Digital badges are an assessment and credentialing mechanism that validates your online learning. It expands the reach of your brand or learning, ensures job applicant’s skill in the domain, and shows your employers where and what you have learned. They are a subset of digital credentials and validates the accomplishment, skill, or competencies earned in learning environments.
The digital badges document the informal learning. It visually shares the competencies of the students or employees with employers.
Let us have a brief idea about the organizations that award digital badges, the available categories, and the significance of earning digital badges.
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Organizations implementing Digital Badges
The digital credentials apply to a learning environment that includes higher education, executive education, online learning, training programs, certifications, awarding bodies, boot camps, continuing education, and more.
The digital credentials are represented as badges by most of the educational institutes. The organizing body actively documents informal education more engagingly by providing credential badges. Some of the participating organizations are Khan Academy, Harvard University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Chicago city schools, Purdue University, University of California, Davis, and so forth.
Categories of Digital Badges
The badges are awarded as per the category. A few of them are briefed below.
Membership-based
It is provided for being a member of the volleyball team, awarded for fellowship, or given to a professional development group.
Competency-based
It demonstrates or proves the candidate’s ability in programming skills, project management, and other intermediate learnings.
Internship-based
It recognizes the specific job-related skills acquired by the candidate during the tenure of an internship.
Achievement-based
It acknowledges the candidate’s professional accomplishments over some time or the goals achieved as prescribed by the organizing body.
Significance of earning credential badges
The badge must possess all the necessary information. It shows who earned the badge, how it was earned, what for the badge was awarded, who issued it, and evidence of work as applicable.
The digital badges possess the following details.
- Badge name
- Badge Criteria
- Badge URL
- Issue Date
- Issuer
- Recipient
The significance of earning credential badges are enormous. A few of them are highlighted below.
Authenticity
The employers, organizations, or schools can readily verify the data of every badge in a more authentic manner.
Open-source
The badges are open source and come with no fee. The candidates can visit the site and download it through the link given by the authorizing body.
Stores important information
Each badge carries a link to the issuer. It states the criteria under which it was issued and evidence for verifying the credential.
Create learning paths
The learners can achieve a career path that links with their skills. It encourages candidates to earn badges that represent their skills and advancement.
Wider Recognition
It helps the participating candidates to display their earned skills on their portfolios, web pages, job sites, and social profiles like LinkedIn and gain wider recognition.
A Final Note
Digital badges attract, engage, and progress talent of the participating candidates. It helps to earn, share, verify, and identify growth opportunities.