Digital Badges at CU Denver
What are Digital Badges?
A digital badge is a kind of microcredential (see our microcredential development page to learn more). Digital badges are to microcredentials as diplomas are to degree programs. Digital badges contain metadata about the educational program and the learner's achievements, such as:
- Who earned the badge
- The issuer
- Earning criteria
- Learning outcomes/competencies/skills
- Assessment method
Digital Badge Types
Skill Badge
Can be awarded for completion of a microcredential program in which the skill is verified through an assessment.
Meta-Badge
Can be awarded to signify a large number of skills or competencies, or the accumulation of multiple Skill Badges.
Recognition Badge
Can be provided to participants in activities in which the skill is not verified through an assessment.
Is a program badge-worthy?
The Digital Badge Working Group recommended that guiding principles be provided to help determine whether programs and activities are badge-worthy. Although badges are motivational to learners, motivation alone is not a sufficient reason to award a Skill Badge. Skill Badges are a tool for highlighting and verifying skills that have value for the learner's career and/or professional growth. As such, Skill Badges should be both motivators for students and of meaningful value to their current or future careers.
The following examples of evidence are intended to help faculty and other program leaders make decisions about badge-worthiness:
- Are the skills linked to, or reinforcing, professional standards?
- Are the skills known to be needed in the job market through evidence, such as through market data, employer surveys, or workforce/economic reports?
- Are the skills needed to advance learners along a specified professional pathway?
- Have you received student and/or industry partner feedback describing the need for this skill?
Examples of Activities that can Award Badges
Proposing a Digital Badge
For new programs, the Microcredential Curriculum Establishment Form will collect the information needed to establish the program in our systems and establish the digital badge. If you would like to add a digital badge to an existing program, contact Jeremy Lingle (jeremy.lingle@ucdenver.edu).
Once the information needed to establish the digital badge is collected, the following steps will occur:
- The Director of Microcredentials will work with the University Communications office to create the badge icon and will create a badge template in Credly using the information provided through the form.
- The template will be shared with the proposer for review, adjustments, and approval
- The digital badge will be published in Credly.
Resources
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Get in Touch
Contact Jeremy Lingle, Director of Microcredentials, at jeremy.lingle@ucdenver.edu to learn more about digital badges for your programs, or if you have questions or feedback about this website.