What is Personalized Pathway

Current systems of education, both K12 and postsecondary, are leaving learners unprepared for the future of work. Standardized, compliance-oriented approaches to teaching and learning are inequitable and are not responsive enough to meet individual learner needs. A learner-centered educational paradigm has emerged which seeks to disrupt traditional models of education by centering the individual needs of learners in all learning experiences. At the same time, the alternative educational model of micro-credentialing holds great promise to improve workforce readiness. While the fields of learner-centered education and micro-credentials are simultaneously gaining traction, their possible intersections have yet to be fully explored. Micro-credentials have the potential to ready learners for the future of work while providing a deeply relevant, learner-centered experience. This chapter lays out a vision for exactly what this might look like and why it matters for learners.