Jeanne Kitchens

Jeanne Kitchens is the Chief Technology Services Officer at Credential Engine, a non-profit organization, where she leads the organization’s technology services and supports the ongoing development of its core infrastructure. Since 2015, she has provided sustained leadership in the creation and evolution of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), an open linked data language for describing credentials, skills, and their connections to learning and work. Over nearly a decade, Jeanne has worked with partners across education, government, and industry to help ensure that CTDL continues to advance in support of transparency, interoperability, localization, and global connections.

At Credential Engine, Jeanne not only guides the design and implementation of publishing tools, APIs, and the Credential Registry, a growing open repository of credential and skill data—but also works directly with numerous collaborations and partnerships that apply these technologies in practice. These efforts connect Credential Engine with education and training organizations, government agencies, certification and licensing bodies, the U.S. Navy, and a wide range of vendors and developers, ensuring that the technologies are shaped by and responsive to the needs of real-world users.

Previously, Jeanne served as Associate Director of the Southern Illinois University Center for Workforce Development. In that role, she provided both state and national leadership in developing Illinois workNet, the state’s virtual workforce development system, and in advancing programs for sharing open educational resources. She also played a pivotal role in the technical design and development of Credential Engine’s technologies and was part of the original team that transitioned the Credential Transparency Initiative pilot into the current organization. Over her 20+ years with SIU, Jeanne led numerous technical and program development teams for workforce initiatives and continues ongoing collaborations, including with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s T3 Innovation Network.

Title

Credential Transparency and Digital Badges: Unlocking Meaning and Opportunity

Abstract

Digital badges have become one of the most visible forms of digital, verifiable credentials. They recognize learning and achievement across education, work, and community settings, and they are increasingly portable, shareable, and trusted. Yet badges by themselves are not enough. A digital badge may confirm that someone has accomplished something but without deeper context, it can be difficult to understand what that accomplishment really means. Does it represent a skill? A course? A professional role? A level of mastery? Without clarity, badges risk being overlooked or undervalued.

This is why credential transparency is essential. Credential transparency ensures that the meaning of any digital credential, whether a micro-credential or a degree, is clear, comparable, and connected to the opportunities it unlocks. It allows learners, employers, educators, and policymakers to see not just that a credential was earned, but also what knowledge and skills it represents, how it relates to other learning opportunities, and where it can lead in terms of jobs or further study.

Credential transparency transforms badges into powerful signals of achievement that can be understood and trusted across contexts. Developed by Credential Engine, the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) provides the structure to make this possible. CTDL is an open, linked data framework that gives badges and other credentials a common language. It ensures that badges can be described in ways that are both locally meaningful and globally connected. For example, a badge earned in Japan can be published in Japanese while still maintaining semantic consistency with other badges around the world. This supports localization while also enabling global recognition.

By embedding badges within a transparent framework, they can be connected to larger ecosystems of skills, jobs, and learning pathways. This makes it possible for individuals to showcase their achievements more effectively, for employers to identify talent with greater confidence, and for educators to design pathways that respond to real-world needs. Without transparency, much of this potential remains hidden; with transparency, badges become bridges between learning and opportunity.

The benefits of credential transparency extend beyond any single country or system. While rooted in a common global language, transparency also respects local needs. It enables regions to express their own frameworks, taxonomies, and policies while still connecting seamlessly with global data standards. In this way, credential transparency supports both national priorities and international mobility.

Digital badges already carry great promise. With credential transparency, that promise can be fully realized. When supported by a common language such as CTDL, badges become more than digital records of achievement, they become trusted, portable signals of value that illuminate opportunities for learners everywhere.

This presentation will highlight how credential transparency, enabled by linked open data, unlocks the true potential of digital badges. It will explore how a common language strengthens local use, enables global connection, and ensures that every digital credential, whether a badge or a degree, can be clearly understood, compared, and applied in support of learning and work.