A Guide to Digital Badges

In the current digital world, knowledge and information can be obtained from any platform be it digital or analog. We must aid this knowledge to quantify our skill-set and demonstrate our proficiency. Digital badges in one such way to recognise learners achievements and help further in a career path.

Introduction to Digital Badges:

A digital badge is the digital representation of learners’ achievement which consists of the organization’s accreditation, the recipient’s name, and validation for the qualified skill.

The global pandemic has changed the face of the digital world making it more learner-centred. Digital badges allow flexibility in learning multiple career pathways, accomplishing multiple tasks and projects, completing short courses, filling the portfolio gap by learning hard skills and soft skills and also gaining hands-on verified experience of it.

Digital badges can be displayed across all digital platforms like social media, websites and blogs. It can also be used as an email signature, digital avatar for social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook and also while computing your digital CV/Resume.

Open Badges:

Open badges, founded by Mozilla in 2011, is neither a product nor a platform but a type of digital badge that comes with a set of standards that verifies the authenticity of the badge.

Open badges are backed with metadata that verifies the badge anatomy including, the issuer, the recipient, the date of issue, its validity period, evidence, badge description and digital signature.

Open badges also have storage for multiple badges earned called a ‘backpack’. Backpack by open badges display all the badges earned by the person and can be shared on digital platforms making it easier for employers to access and verify the credentials collectively.

Issuing a Digital Badge:

Digital badges can be issued by an organization through digital credentials or badging platforms. These platforms may have their own set of criteria to issue, design and verify the badge credentials.

The process of issuing a digital badge includes:

• Criteria of the digital badge
• Setting a course or a training program
• Evaluating the program on basis of level progress and score
• Determining what skills needs to be recognised in the badge
• Designing the badge using a digital credential platform

In Conclusion:

Digital Badges are learner-focused and add to the learner’s employment. It is easily shareable and portable, saving time and cutting costs for both the issuer and recipient.