Completing any form of training or further education carries with it a commitment of time and, quite often, money. Learners, having invested these resources, naturally want to maximise the benefits of their efforts, and recognition of their learning achievement is a key element of this.
The growth of digital badges
Digital badges have become an increasingly popular way for education and training organisations to provide recognition of learning. By the latest estimates, more than 26,000 organisations worldwide are issuing badges, contributing to a 73% growth in the number of badges awarded. And it’s not just conventional educators, like universities or online training platforms, that are adopting them. Businesses across all industries are offering badges as part of their own internal training programs to incentivise and reward employee participation.
Given the clear enthusiasm for this form of learning recognition, let's examine more closely how digital badges benefit both learners and employers alike.
Shareable
Digital badges, as the name suggests, include a visual representation of accomplishment. These are designed to be easily shared with potential employers across various platforms, including LinkedIn, personal websites, email signatures and digital portfolios. Badges enhance learners' resumes, allowing them to showcase their skills and knowledge, and making them more attractive to potential employers.
Verifiable
We've all heard stories of people "embellishing" their resumes to secure a job. While this isn't the norm, employers often have to trust that the information shared by candidates is truthful. Verifying qualifications, especially for short courses and less-regulated training, can be challenging.
Digital badges, issued by training organisations and managed through dedicated badging platforms, offer a credible and verifiable record of achievement. This gives employers far greater certainty that a qualification has been legitimately earned, thereby increasing its value.
Specific
Without supporting information, conventional qualification certificates hold little detail about what the person actually learnt. By contrast, digital badges include detailed metadata about the issuing institution, the course title, learning outcomes, and the criteria met by the learner. This provides employers a far clearer picture of employees' capabilities and gives the learner a more rigorous and objective record of the skills or knowledge acquired.
Motivating
Digital badges are part of a broader initiative to recognise and validate non-traditional learning paths and achievements. They motivate learners by providing tangible evidence of their skills and competencies. This approach is especially effective for employers encouraging their current workforce to complete training. Digital badges offer value in exchange for the time and effort invested and can enhance future employability.
A better way to validate learning
Overall, digital badges serve as a modern and innovative way to recognise and communicate a learner's competencies and achievements in education. They give employers more confidence in a candidate’s capabilities and specific detail of the skills acquired. As digital badges become a standard part of the educational and professional landscape, short courses and other less conventional learning paths should gain greater legitimacy and be more fairly valued alongside traditional award qualifications.
UTS Open issues digital badges for short courses and microcredentials. Why not explore our range of learning opportunities and take the first step towards earning your next digital badge.
