Instructional Design Firm Launches Digital Marketplace; Enables Innovative Universities to Offer Unbundled Alternative Credentials

DALLAS, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Instructional design firm, iDesign, today announced Course Market, a digital marketplace that universities can use to offer standalone courses and digital credentials in high demand fields. Course Market integrates LMS technology from Instructure and Credly's pioneering credential platform to deliver engaging learner experiences with real value in the job market. Institutions that utilize Course Market can seamlessly enroll students in continuing education programs, accept payment, deliver content, and issue digital badges or certificates, which can be instantly uploaded and shared through social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook.

"Alternative credentials are unquestionably gaining traction among working adults looking for accelerated pathways to new schools and executive education. We view Course Market as a great tool for universities that want to expand access to learners who may otherwise be unable to take advantage of traditional degree programs," said William Valenta, Assistant Dean of MBA and Executive Programs at University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business.  "By applying Course Market's technology and infrastructure to our existing educational offerings, the Katz school successfully enhanced access, affordability, and career relevance."

Earlier this year, the University of Pittsburgh completed a pilot of Course Market at its Katz School of Business. Designed to provide online learning options for students in the school's Management Essentials certificate program, Pitt's Course Market leverages pedagogy and technology to create learner experiences that meet the needs of today's working professional.

"The practical barriers to serving students outside the traditional degree-seeking population - including access to a learning platform, paymentprocessing, and student support - can overwhelm most universities," said Paxton Riter, Chief Executive Officer at iDesign. "Course Market is an all-in-one solution for forward-thinking universities that want to expand access to everyone who has a desire to learn, while still preserving their brand and standard of excellence."

Course Market allows universities to unbundle and repackage existing educational offerings at a time when badges, certificates, and other non-traditional credentials are increasingly appealing to employers and learners. The product of a collaboration among education technology pioneers, Course Market draws upon Instructure's popular Canvas LMS for functionality and student experience demanded by non-traditional learners. Credly's popular credentialing platform, which is used to create, issue, and manage digital credentials, enables Course Market partners to create unique, branded certificates and badges. iDesign provides credential design, course design, ongoing student support, payment processing, and e-commerce services.

For more information, please visit http://idesignedu.org/course-market/ and course.market.

About iDesign
iDesign partners with colleges and universities to design, implement and scale online and blended programs. We are passionate about helping faculty harness the potential of emerging technologies to design courses and degrees that make an impact, whether they are fully online, flipped, adaptive, or competency-based. Our unbundled, fee-for-service model is rooted in a commitment to flexibility and institutional autonomy, while our analytics platform supports continuous improvement through rigorous measurement of student engagement and course quality. From statewide university systems to private colleges, our custom solutions pair instructional design with technologies to enable great teaching. For more information, please visit www.idesignedu.org

About Credly
Credly is a leading digital credential service provider, helping the world recognize lifelong achievement with the most popular platforms for verifying, sharing and managing digital credentials and badges. The enterprise-class system allows organizations to officially verify skills and competencies; distribute portable and secure digital credentials and open badges; and gain actionable data and insights. Thousands of education institutions, industry associations, employers and workforce development programs use Credly to make achievements visible. For more information about Credly, please visit http://www.Credly.com.

About Instructure
Instructure, Inc. is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company that makes software that makes people smarter. With a vision to help maximize the potential of people through technology, Instructure created Canvas and Bridge to enable organizations everywhere to easily develop, deliver and manage engaging face-to-face and online learning experiences. To date, Instructure has connected millions of instructors and learners at more than 2,000 educational institutions and corporations throughout the world. Learn more about Canvas for higher ed and K-12, and Bridge for the corporate market at www.Instructure.com.

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SOURCE iDesign

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