Edalex Podcast
Welcome to the Edalex Podcast – We are an EdTech whose mission is to surface learning outcomes, digital assets, and the power of individual achievement. Each episode features a thought-provoking conversation with global technology leaders and educators, where we discuss how we can deliver better outcomes for 21st century learners. Visit our website: edalex.com to learn more about us and stay tuned by following us via your podcast app, LinkedIn, or YouTube.
The Learner Voice - Skills Visibility Matters
Send us Fan Mail
Skills are often invisible - and that’s a global problem. Traditional resumes typically capture only 20% of a person’s talent, leaving hard-won, life-wide skills unrecognised by employers.
In this webinar, the panelists and guest speakers move beyond the technical acronyms to hear the most important perspective in the skills ecosystem: The Learner and hear from them sharing about the profound "Aha!" moment of seeing their unseen skills finally verified and portable.
In this session, we explored:
✅ How the XCredit ecosystem (funded by Walmart) and SkillsAware translate lived experi...
Navigating AI’s Impact on Education, Workforce, and the Future of Skills Recognition
Send us Fan Mail
In this wide-ranging conversation, Dan McFadyen (Edalex & SkillsAware) sits down with Ray Fleming (Founder of Stratentia) to explore AI’s impact on education, workforce readiness, and the future of skills recognition.
Ray shares his “two-speed” analogy – where AI evolves at lightning pace while education moves more cautiously – and examines the growing tension between institutional change and employer expectations. The discussion unpacks why AI fluency is becoming essential for graduates, why durable human skills like critical thinking and communication matter more than ever, and how AI sho...
The Path to Impact at Scale – How TAFE Queensland Achieved a 62% Completion Rate with Microcredentials
Send us Fan Mail
This is an audio extract from the webinar where Tracey Singh (TAFE Queensland), Wendy Palmer, and Margo Griffith and Dan McFadyen (Edalex) explore how purpose-driven design, industry collaboration, and technology combined to deliver impact at scale through one of the most successful microcredential programs in recent history.
With over 83,000 enrollments, TAFE Queensland has achieved an astounding 62% completion rate for its industry-sponsored microcredentials, a figure that far surpasses the industry average.
This is more than a story of impressive numbers; it’s a blueprint for creating le...
Beyond Grades: HSPA’s Innovative Path to Student Success with Collaborative Partners Canvas + Edalex
Send us Fan Mail
This is an audio extract from the webinar hosted by Gemma McLean, Regional Director for K–12 at Instructure (APAC), who joined Margo Griffith from Edalex and Darren Ponman of Hunter School of the Performing Arts (HSPA) in a spotlight session – Beyond Grades: HSPA’s Innovative Path to Student Success. Together, they revealed how HSPA leverages Canvas and Edalex’s Learner Dashboard to transform mastery learning and digital credentials, providing students with verified, lifelong records of achievement.
What the webinar covers:
Discover a proven Canvas use case – see how HS...From Validation to Visibility: Building a Connected Skills Ecosystem with XCredit
Send us Fan Mail
This is an audio extracted from the webinar co-hosted by Edalex, Education Design Lab and Unicon Inc. where the panelists explore how XCredit created an interoperable ecosystem that validates skills and connects learners to careers.
What the webinar covered:
From Badges to Trust: The Future of Learning and Unlocking Potential with Open Recognition
Send us Fan Mail
In this interview, Dan McFadyen and Don Presant, President of Learning Agents discuss open recognition, evolving from digital badges to broader trust systems. Don highlights open recognition’s importance in validating learning, performance, and community involvement. He explains how it encapsulates stories in badges, unlocking opportunities in careers and learning. They delve into how Learning Agents assists organisations in deploying digital credentials, helping to overcome challenges by providing flexible recognition frameworks. The conversation also touches on the difficulty of assessing “durable skills” and the potential of platforms like SkillsAware to assist indivi...
Skills Emergency – How Community Colleges Can Respond Leveraging Tech
Send us Fan Mail
Held on 23 April 2025, this webinar explored how a state government, industry, and learners are impacted by the rise of skills and ways in which Community Colleges can respond to the looming skills emergency leveraging technology.
