By Joseph Beam, Director of Marketing and Communications, AACRAO, Live from Convergence 2026 #Credovation
This week, I’m joining higher education colleagues in the Washington, D.C., area for Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, a conference jointly presented by AACRAO and UPCEA that brings together professionals from across higher education to explore the growing role of microcredentials and alternative credentials.
One thing I appreciate about events like Convergence is the chance to step outside our usual circles and hear how different parts of higher education are approaching the same challenges. And while Convergence has a fairly specific focus on microcredentials (or alternative credentials), the conversations taking place here have implications for learning mobility that reach well beyond the development and delivery of these credentials.
For AACRAO members, microcredentials and alternative credentials impact nearly every corner of our profession.
- Admissions and enrollment management professionals are looking at how microcredentials might open new pathways for recruitment and engagement.
- Transfer and articulation professionals are considering what these credentials mean for credit evaluation and recognition of prior learning.
- And for registrars and records professionals, there are practical questions about how this learning should be documented, whether it belongs on the academic record, and what institutional policies and processes need to evolve to support it.
These are conversations that require input from across our institutions, which is part of what makes Convergence so valuable.
Through the general sessions, attendees are examining the current state of credential innovation, exploring emerging practices, and hearing from institutional and industry leaders about the opportunities and obstacles they are encountering. Just as importantly, they’re connecting with colleagues who are asking similar questions and working through many of the same challenges.
There’s something particularly encouraging about the atmosphere at Convergence. The conversations are friendly, open, and collegial, with a genuine interest in learning from one another. It’s also wonderful to see AACRAO and UPCEA working together, alongside institutional and corporate partners, to advance a shared goal of improving learning mobility and student success. Each organization brings a different perspective to the table, and that variety makes the conversations stronger.
Of course, one of the challenges with any conference is figuring out what happens after everyone heads home.
We leave with new ideas, fresh perspectives, and probably a longer to-do list than we arrived with. Turning those takeaways into meaningful institutional change is another matter entirely.
That’s one reason I’m excited about how our new AACRAO convening, The Assembly, returning in July 2027, may serve as a catalyst for some attendees who are ready to make change a reality at their campus.
Where Convergence offers an opportunity to explore developments in microcredentials and better understand the challenges and opportunities ahead, The Assembly is designed to help professionals put their ideas to work. It’s a focused, collaborative working conference where participants bring their institutional challenges, ideas, and goals to the table and work toward developing actionable plans.
For some attendees, the conversations taking place at Convergence could serve as a starting point for the work that happens at The Assembly. Attendees can bring what they’ve learned, identify where their institutions have opportunities to improve, and work alongside colleagues to move those ideas forward.
For me, that’s what makes these partnerships and gatherings so worthwhile. We’re not simply talking about new credentials or emerging technologies. We’re bringing together the people who can help ensure that learning, however and wherever it happens, is recognized and valued.
share