06.079 Do you think digital badging is a way to align a candidate's skills with a potential job? 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:08.960 Absolutely. 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:22.799 I mean, the the badging platform that we use actually aligns two specific skill sets that then align to job openings and workforce data. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:31.039 So you can see kind of how many jobs are available for people who have this particular skill, right? 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:33.839 And then you can actually find those jobs. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:35.279 You can find those postings. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:48.880 And so the system itself makes those connections when we align the skills to the badges to help learners find job opportunities that align with what they've with what they've been micro-credentialed for. 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:55.039 And in turn, organizations can do the same thing, at least with our system that we're employing. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:06.000 And so we look forward to kind of seeing how students or how learners rather use that as we issue additional badges and build our micro-credential portfolio. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:13.759 What we'll be excited to see just how much sharing is happening and how many skills are aligning to job opportunities. 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:18.880 The badges would potentially beat those algorithms on those HR portals. 00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:20.160 I love it. 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:20.960 Yeah. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:30.799 I want to talk a little bit about international partnerships because we all know the world is getting smaller and getting more connected every single minute. 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:43.200 Fort Hayes has a long history of global engagement, and I'd love to talk about how microcondentialists and professional educational education intersects with international partnerships. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:51.039 I know you've talked a bit about Western Kansas and providing the skills that are needed there, but I also know that you work in other countries. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:54.640 We're talking like Cambodia and a bunch of other places. 00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:05.279 So what kinds of information those four days are we currently maintain uh several uh degree uh partnerships. 00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:18.160 Uh, many of them are dual degree partnerships where our teachers uh go abroad and teach at our partner universities for students who are earning dual undergraduate degrees or MBA degrees. 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:21.599 We do that in China and Cambodia. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:28.640 Uh, and then we also have partnerships that are what I would call a more traditional arrangement of international partnership. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.559 There are things like a two plus two. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:43.039 So the uh students who are getting an undergraduate degree will earn the first two years at the international institution and then plan to come abroad uh to our campus to finish their final two years. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:47.119 Um, and we have those with multiple universities. 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:55.200 Uh, there's four locations in uh Africa, and we have uh new partnerships in Brazil. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:26:07.440 Uh, we have one in Myanmar, uh, we have an arrangement with Paraguay, um, and we're trying to expand most uh specifically in uh for our Cambodian partnership. 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:12.319 And professional and continuing education is also needed in those areas. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:25.680 And so we are just now beginning to explore what those opportunities might look like for professional and continuing education that would be different in our partner locations than um would be uh here necessarily. 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:37.599 And so a couple of the things that are really starting to um take shape for us and

understanding what our international partner needs are uh are in the area of teacher professional development. 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:58.640 And so um in the United States, we have teacher licensure, we have requirements, uh, every state has requirements for what it uh means to be licensed to be a teacher, but that kind of professionalization of the teaching profession is not uh the same everywhere, and there isn't that same kind of infrastructure abroad. 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:18.319 So uh we have several of our partners who are basically looking to us to provide uh teacher professional development for people who work in international schools, English language schools, working with intercultural and cross-cultural audiences in international schools. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:24.079 What is it like to be a good teacher and an effective teacher in those kinds of schools? 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:27.359 And they're looking to us to provide that kind of professional training. 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:45.440 So while we might offer continuing education credits for licensed teachers that are that teach in the United States, we have different needs for credentialing and different skills that are needing to be developed that haven't already been verified and validated in uh internationally. 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:54.079 And so those are some opportunities that we're finding that intersect with our international partners where we already offer um undergraduate and graduate degrees. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:55.440 Did that answer your question? 00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:59.759 I I get so excited when I hear about all the things that are national. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:07.519 So I have an idea of what I think the benefits are for both domestic students and international students. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:20.880 But how are these collaborations really enhancing learning for both domestic and well, I think they do it in a number of ways, and it depends on which model you're talking about. 