Current worker shortage estimates put the skills gap at 1 billion globally and 75 million in the U.S. by 2030. Community Colleges are stepping up to address this skills breach and can do much to respond by leveraging new and existing technology, starting with asking: What do we want to recognize and why? How could we recognize the...
Tackling Systemic Challenges in Education, Supporting the New Majority Learners and Lifelong Skilling
Send us Fan Mail
In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex, and Bill Hughes, President and CEO of Education Design Lab explore the Lab’s work to create a more inclusive and adaptable learning ecosystem. The Lab focuses on “New Majority Learners” (or STARs) who are underserved by traditional education pathways. Their XCredit project validates skills acquired through alternative routes, making them recognisable and transferable. The discussion also covers the complexities of standardising skill recognition and the transformative potential of educational technology. Education Design Lab envisions a future where community colleges become “talent partners...
Inside the Quest to Tame Gen AI to Benefit Education and Society
Send us Fan Mail
In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex, and Julian Ridden, Head of Growth for Australia at Quizizz delve into the role of AI in education. They discuss the potential benefits and risks of AI, emphasising the need for thoughtful integration in educational settings. They also highlight the importance of understanding the risks associated with AI, such as bias and data security. The conversation emphasises the need for caution in AI adoption and the importance of using AI to solve genuine problems in education. Overall, they express optimism about the future of...
Towards a Skills-Based Marketplace: Revolutionising Skill Verification with a Digital Wallet
Send us Fan Mail
In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex engages with Taylor Kendal, President of Learning Economy Foundation to explore LEF’s initiatives, including LearnCard and the LearnCloud, aiming to revolutionise education and employment record infrastructure through open-source, interoperable systems a.k.a Digital Skill Wallet. Their conversation anticipates a future where individuals have greater control over their learning and employment agenda, fostering socio-economy mobility rebalancing and lifelong learning opportunities, while the LEF’s vision extends to stewarding this infrastructure’s widespread adoption and impact over the next five years and beyond.
1...
Future-Proofing Educational Strategies in the Era of CBE, GenAI, and Qualifications Beyond Degrees
Send us Fan Mail
In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex and Kate Valenti, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Unicon Inc. explore the evolving education landscape as they delve into key aspects of Competency-Based Education (CBE), the integration of General Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), and the redefinition of qualifications beyond traditional degrees. The conversation is divided into 6 thought-provoking chapters, each shedding light on different aspects of their covered topics:
01:13 – Exploring the Landscape of Competency-Based Education: Insights from a Leading EdTech
11:39 – Strategies for Competency-based Education Adoption: Current Infrastructure vs Customised Solutions
...
Empowering Youth for Future Success by Seamless School-to-Work Transitions and Equitable Education
Send us Fan Mail
In this podcast episode, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Will Stubley, Co-CEO/Co-Founder of Year13, where they delve into the critical issues surrounding education and employment for your people in Australia and across the globe. The conversation is divided into 7 thought-provoking chapters, each shedding light on different aspects of the educational landscape.
0:00 - Introduction
1:05 - Year13’s Mission - Transforming School-to-Work Transition for Young Australians
5:55 - Exploring Post-School Pathways and Opportunities for Youth
8:58 - Skills and Qualifications to...
Revolutionising Learning for Lifelong Growth and Success: The Power of Competency-Based Education
Send us Fan Mail
Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Dr. Charla Long, President of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) where they cover various aspects of competency-based education (CBE) and its future impact. Overall, the interview provides insights into the revolutionary nature of CBE and its potential to revolutionise learning for lifelong success.
0:00 - Introduction
5:11 - The Formation of Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN): Missions, Values, and Goals
11:53 - Redefine Learning Outcome Metrics: The Shift from Time-Based to Competency-Based Education
16:42<...
How to Get Ahead in Higher Ed - Digital Strategies, Skills-Based Learning and Learner-Centricity Key
Send us Fan Mail
Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Ryan O'Hare, CEO and Founder of Keypath Education (Australia and Asia-Pacific) where they discuss how to get ahead in Higher Education by challenging assumptions, focusing on digital strategies, embracing skills-based learning, catering to lifelong learners (the new majority) and being learner-centric.
