Faculty Scholarship

Learning frameworks define what an individual learner can do by detailing application of knowledge in various contexts—education, military, and employment, for instance—based on levels that indicate deeper and broader knowledge and application over time. They also provide access to alternative pathways for learners and workers to document and validate the skills required for credentials. This can increase the number of qualified candidates for employers and allow educational institutions to translate credentials and qualifications within a wider variety of learning pathways. Frameworks are important because multiple learning pathways would not connect without the translation tools that frameworks provide between and among postsecondary institutions, work-related learning, employer needs, military training and education, and community-based delivery options. With competencies as the currency, frameworks provide a mechanism to talk across providers and users of competencies by outlining how the various pieces fit together.