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Steven Cederquist

Steven Cederquist

Learning scientist & user researcher focused on digital credentialing

Stivi
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Joined November 2025
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Summary

Researcher focused on digital credentialing and micro-credentials: Steven's doctoral and collaborative work centers on how alternative digital credentials (badges, micro-credentials) can make informal and out-of-school learning legible for college admissions and entry-level hiring. He has co-authored an NSF workshop report on micro-credentials, presented at Badge Summit events, and built dissertation research directly on these topics. umich+2
Active in scholarly conference communities (ISLS/ICLS) and collaborative research: He has multiple conference papers and posters (ICLS/ISLS) on documenting out-of-school learning, infrastructuring OST STEM learning, and prototypes for comprehensive student records, indicating experience in empirical design research and learning sciences collaborations. isls+2
Teaching, mentoring, and applied design practice at Michigan: While a doctoral student he has taught user research and information theory, worked as an instructional coach for graduate student instructors, and supported administrative and student-facing roles, demonstrating a mix of research, teaching, and service in higher education. umich+1
Prior to graduate study, Steven worked as an ESL teacher and trainer in multiple international contexts (e.g., South Korea, Iraq, Albania) and served as a Peace Corps volunteer; this on-the-ground experience in informal and non-traditional learning environments informs his interest in making such learning legible to institutions. wordpress+1

Work

Education

Writing

Making Informal Learning Legible: Alternative Digital Credentials for College Access

January 1, 2025

Doctoral dissertation investigating how informal and out-of-school learning might be documented and represented via alternative digital credentials to support college access.

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Documenting Out-of-School Time Learning: Opportunities, Tensions, and a Prototype

January 1, 2023

Conference paper (ICLS/ISLS) describing approaches to documenting out-of-school time learning, including prototypes and design considerations.

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Issues in Infrastructuring OST STEM Learning for Selective College Admissions

January 1, 2023

Conference contribution examining infrastructural and equity challenges when attempting to use out-of-school-time STEM learning artifacts in selective admissions processes.

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What's Missing From the College Transcript?: How Employers Make Sense of Student Skills

January 1, 2022

Scholarly chapter exploring employer perspectives on how student skills are represented (or omitted) by traditional transcripts and how alternative credentials might address those gaps.

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Micro-Credentials as Evidence of College Readiness: Report of an NSF Workshop

January 1, 2018

Report from an NSF-funded workshop examining how micro-credentials (digital badges) could serve as evidence for college readiness and the design tensions involved in using badges in admissions.

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Hobbies

Writes and reflects about lifelong learning, open education, and learning analytics on a personal blog. wordpress