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:30.799 But at its simplest, um uh I think that first of all, we live in a global economy, we live in a global world, we you know live in an information and knowledge economy. 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:31.839 That's not going away. 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:33.920 We're not putting that toothpaste back in the tube. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:40.079 So if you want to be an engaged global citizen leader, you can't forget about the global part of that. 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:54.880 Um, and so I think engaging across the world is really important, particularly when you consider that we have degree programs in things like international business, international economics, uh, global affairs, international affairs, you know, things like that. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:29:01.839 Well, we need to, we need to actually be doing some of those things as an institution that we're teaching. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:24.880 Uh, but one of the other real benefits uh for our student body on campus is the more we interact with our international partners and the more opportunities we have for people from a variety of areas to come to campus, is that people who by and large live in rural western Kansas get exposed, they might not be able to travel themselves, right? 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:39.039 We have a lot of first generation college students here at Fort Hayes, and uh a vast majority of our undergraduate students, even those who live on campus and um go to school full-time, also have jobs. 00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:46.000 They don't have the resources often to be able to go abroad for a semester or even do a study abroad trip. 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:51.839 So we bring international experiences and intercultural competence experiences to campus. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.000 And so they really help a lot of our on-campus people who may not have that opportunity to travel. 00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:02.640 They still get to learn and interact with their peers in that way. 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:18.079 Um, but we also have these international partners that we can build programs with over and over again that are those study abroad opportunities or collaborative online international learning opportunities. 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:29.680 Or we can offer things to the people here in Western Kansas that our international partners might be experts in, that we might not be experts in here, and we can leverage that by that learning back and forth. 00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:49.039 So I think there's a variety of ways that we can leverage our internationalization and international partnerships and really be, we feel like we are serving our region by the benefits of having those international partners in that intercultural competence and global economy building way. 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:57.599 But also, quite frankly, it's another revenue stream that helps support the programs that we can offer here in Western Kansas and be as affordable as we are. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:06.000 We are the lowest cost and most accessible university in the entire state of Kansas, and not by a little. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:13.440 There's a huge difference between our tuition price tag here and some of our other peer institutions. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:22.799 And um, quite frankly, we support some of that low prices through some of the international partnerships that we have because of the financial benefits. 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:30.799 And so that's that's a reality of it as well, and one that's important to the institution and to the longevity of the institution. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:34.079 I want to start looking towards the future. 00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:47.680 I mean, obviously, four days has obviously stepped into what I would consider looking into the future with all the internationalization and the media and all the things that they've been doing that are really very forward-looking. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:53.759 But I guess the simple question is what do you think's

next? 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:54.720 Oh gosh. 00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:08.720 Um you know, I I I I really see um, you know, micro-credentials and digital badges, they've been around, they've been trickling um in and out of higher education and in and out of industry for for several years now. 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:17.599 I remember they were still they were being discussed as the new big thing uh when I when I became a working professional and assistant professor. 00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:23.519 Um, I see them really making the biggest splash in the net in the next five years. 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:24.640 I really do. 00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:36.079 I think they're gonna continue to proliferate um the space in higher education among industry, among institutions, um, and and the competition will grow. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:40.480 I mean, we we've already kind of seen that with online education. 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:48.480 Um, and so we're it took a long time for that one to grow, and the pandemic was kind of the catalyst to finally punch that forward. 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:57.359 But um with micro credentials, I I really see them being a key part of the higher education kind of operation. 00:32:57.759 --> 00:33:02.319 Um, because we have we have a lot of external forces on higher ed right now. 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:07.599 Um, and and employers and learners, they are questioning the value, but we have value. 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:10.240 We know that, uh, and we have a story to tell. 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:14.079 We don't just do traditional degrees anymore. 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:29.359 Uh, higher ed can be about a variety of learning experiences, and I see that gaining a lot of traction in the next five years, um, especially, especially because we have so many boomers, baby boomers on the brink of retirement. 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:39.039 Um, more and more organizations are going to be investing in succession planning and leadership training because those boomers have been running organizations for a long time. 