Knowledge to Work (K2W) is a U.S. Department of Labor TAACCCT grant project at Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) in Virginia. K2W has developed seven regionally-accredited direct assessment competency-based education degree and certificate programs using personalized learning plans, prior learning assessments, and free and low-cost learning resources (including OER) tied to competencies. In addition to implementing these programs at LFCC, K2W has made this work freely available online at the domain
HigherEd.org for learners anywhere to benefit from. This presentation will provide an overview and demonstration of HigherEd.org and its uses for adult learners.
HigherEd.org is an educational portal and search engine designed to assist adult learners with achieving their career goals. HigherEd.org allows learners to create their own personalized learning plans based on their career goals, review competency frameworks associated with the credential(s) they will need in order to achieve those goals, and locate a variety of free and low-cost learning materials (including OER) to help them obtain those competencies. Users are also provided access to career pathway information, assessments, badges, nationally-recognized industry certifications, and tools for locating apprenticeship and employment opportunities. HigherEd.org also connects users with LinkedIn to market the competencies and credentials they have obtained to potential employers.