About The Project
Noncredit education and non-degree credentials are growing in popularity, but data collection and analysis have not kept pace. This project, which has received funding from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Gates Foundation, seeks to foster the development of a more robust data infrastructure using three key strategies: generating research to advance the field; creating a taxonomy to guide data collection efforts; and creating learning opportunities to share successful practices.
Research state noncredit data in a range of contexts
The first two phases of this project focused primarily on the community college sector in eight states: Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Subsequent phases will expand the scope of the project to other data sources such as university systems, departments of labor, and longitudinal data systems.
The project will also examine governance structures related to non-degree credential data in the eight research partner states to assess their influence on policy levers, legislation, and quality assurance.
As current research partnerships deepen to include new data sources and governance analyses, additional state partners will join the project to expand its range of state experiences with noncredit data.
Develop a national taxonomy to aid in linking noncredit data to postsecondary employment outcome (PSEO) data.
Operational definitions and a consistent framework for state-level noncredit data elements are essential to better understand the noncredit data infrastructure. The project has produced taxonomy reports based on the research team’s work with the eight state partners.
Partnerships involving additional states will allow the research team to update these reports to include the perspectives of multiple state entities that collect noncredit data. This work is foundational for a national taxonomy to help states connect noncredit data to PSEO data and ultimately guide future data collection at all levels, including federal, state and institutional.
Advance successful practices in noncredit education and non-degree credential data collection through peer learning.
The State Noncredit Data Project Learning Community continues to grow as a resource for states to
share information. So far, membership is nearing 200 and represents nearly three-quarters of U.S. states. The learning community meets quarterly online, and presentation decks are shared with members after each meeting. The learning community is open to all.
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