Their topics of discussion include:
Bridging the Gap Between Digital Skills and Employability for the Future of Work
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation-style interview, Dan McFadyen and Lyndon Blanchard, Chief Operating Officer of the Digital Skills Organisation (DSO), discuss the demand for digital skills supply at both national and global levels and how the DSO is working to enable digital upskilling and reskilling and create a job-ready workforce.
Note: This discussion was first published about a year ago as a way of looking back at how far we've come in this fast-moving sector.
Their topics of discussion include:
0:35 - The DSO and its Mission to...
How Standards and Interoperability Are Enabling Credential Curation, Dynamic Credentials and Learner Agency - Dan McFadyen and Nicholas Robert
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation-style interview, Dan McFadyen and Nicholas Robert, Co-Founder and CEO of Learning Vault, explore how standards and interoperability are enabling credential curation, dynamic credentials and learner agency.
Their topics of discussion include:
01:00 - Learning Vault’s Journey and Mission
03:40 - The Digital Credential and Digital Badging Landscape and Drivers of Future Growth
08:17 - How Wider Awareness of Digital Credentials and Adhering to Standards is Supporting Learner Agency
12:39 - The Critical Elements of Truly Portable, Internationally Verifiable Cr...
The European Approach to Micro-Credentials
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Margo Griffith and Professor Mark Brown, Director of the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University have a wide-ranging discussion on the European approach to micro-credentials. Their discussion explores the mindset that education is a 'public good' in Europe, how micro-credentials support lifelong learning in that setting and his experiences in helping to establish a whole-of-Europe framework.
Note: This discussion was first published about a year ago as a way of looking back at how far we've come in this fast-moving sector.
...
Using Vision, Collaboration and Technology to Tackle Wicked Skills Challenges
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Margo Griffith and Dr. Naomi Boyer, Executive Director, Digital Transformation at Education Design Lab, explore how we can all use vision, collaboration, and technology enablement to tackle wicked challenges in the skills ecosystem.
Their topics of discussion include:
All Learning Counts - Skills Recognition of Non-Formal Learning and Aligning to Formal Learning Pathways
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Margo Griffith and Jeffrey Lehrer, National RTO Compliance Manager from Scouts Australia, discuss the challenges and opportunities around aligning non-formal learning to formal learning pathways for both their youth members and adult volunteers. They also discuss what youth organisations globally are doing to help participants gain recognition of transferable skills learnt through their programs, to be used as credits towards getting into the course they want or when looking for work.
Their topics of discussion include:
Authentic Assessment of Critical Skills and Career Readiness - Margo Griffith and Doris Zahner, PhD
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Margo Griffith and Doris Zahner, PhD from the Council for Aid to Education (CAE) discuss authentic assessment of essential skills for career success, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and written communication. Zahner discusses how authentic assessment accurately measures critical skills, the evidence of authentic assessments that is provided to educators and learners and how different institutions use attainment of critical skills data.
Their topics of discussion include:
How Education, Industry, Society and Technology are Converging to Embrace and Empower Alternative Credentials - Dan Mc Fadyen and Martin Bean
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Dan McFadyen and Martin Bean, Founder and CEO of the Bean Centre, explore a how education, industry, society and technology are converging to embrace and empower alternative credentials.
Their topics of discussion include:
Thoughts, Insights and Recommendations for Rethinking Employability - Margo Griffith and Emeritus Professor Beverley Oliver
Send us Fan Mail
In this conversation style interview, Margo Griffith and Emeritus Professor Beverley Oliver discussed Oliver's research, thoughts and insights on rethinking employability after the release of her Whitepaper in late 2020. She also provides further context around her recommendation that education providers focus on 3 factors that signal employability to their learners.
Please note: this conversion was first published about a year ago as a way of looking back at how fast we've come in this fast moving sector.
Their topics of discussion include:
A Fresh Take on Ethical and Machine Learning Imperatives to Create Truly Learner-Centric Micro-Credentials - Dan McFadyen and Mark Keough
Send us Fan Mail
In this Edalex Podcast episode, Dan McFadyen and Mark Keough, Chief Executive Officer of Intrinsic Learning, discuss a fresh take on ethical and machine learning imperatives to create truly learner-centric micro-credentials.
Their topics of discussion include:
