Nexus Credentials: Introduction

1.1 Purpose of Nexus Credentials

Nexus Credentials define how learning achievements in the Nexus Academy are identified, measured, issued, verified, and kept current. They provide a stable, standards-aligned framework for stackable micro-credentials and program awards so learners can build portable, verifiable proof of competence across risk and innovation domains. This section clarifies what the system covers (codes, credits, revisions, evidence, badges, programs) and what it deliberately excludes (institutional degree equivalency, jurisdiction-specific licensure).

1.2 Audience & Use Cases (Learners, Instructors, Employers, Registrars)

• Learners: Discover courses by code, understand prerequisites/RPL, track credits (NCU), renew badges after major updates, and share verifiable credentials with employers.
• Instructors: Design outcomes, assessments, and artifacts; bump revisions; meet accessibility and quality gates; map courses to standards/competencies.
• Employers/Partners: Verify badges instantly, interpret competencies and standards alignment, and integrate credentials with HR/ATS systems.
• Registrars/Administrators: Steward codes and programs, enforce prerequisite logic, manage RPL decisions, oversee revocation/renewal, and keep transcripts authoritative.
• Quality Board & Reviewers: Audit accessibility, psychometrics, provenance, and standards mappings; publish annual quality reports.
• Platform Engineers/Librarians: Implement schemas, APIs, OAI-PMH, JSON-LD, sitemaps, and repository operations for discoverability and archiving.

1.3 Definitions & Terminology

• Course (Learning Unit): Atomic offering with its own assessments (types: NB, MB, MC).
• Program: Bundle of required courses + capstone culminating in PC/AC/DIP awards.
• Stable Course Code: Immutable identifier STREAM-TYPE-LEVELSEQ (e.g., FIN-MC-318).
• Revision (rev): Content version YY.MM.P (e.g., 25.09.1) with Major/Minor/Patch semantics.
• NCU: Nexus Credit Unit; 1 NCU = 10 learner hours.
• RPL: Recognition of Prior Learning (external credentials or challenge assessment).
• Artifact: Portfolio output with recorded provenance (e.g., dashboard, clause/trigger pack, GIS matrix).
• Open Badge / VC: Digital credential (Open Badges 3.0) wrapped as a W3C Verifiable Credential for interoperable verification.
• Canonical Owner: Stream responsible for content when a course is cross-listed.
• NXS-NSF: Nexus Sovereign Finance/standards layer used for credential issuance, licensing, and revocation (hash-only on-chain).

1.4 Relationship to Nexus Academy & GCRI

Nexus Credentials operate within Nexus Academy (the delivery environment) under the governance of the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI). GCRI sets academic policy, quality standards, and ethics; Nexus Academy delivers learning units and manages the catalog; the Nexus Ecosystem (NXS-EWS/AAP/DSS/NSF/GRIx) powers labs, evidence capture, dashboards, and credential issuance. This guide is authoritative for codes, credits, and credentials across all streams (CORE, HLT, PUB, FIN, POL, TEC, ENV, SYS).

1.5 Credential Types (NB, MB, MC, PC, AC, DIP, FEL)

• NB (Nanobadge): 2–4h; single skill; short assessment; on-chain proof; no expiry.
• MB (Microbadge): 6–8h; mini-project + quiz; artifact required; no expiry.
• MC (Micro-Certificate): 12–20h; labs + graded assessment; artifact; renewal on Major rev via delta exam.
• PC (Professional Certificate): Program award; typically 60–90h across 3–5 MCs + capstone.
• AC (Advanced Certificate): Program award; 120–150h; deeper specialization; capstone with external review.
• DIP (Diploma): 240–300h; cross-stream scope; simulated board/red-team defense.
• FEL (Fellowship): Invitation-only; publishable outputs in Nexus Journals; mentoring and standards stewardship.

Note: Courses (NB/MB/MC) have course codes; program awards (PC/AC/DIP/FEL) have program codes.

1.6 Learning Philosophy & Mastery Model

• Mastery-based, self-paced: Progress when outcomes are demonstrated, not when time elapses.
• Stackable & portable: Micro-achievements build toward larger credentials with transparent mappings to standards and competencies.
• Evidence-first: Every MC yields a portfolio artifact with verifiable provenance.
• Continuously updated: Content evolves via revisions; delta exams keep credentials current after Major updates.
• Accessible & inclusive: WCAG 2.2 AA baseline, multilingual delivery, accommodations on request.
• Interoperable by design: Schemas (Schema.org/LRMI, DCAT-AP), assessment formats (IMS QTI), analytics (xAPI/Caliper), and credentials (OB3 + VC).

1.7 Document Conventions & Icons

• Code formatting: MONO for course/program codes and literal values; italics for new terms; bold for policy words MUST/SHOULD/MAY.
• Callouts:
  NOTE — helpful context · IMPORTANT — policy requirement · WARNING — risk to validity or privacy.
• Metadata keys: shown in JSON with double quotes; examples are illustrative unless marked NORMATIVE.
• Accessibility markers: ♿ indicates specific accessibility notes; 🌐 denotes multilingual features.
• Standards tags: [ISO 31000], [ISSB], [Basel], [DORA], [WCAG], [LRMI], [OB3], [VC].

1.8 Change History & Version of This Guide

• Current version: v1.0.0 (rev 25.09.0) — Published September 9, 2025 (America/Toronto).
• Initial scope: Codes & revisions; credits/NCU; programs; issuance/verification; metadata & discovery; QA & accessibility; privacy & governance.
• Change control: Updates require approvals from Registrar, Quality Board, and NSF Steward. Minor/patch updates may clarify wording; Major updates add or change normative requirements.

1.9 How to Read This Documentation

• New learners: Read §§2–4 for architecture, codes, credits, and RPL; skim §6 for badges and verification.
• Instructors: Focus on §§2–5 and §8 (assessment, accessibility, metadata); use checklists and examples.
• Employers/partners: See §§4, 6, and 7 for transferability, verification, and program composition.
• Registrars/engineers/librarians: Prioritize §§3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 for catalog, schemas, APIs, compliance, and governance.
• Use the ToC to jump; examples are non-binding unless labeled NORMATIVE.

1.10 Contact & Support Channels

• Registrar (codes, transcripts, RPL): /academy/support/registrar
• Accessibility & accommodations: /academy/support/access
• Badge verification: /verify
• Technical integrations (APIs/OAI-PMH/JSON-LD): /academy/support/integrations
• Appeals & academic integrity: /academy/policies/appeals
• General inquiries: /academy/support

If a policy in this guide conflicts with a course page, the stable course code record and the program page are authoritative for requirements and recognition.