First Higher Education Institution Partner in Japan to Digitise Academic Credentials

In the future, Digitary and RECSIE will continue to work with ICU to enable them to issue graduation certificates and completion certificates to their alumni. In addition, they aim to be able to issue all certificates, including transcripts, digitally from April 2022.

With the digitisation of academic credentials, current students and graduates of participating universities will be able to access their own digitally authenticated graduation certificates and transcripts online at any time and from anywhere in the world using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The new system will allow students to share their verified official credentials to any company or institution in Japan or overseas. By implementing digital credentials, which has already become a global standard, students and graduates will be provided with greater control and support in their international activities.

This will not only reduce the cost of issuing and mailing paper certificates but will also improve the efficiency of operations at other universities and institutions. Employers in Japan and overseas who accept the digital certificates do not need to install any special software or smartphone applications; they can simply see the pre verified credential online. For both universities and hiring companies, this will improve efficiency by reducing the number of paper certificates and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We’re excited to welcome International Christian University (ICU) to the RECSIE National Network powered by Digitary and will continue to support RECSIE to extend the digital capabilities to all learners across Japan.”  James Murray-Beckman, Chief Operating Officer, Digitary said, “We’re thrilled to collaborate on such an important initiative bringing the Digitary digital credential platform to ICU our first Partner in Japan.”

“For the first time in Japan’s history, we are creating a national, secure digital platform for sharing official digitised academic transcripts and credentials.” says Koichi Nakasaki, Chief Research Officer of Institute for Future Engineering and Director of RECSIE who is leading the nationwide program, “The future-oriented and global partnership of ICU, Digitary and RECSIE have pioneered a dimension of digital transformation in higher education institutions in Japan.”

“With the spread of the novel coronavirus, everyone felt the need to go digital. For our university, which has many graduates who are active in various countries around the world, the digitisation of certificates was inevitable, and we were finally able to take the first step.” said Tamami Hatakeyama, Director, University Secretariat of ICU.

Digitary’s international platform has been widely adopted by national networks of higher education institutions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, European countries, India, China and the Middle East. The implementation of this platform has made it possible for current and former students to access certificates issued by universities around the world and participating universities from a single user interface.

About Digitary

Digitary was launched in Dublin, Ireland in 2005, and has grown to become the leading online platform for certifying, sharing, and verifying academic credentials. Learner-centric since the very start, Digitary enables millions of learners to access their verified achievements and to share them with others securely, quickly, and easily. With offices in Ireland, UK, Italy, Australia, India, Canada and Japan, Digitary is now used by organisations in over 135 countries, providing reliable digital solutions to a global audience. For more information visit www.digitary.net

About RECSIE (Research Consortium for International Education and Research)

RECSIE was established in January 2014 and is a non-profit organisation aiming at contributing to the internationalisation of higher education and promoting a research agenda that goes beyond the borders of our individual universities. The core objective of RECSIE is to collaborate with universities around the world for enhanced student mobility and to develop the talent of our students through cultural diversity. RECSIE joined the Groningen Declaration Network in early 2020, the first from Japan, and has taken up the digitalisation initiative for Japanese higher education community. For more information visit www.recsie.or.jp

About International Christian University

Japan’s premier four-year liberal arts university was established in 1953, shortly after the end of World War II, with the mission to “cultivate competent internationally-minded citizens who contribute to lasting peace”. As a university that is open to the world, it has been accepting many faculty members and students from overseas since its inception. Currently, one in three faculty members is a foreign national, and students from about 50 countries are studying together on one campus. The liberal arts education, where students learn autonomously in small groups amidst diversity, fosters citizens who understand and respect the perspectives of others, integrate them with their own, and create new value. For more information visit www.icu.ac.jp/en/

AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

James Murray Beckman, Chief Operational Officer, Digitary
james.murray-beckman@digitary.net 

Koichi Nakasaki, Director, Research Consortium for International Education and Research (RECSIE)
koichi.nakasaki@recsie.or.jp

Public Relations Office, International Christian University
pro@icu.ac.jp

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Marni MacGilp, Marketing Manager, Digitary
marni.macgilp@digitary.net