Page 49 - Campus Technology, March/April 2020

SkillsCommons team
institutions in all 50 states to create or redesign workforce development.
SkillsCommons currently serves more than 180,000 users and has had more than 1.6 million downloads to date, including e-textbooks, complete online and hybrid courses, supplemental materials, simulations, work-based learning and apprenticeship support pieces, program management documents and much more.
The SkillsCommons staff anticipated the need for user support and tools to navigate the vast repository effectively. They were on hand to respond to user needs and develop new, thoughtful features and functions, which they rolled out as the repository matured over time. For example:
• SkillsCommons Showcases are models of
especially high-quality materials developed
by education and industry experts;
• A Support Center allows users to build on open
licensing, learn about accessibility tools and gain an understanding of the SkillsCommons quality assurance measures; and
• A Connect Center provides users with community-building options such as storytelling tools, onboarding for industry experts who may be new to the classroom, and connections to technology design partners. The Connect Center proactively supports community college innovations in workforce development.
SkillsCommons is used in all states throughout the U.S. and in 217 countries. Evidence shows that supporting workforce development programs with the availability of affordable, openly licensed materials is leading to redesigned workforce development
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