The Future of Digital Credentials- Understanding the Biggest Gamechanger in Higher Education

The Future of Digital Credentials- Understanding the Biggest Gamechanger in Higher Education

What are Digital Credentials

In this growing digital world where traditional brick & mortar has been replaced by e-commerce or digital marketing, there’s been a new addition in terms of recognising a credential or achievement through ‘Digital Credential’.

Digital Credential is the instant way to verify and manage your digital certificates, digital badges and achievements online.

What qualifies as Digital Badges and Digital Certificates?

Both Digital Badges and Digital Certificates are achievements or awards one has earned through an online platform. These could be earned through education, an accomplishment of skill, professional entitlement or on completion of a successful project.

Digital Badges and Digital Certificates also serve as a significant way to verify the authenticity of an individual’s credentials.

Let’s get to know Digital badges and Digital Certificates individually:

Digital Badges or e-Badges represent an individual’s credential of an organization, skill, qualification or an accomplishment in a digital form and also help verify or display the same. These badges are usually used for low-stakes credentials and are still in the early stages of development for high-stakes credentials. Digital Badges have a minimal look to them and are designed in a way that reflects the respective credential.

In order to issue or display digital badges across online websites and non-profit organizations, Mozilla Foundation developed a technical standard known as Open Badges in 2011

Digital Certificates are the digital equivalent to represent paper-based certificates. As compared to digital badges, digital certificates are used to represent high-stakes credentials received after completion of an academic degree or on completion of a project or a course.

Importance of Digital Credentials:

Digital Credentials have been in existence for a decade now but recent years have seen significant growth in ensuring the validity of digital badges and digital certificates and will surely prove to be a game-changer in the coming years and here’s why:

Verification:

With digital credentials, it is easy for a hiring company or an organization to verify the credentials of an individual’s skill, qualification and accomplishment. Open badges, the technical standard for digital badges are backed with meta-data and help showcase the real value or authenticity of the potential credential leaving minimal to no chance for an employee to falsify or alter their credentials.