Has Pearson taken Credly to the darkside:ACE Prior Learning Network powered by Credly

[MNomadic]

So I recently passed CompTIA CySA+  and as is my usual routine, I logged into Credly to accept my badge and then share it to my LinkedIn profile, when I got a pop-up message informing me that my cert could be worth college credit and was prompted on if I want to learn more about the "ACE Prior Learning Network powered by Credly." I clicked on it and it's just a standard form asking me if I want to receive marketing emails, texts, and phone calls from some partner colleges:

By opting into the ACE Prior Learning Network powered by Credly, you are agreeing to receive emails, phone calls, and Text messages from the schools you select at the phone number and email you provide. These calls may include receiving automated technology or prerecorded voice messages. You are not obligated to purchase anything by opting into this program. You can opt-out of this program or direct a college to stop contacting you whenever you'd like. *

The colleges listed as partners are:

• Southern New Hampshire University
  
• Thomas Edison State University
  
• National University
  
• SUNY Empire
  
• University of Maryland Global Campus
  
• Rockland Community College
  

I would surmise that this is the real reason Pearson has acquired Credly, to expand their marketing to new audiences and work their way up to being an education/credentialling juggernaut. 

As a side note, people achieving certifications like CompTIA's should consider looking into those colleges on their own to see if they'd be a viable option for transferring into. We already know WGU, PUG and some of the Big 3 accept some certs for credit but having more options never hurts!

edit: attached a screenshot of the popup


  Screenshot 2022-03-01 155351.png (Size: 22.71 KB / Downloads: 14)