Credential Engine invites you to a public webinar on October 15th to review and provide input on a proposed expansion to the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). This proposal supports more use cases for prior learning recognition (PL/CPL) by describing the agreements, policies, conditions, and support services that determine whether and how any form of prior learning, whether formal, non-formal or informal, is accepted, evaluated, and applied. Transparent data are essential to reduce barriers, improve interoperability, and strengthen learner mobility across institutions, systems, and borders.

About This Work

Global recognition matters. Around the world, institutions and systems rely on policies, agreements, and rules to recognize prior learning—yet these details are often buried in documents, making them hard to discover or compare. CTDL already supports credit transfer (e.g., Transfer Value Profiles); this proposal extends CTDL to represent the governing rules and conditions that precede and shape transfer decisions.

This webinar builds on the outcomes of Credential Engine’s 2025 Global Task Group on Prior Learning Agreements and Policies, which delivered real-world use cases, examples, and a proposed domain model and terms.

Topics Covered & How to Participate

During this webinar, we will:

• Present the task group outcomes, including a visual domain model, illustrative examples, and a proposed set of CTDL terms for prior learning recognition.
• Walk through how the proposal represents agreements, policies, requirements, conditions, and support services, complementing existing transfer value descriptions.
• Review examples that show how granular policy elements enable discovery, comparability, and system interoperability.
• Open a two-week public comment period to gather feedback that will refine and finalize the proposal.

Key Updates in the Proposal

The CTDL terms proposal is designed to improve discovery and interoperability of public information. Systems managing PII can apply the CTDL model and terms alongside learner data. The proposal supports structured descriptions of:

• Transfer agreements and equivalencies: Agreement content, requirements and conditions for equivalencies, and credit equivalencies.
• Prior learning recognition policies and supports: Policy information and related services, including categories such as:
  • Types of learning recognition (formal and informal)
  • Evidence of prior learning accepted
  • Methods of prior learning evaluation
  • Prior learning evaluation outcomes
• Granular scenarios: Many use cases required more detailed data elements, which are now supported.

Who Should Attend

We welcome participation from interested persons:

• Practitioners and policy leaders in credit transfer, prior learning assessment, or learner mobility
• Institutional and system representatives from schools, colleges, universities, and public agencies
• Advising and intermediary organizations that support learner recognition and navigation
• Developers, technologists, and system designers working on articulation, data infrastructure, or interoperability
• Policymakers, employers, quality assurance, and regulatory bodies
• Anyone interested in advancing global credential transparency

Prior knowledge of CTDL is appreciated but not required.

Webinar Details

Date: Wednesday, October 15th, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM ET (see the World Clock for your local time)
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_08qhUeu3RgWTP8fAW__Bjw 

All webinar materials, slides, and recordings will be shared afterward as public resources. All CTDL updates are openly licensed and freely available.

Join us to help shape the next phase of credential transparency. Your voice matters in ensuring CTDL continues to support global comparability and alignment.

For questions, please contact us at info@credentialengine.org.