Colleges are under pressure to show that what students learn in the classroom reflects the knowledge and skills they'll be expected to bring to their work beyond campus.  

They've responded in several ways: embedding industry certifications in four-year degrees; experimenting with two-year "nexus degrees" that bring together qualities of associate and certificate programs; and offering "badges" and other short-form credentials — sometimes developed with local companies — that let students highlight skills they've learned that may be attractive to future employers. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, ed tech leaders are optimistic about the trend of bringing skills training into the curriculum more broadly and serving up credentials in smaller bites.

That was the consensus among execs from skills training, online learning and credentialing companies who told Education Dive via email during the last few weeks about what they see as the challenges and opportunities ahead for postsecondary education.

Read on to see what they said.