Skeuomorphic Credentials
Why portfolios and prototypes are the digitally native credential
This is essay 6 of 7 for The Tech Progressive Writing Challenge. Join the conversation in the build_ Discord.
Credentials are a critical component of education. Credentials demonstrate your knowledge and potential to others.
As we move away from the traditional education system into a digitally native one, finding new credentials is the biggest challenge.
Surely new digitally native organizations will rise in status and provide a credential similar to the traditional degree (i.e. a diploma or certificate of completion of a course or program). And of course, traditional credentials still carry weight.
But, these forms of credentialing are skeuomorphic. "A skeuomorph is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original." - Wikipedia.
Originally a design term, the tech industry has adopted skeuomorphism to view tech breakthroughs. In short, skeuomorphism is when we copy/paste the physical world onto the digital world. It typically has a negative connotation.
Media companies copy/pasting their newspapers on a webpage is skeuomorphic. Twitter or Facebook creating digitally native media is not.
So, what are credentials that are not skeuomorphic? Portfolios and prototypes.
Portfolios (like a writing portfolio or a GitHub repo) are clear proof of your interests and knowledge.
Portfolios are owned by the creator. The credential signal is clear and authentic as the portfolio is built in public. Unlike grade inflation in traditional education, the portfolio and prototype cannot be faked or misrepresented - it’s all in public and attached to the creator’s identity.
Finally, portfolios do not depend on the status of the organization granting the credential.
You can see some writing portfolios that we’ve created during MyMBA and The Tech Progressive Writing Challenge as examples.
Prototypes are a higher level of credential. Even more than portfolios, prototypes clearly demonstrate ability, knowledge, interest, and skills.
As digitally native education matures, new credentials will be an important component.
Portfolios and prototypes are a digitally native solution.