Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Course Market Delivers Alternative Credentials and Certificates to Higher Ed

A new digital marketplace, launched on Thursday, is helping colleges and universities turn existing courses and content into certificates and digital credentials. Course Market aims to streamline any institution's ability to deliver modular course offerings that meet shifting learner and employer demands.

A collaborative effort among education technology companies, Course Market combines iDesign’s design and processing support, Instructure’s learning management system technology and Credly’s credential technology, allowing institutions to:

  • Enroll students in continuing education programs;
  • Accept payments;
  • Deliver content; and
  • Issue digital badges or certificates, shareable via LinkedIn or Facebook.

For the initial launch, Course Market is offering several online courses from the University of Pittsburgh, which piloted Course Market earlier this year to deliver online courses offered at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. The project provides alternative learning options for students in the Management Essentials certificate program.

"Alternative credentials are unquestionably gaining traction among working adults looking for accelerated pathways to new schools and executive education. We view Course Market as a great tool for universities that want to expand access to learners who may otherwise be unable to take advantage of traditional degree programs," said William Valenta, assistant dean of MBA and executive programs at University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, in a prepared statement.

Further information is available on the iDesign site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Launches Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Malware Turns Microsoft 365 Calendar Into Covert Attack Vector

    Security researchers at Group-IB have uncovered a Windows malware strain that turns Microsoft 365 calendars into covert channels for receiving commands and stealing files from targeted organizations.

  • artificial intelligence on laptop

    OpenAI to Combine AI Products into Desktop 'Superapp'

    OpenAI is reportedly developing a desktop application that would combine several of its emerging AI products into a single platform, according to reports, marking the latest step in the company's effort to transform ChatGPT from a standalone chatbot into a broader productivity and automation environment.

  • abstract malware attack

    Report: AI Ransomware Can Now Run Much of an Attack Without Human Help

    Ransomware attacks are becoming more automated, and AI could take that much further, according to global cybersecurity company NCC Group's July 2026 threat intelligence report.