EdCircuit Staff 
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology. On December 7th, IEEE established a new industry consortium for Learning Engineering. Charter organizations include Google, IBM, Autodesk, Boeing and Concentric Sky. Other participating charter organizations include academic institutions and early stage technology companies.
The IEEE Industry Connections Industry Consortium on Learning Engineering (ICICLE) is a community-based open platform established to define and encourage the profession of Learning Engineering.
IEEE ICICLE is part of the IEEE Standards Association’s (IEEE-SA) Industry Connections (IC) program. Participation in ICICLE is far-reaching and is made up of leading organizations in industry, academia, and government. The Industry Connections Program assists in the incubation of new standards and related programs by encouraging organizations and individuals to work together to refine their thinking on developing technologies.
“As innovative teachers, schools, and training departments deploy an ever-expanding array of new products and explore new ways of teaching and learning, the body of knowledge about how to use these technologies and how to design the increasingly complex information systems that result is the basis for a new engineering discipline,” Avron Barr, Chair of the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee.
According to IEEE’s mission statement, its core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. It is one of the reasons that this new industry consortium is attracting strong support from companies like Concentric Sky. “We’re honored to have been invited to become founding members of IEEE’s new IC Industry Consortium for Learning Engineering,” said Wayne Skipper, Founder and CEO of Concentric Sky. “The mission of IEEE closely aligns with the values of our company, and we’re excited to offer our expertise in standards development to such an august body.”
Concentric Sky’s Badgr platform is an example of the types of new technologies that are advancing the ways people learn in school, at work and in other contexts. Badgr is an open-source achievement recognition and tracking system for issuing, organizing, and sharing Open Badges. Open Badges allow learners to accumulate verifiable digital credentials to demonstrate skill development and discover new learning pathways. Badgr was originally created to serve as the official reference implementation for Open Badges during Concentric Sky’s stewardship of the Badge Alliance in 2015 and is now a key part of the technology infrastructure for thousands of the world’s leading academic institutions.
Educators, instructional system designers, researchers, and publishers are exploring an ever-expanding range of learning technologies and approaches. This exploration is increasing their ability to design better products and use them most effectively, which is the basis for the new Industry Connections Industry Consortium on Learning Engineering. ICICLE is a two-year project. It is chartered as an IEEE Industry Connections entity-based program to develop open-source code, deliver white papers, and organize the first international conference on learning engineering. Its long-range objective is to bring the communities of industry, academia and government together to cultivate the discipline of Learning Engineering. All IEEE meetings are open to all interested parties and there is no participation fee.
- edCircuit – Concentric Sky and Portfolium Announce Partnership
- Business Wire – IEEE Standards Association Propels Global Technology Innovation Into 2018
- eSchool News – This “open” innovation may indicate the future of learning
