Faced with closed campuses due to the coronavirus pandemic, community colleges are undertaking massive efforts to move classes online, train faculty, and make sure everyone has access to computers and the internet.

At Montgomery College in Maryland, 20,000 students were already enrolled in distance-learning courses, but many instructors lacked experience with remote teaching. Those teachers spent spring break learning how to convert face-to-face classes to remote settings on the Blackboard platform. Meanwhile, some campuses are lending a lifeline to students in need with laptops and other supports.

In a country that offers more than 730,000 credentials, the need for clear and consistent information about education and training opportunities has never been more important. Indiana, like most states, is investing in many education and workforce initiatives to secure the state’s economic future. 

Technical applications built from these investments depend on data exchanges for information about career pathways, credentials, competencies, jobs, and an individual’s records of achievement. Yet, management of this data exchange process is siloed, which limits the potential value of these investments. That's changing.