Learning and earning
慕課的回歸
One way of dealing with that is to divide the currency of knowledge into smaller denominations by issuing “digital badges” to recognise less formal achievements. RMIT University, Australia’s largest tertiary-education institution, is working with Credly, a credentialling platform, to issue badges for the skills that are not tested in exams but that firms nevertheless value. Belinda Tynan, RMIT’s vice-president, cites a project carried out by engineering students to build an electric car, enter it into races and win sponsors as an example.
解決這個問題的方法之一，就是將現有流通的知識分解為小面額的組成部分，將它們做成“數字認證”來獎勵那些小目標。澳大利亞最大的高等教育機構 RMI 正和一家名為 Credly 的認證平臺合作，來為那些用人單位需要但是在學校考試中卻不會出現的技能提供認證。RMIT 的副總裁 Belinda Tynan 舉例到，一些工程專業的學生正在一個電動汽車的項目，并讓汽車通過參加比賽來獲取贊助。
The trouble with digital badges is that they tend to proliferate. Illinois State University alone created 110 badges when it launched a programme with Credly in 2016. Add in MOOC certificates, LinkedIn Learning courses, competency-based education, General Assembly and the like, and the idea of creating new currencies of knowledge starts to look more like a recipe for hyperinflation.
數字認證的問題在于很容易引發認證數量的激增。單單 Illinois State University 在 2016 年和 Credly 啟動一個項目時就創設了 110 個認證。算上慕課認證，領英學習課程，General Assembly 等等機構，這種認證看起來更像是出現了惡性通貨膨脹。
David Blake, the founder of Degreed, a startup, aspires to resolve that problem by acting as the central bank of credentials. He wants to issue a standardised assessment of skill levels, irrespective of how people got there. The plan is to create a network of subject-matter experts to assess employees’ skills (copy-editing, say, or credit analysis), and a standardised grading language that means the same thing to everyone, everywhere.
一家初創公司 Degreed 的創始人 David Blake 希望通過建立認證中央銀行來解決這個問題。他想要對技能水平建立一個標準化的評價體系，而不管這些人是怎么獲得這些技能的。這個計劃想要創造一個由領域相關的專家組成的評價網絡來評價雇員的技能（編輯，語言或者能力分析），以及一套適用于所有人所有領域的標準化評價分級體系。
Pluralsight is heading in a similar direction in its field. A diagnostic tool uses a technique called item response theory to workout users’ skill levels in areas such as coding, giving them a rating. The system helps determine what individuals should learn next, but also gives companies a standardised way to evaluate people’s skills.
Pluralsight 正在自己的領域朝著類似的方向前進。通過一套使用了被稱為 item response 理論的分析工具來評價用戶在編程等領域的技能水平，最終給予評級。這套系統可以幫助確定用戶下一步應當學習的內容，同時也可以給予公司員工一套標準化的評價。
