PD Learning Network and University of the Pacific’s Center for Professional and Continuing Education Announce Strategic Partnership

Santa Barbara, CA, March 10, 2016 --(PR.com)-- PD Learning Network (PDLN), a leading provider of online badge courses and micro-credentialing for educators, and University of the Pacific’s Center for Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) today announced a new partnership to provide K-12 educators the opportunity to earn university professional development units for skills they develop post-degree. This groundbreaking partnership is one of the first to offer educators credit from a university in conjunction with professional learning aligned to competency-based micro-credentialing.

“We feel privileged to enter into this partnership to offer educators more opportunities for recognition of their professional growth,” says Jennifer Gibson, CEO and co-founder of PDLN. “University of the Pacific’s CPCE is a natural match for educator micro-credentialing because of its emphasis on learners setting their own educational goals and their interest in credentialing educators in this rapidly changing environment.”

By partnering with CPCE, PDLN is bridging a period of transition for the Open Badge movement. Lack of recognition of badges as legitimate markers of educator professional mastery at the school/district/state level is a major obstacle in pursuing professional development micro-credentials.

“University of the Pacific’s Center for Professional and Continuing Education is committed to providing working adults the credentials and learning opportunities that advance their professional development,” explains Vernon C. Smith, Ph.D., vice provost, distributed learning at the University of the Pacific. “We believe that our partnership with PDLN will help meet the needs of today’s teachers. These CPCE-endorsed micro-credentials will certify relevant and real-world professional growth.”

With the PDLN-CPCE partnership, educators follow learning pathways and demonstrate competency through assessments that are evaluated and peer-reviewed by credentialed curriculum experts against a rigorous, standards- and research-based rubric to earn micro-credential badges and university credit. This third-party evaluation is how the PD Learning Network team assigns value and validation to the badge or micro-credential, making it meaningful for both educators and administrators alike, which translates into higher rates of pay and acceptance in traditional avenues of professional recognition and advancement.

PDLN will now offer more than 10 full badge courses that are eligible for graduate-level professional development credit through the University of the Pacific partnership; along with more than 50 micro-badge courses with narrower focus and a lower time commitment that can be developed into future credit offerings. Visit www.pdln.com or www.go.pacific.edu/pdln for a full course listing.

About PD Learning Network
PD Learning Network provides online micro-credential and badge professional development courses in educational technology for today’s educators that is flexible, affordable, relevant and skills-based. PDLN was founded by innovation-award-winning educators, edtech trainers, and curriculum experts. PDLN’s exclusive courses build proficiency and certify competence in the classroom application of Google, Chromebooks, iPads, 1:1, flipped instruction, digital citizenship, 21st century skills, and more. Educators complete online lessons, submit classroom-centered work for evaluation, earn stackable credentials in trending edtech topics, and come away with relevant curriculum, portable digital badges, and university credit (optional), creating a unique professional fingerprint.