Endorsement Categories of Review

Short-term credential providers demonstrate they meet the quality standards below to earn the Endorsement.

Stability, Operational Strengths, and Agreement to HLC Credential Lab Requirements  

  1. The Provider demonstrates it’s a legitimate organization that has appropriate authorization to operate in the United States. 
  2. The Provider demonstrates sound financial and legal conditions based on thresholds set by HLC. 
  3. The Provider demonstrates it addresses data privacy and security in its technology and operations. 
  4. The Provider demonstrates it’s publicly identified in the Credential Engine if the Provider issues credentials directly to learner.  
  5. The Provider demonstrates it has verified recognitions or references from other organizations that have approved, certified, or recognized the provider organization and/or its offerings or resources. 
  6. The Provider demonstrates it shares sufficient information about offerings.

Alignment of Educational Offerings to Workforce Learning Needs and Assurance of Learning  

  1. The Provider demonstrates it uses workforce, employer, or industry information to identify learning needs (competencies) that inform offerings. 
  2. The Provider demonstrates it has processes in place to ensure alignment to workforce learning needs.  
  3. The Provider demonstrates it has sufficient and regular review processes to ensure ongoing currency and relevancy of offerings given labor market changes.  
  4. The Provider demonstrates it identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities addressed in offerings.  
  5. The Provider demonstrates it defines achievement requirements for the credentials.  
  6. The Provider demonstrates method(s) of learning assessment or validation of the knowledge, skills, and abilities to assure that learners meet the achievement requirements. 

Learner Information and Protections

  1. The Provider demonstrates it has publicly available learner-facing information and disclosures. 
  2. The Provider demonstrates it has an educational and/or business continuity policy (or risk management plan) and process should the Provider be unable to continue with its operations or sunsets an offering. 
  3. The Provider demonstrates it has a learner complaint policy and process.  
  4. The Provider demonstrates it has a learner refund policy and process.  
  5. The Provider demonstrates if it collects learner Personally Identifiable Information, it has a learner data protection policy and process.
  6. The Provider demonstrates it has a learner records and retention policy and process (if the Provider issues, manages, and stores learners’ credential records).
  7. The Provider demonstrates a learner accessibility policy and process and provides accessibility accommodations, if applicable.
  8.  The Provider demonstrates it has learner use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) disclosures and policies. 

Questions?

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