University of Phoenix College of Business and Information Technology leadership presenting at 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit

Dean Kathryn Uhles to present on the integration of digital credentials and skills frameworks in higher education

University of Phoenix is pleased to share that Kathryn Uhles, dean, College of Business and Information Technology will be presenting a session on integrating skills frameworks and digital credentials at the 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit to be held March 4-6, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1EdTech's Digital Credentials Summit invites education, workforce and business leaders and innovators working to transform education and work with verifiable credentials to attend and become part of a transformative new focus on developing skills and connecting talent to opportunities.

Uhles will co-present the session, “Mapping the Future: Integrating Digital Credentials and Skills Frameworks” on March 4, at 4:20 pm CT. The session will focus on the synergy between digital credentials and skills frameworks in higher education. Attendees will explore how educational institutions, skills organizations, and suppliers collaborate to create seamless pathways for learners and job seekers.

“The Digital Credentials Summit is an important opportunity for those of us working in higher education to share how we serve our students by offering digital credentials tied to skills,” states Uhles. “University of Phoenix’s approach to digital credentials is deeply rooted in the value it provides to our students, many of whom are working adult learners looking to maximize their educational investment. I am pleased to have the chance to share our approach to digital credentials at the event and look forward to a rich discussion during our session.”

University of Phoenix’s work in the field of digital badging is tied to the understanding that employers are increasingly shifting to a skills-based focus to better support hiring and retention strategies, a change that is supporting opportunities in diversity of talent, career mobility, performance and ease of hiring. University of Phoenix works with Credly to issue its digital badges and has issued over 450,000 digital badges since September 2021, for skills obtained in undergraduate, graduate, and professional development courses.

University of Phoenix proudly offers an innovative skills-mapped curriculum, focused on the working adult learner, has culminated in 100 percent of associate, bachelor and master’s degree programs open for new enrollment now being fully skills-mapped. The University’s skills-mapped curriculum helps ensure that students are identifying and acquiring skills in weeks, rather than years, yielding value from their education as they progress through courses rather than just at the point of graduation. In turn, this now informs the development of tools and products, which is growing a system of lifelong career support for students and alumni. 

Since 2006, Uhles has served University of Phoenix in Student Services, Operations, Curriculum and most recently as faculty and Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology (CBIT). In her role as Dean, Uhles has overall accountability for CBIT curriculum and all other academic components including faculty approval and oversight, student satisfaction and retention, academic policy and standards, and program evaluation.

Prior to becoming the Dean, Uhles oversaw the IT programs at University of Phoenix as an Associate Dean, creating and developing 13 new IT degree and certificate programs in IT. In addition, she strengthened relationships with industry certification bodies, CompTIA and EC Council, to expand course and exam offerings for University of Phoenix students. The university was awarded an EC Council Circle of Excellence award each year during her tenure in the role.

1EdTech is a worldwide member-based non-profit community partnership of educational providers, state/national departments of education, and edtech suppliers. 1EdTech's mission is to power learners' potential by fostering the evolution of an open, trusted, and innovative education technology and digital credentials ecosystem.

For more information about the 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit, visit the registration website.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.