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:50.240 Um, and now it's time to bring in those younger folks, those Gen Xs and millennials who are going to need to upskill and reskill to be able to be just as successful as those boomers were. 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:54.079 So I really see the next five years, it's gonna make a big splash. 00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:55.440 I really do think so. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:34:02.720 Well, if I can speak on behalf of my Gen X generation, especially in later. 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:07.039 Jenny, what what do you think's next? 00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:11.280 Oh, I'm very excited about the future. 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:22.400 I think it's very easy to be um look, higher education uh and and not just higher education, other industries really are in the midst of a major disruption right now. 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:25.760 And I think that we get to define what that future is. 00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:39.119 And I think that employer partnerships and lifelong learning ecosystems where people will continually be coming back to reskill and upskill is going to become the norm uh in the same way. 00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:43.760 And I don't think it's gonna replace uh undergraduate and graduate degrees. 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:56.800 And I don't think there will be a little bit of disruption and a little bit of reshuffling for sure, and institutions have to figure that out and kind of ride those waves, but I don't think it's going, those are gonna go away. 00:34:56.960 --> 00:35:23.840 But I think that people are really understanding what the value of continuous learning, not just in individual professions, but again in how to manage the change, manage the uh fast-paced nature of the skills training, um, manage disruptions that are happening in a variety of professions, and also for just cultivating that sense of learning, even for learning's sake. 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:28.159 Um, people used to uh really not talk about that a lot. 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:32.000 It was very focused on what are you going to do with your degree? 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:39.119 If you go to college, it means that you want to do something in a career very focused on career outcomes. 00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:52.639 And I'm not saying that that is necessarily wrong at all, but that was really shifted from the era before that, which it was really for citizenship and to get a broad, you know, liberal education and to be an educated person. 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:57.519 And it didn't, you know, really matter exactly what you quote unquote majored in. 00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:13.280 I think a blending of those things is what is coming next, where people understand that for certain professions and certain careers and certain skill-based um uh opportunities is that's what makes our business and industry and society grow. 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:31.199 But right alongside that, we're also becoming better humans and we're understanding that learning for learning's sake and learning to give back and learning how to be better uh people and have a little bit of that anthropologist within us, Stacey. 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:31.920 See? 00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:40.480 Um uh uh we'll will we'll also we'll we'll also augment those career skills and and the skills that we need for the workplace. 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:43.599 I don't think you're gonna be able to separate that necessarily. 00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:55.840 And um, I see this as an opportunity to really be more personalized learning, whether it is learning for learning's sake or whether it is for career or just because somebody wants to. 00:36:56.000 --> 00:37:02.559 And we want to be that opportunity that offers that kind of learning for people for whatever those needs are. 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:06.719 Well, I think that's an excellent note for us to end this episode with. 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:12.719 Uh, where can people find out more about the offerings at Fort Hayes State University? 00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:14.639 Give me your website. 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:15.599 Yeah, absolutely. 00:37:15.760 --> 00:37:18.079 I mean, our our website's the first one, right? 00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:20.320 Uh f su.edu. 00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:26.719 Um, and if you add a slash PCE, you'll find our unit specifically. 00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:30.880 Um, if you're not aware, we do partner with uh IPX CM2. 00:37:31.199 --> 00:37:32.719 Obviously, Stacy's aware. 00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:42.000 Um, and so um if you're interested in earning a badge uh for your CM2 certifications, we help facilitate that process. 00:37:42.239 --> 00:37:44.960 But we also offer credit for prior learning. 00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:59.360 So if you don't have um a bachelor's degree or master's degree, but are certified in CM2, we can create a pathway for you to get a couple to get some credit hours, a kickstart, if you will, on a degree plan if that's something you're interested in doing. 00:37:59.440 --> 00:38:02.960 So fhsu.edu and you can find us from there. 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:06.159 Well, Jenny, Kaylee, thank you both for joining me today. 00:38:06.239 --> 00:38:07.679 This has been a great conversation. 00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:10.880 I could go on for, you know, I can go on for hours about this. 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:17.760 But we need to bring you back so we can talk some more specifics uh for our listeners. 00:38:17.840 --> 00:38:24.639 If you'd like more information about Institute for Process Excellence, you can find that at ipshq.com. 00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:28.800 Jenny Cayley, thank you so much and have a wonderful day. 00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:31.360 Thank you for tuning in today. 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:34.239 Don't forget to subscribe and review the show. 00:38:34.320 --> 00:38:40.000 And for more information on IPX, visit ipxhq.com.