What are the Best Practices for Digital Badging in Education?

Posted by Niti Sharma on June 14th, 2019

Badges acts as a symbol, a shortcut to understand people we often come across daily. For instance, one can quote example of police officers, service members or retail workers; it is due to their digital badges that we get to know the history of their formal training, their education and certifications they’ve acquired.

Digital badges in education offer a similar shortcut to understanding the competency or achievements of individuals one collaborates online, be it teaching or recruiting. In the current scenario, the stakes are high for candidates who can demonstrate their skill competencies, in such situation a digital badge can be of good help.

Digital badging is infinitely reusable, the reason why it also offers high scalability for assessing core competencies to get a transparent view of the candidate’s capabilities and skills. Most people are now opting digital badges for professional development. It acts as an evidence based assessment for most employers.

There are certain practices that one needs to follow in order to avail effective results through digital badging. It is crucial for candidates to learn it from institutions that are already leaders in the education sector. Here’s what one should follow while taking up digital badges in education.

• Transparency

It is vital for one to have a transparency as it is one of the important aspect in digital badging. If the third party isn’t able to identify the issuance or the rigor behind the badge, then it becomes null. Be very clear and sharp about defining your issuance criteria.

• Badges should be freed from Learning Management System (LMS)

Learning management systems (LMS) acts as great tools for student and teacher (educator) communication. Besides this, digital badges are tools that will be applicable for life even beyond academia. Make sure that your badges do not stay trapped for much longer time in the LMS, else they will be of no good. Students should have their badges with them lifelong.

• Competencies

Badges have the nature of being rewarded for end number of reasons. And using badges to certify one’s level of competency that the student is capable of is one of the most effective usage in the field of education.

• Avoid redundancy

The major factor behind digital badges in education is the ability to demonstrate core competency skills in a manner where even grades cannot. For example, if a student has already been awarded with a A, there is no additional skill that you’re awarding him for because the students record already proves that he/she got an A. However, it would be beneficial if one issue the badge for an additional skillset, let the badge do all the talking.

Digital badges for professional development can also include providing student with playbook where they can upload their portfolio and resume, and embracing badge diversity in co-curricular activities apart from just the education badging.

Digital badging is now setting newer standards of what and how we learn in attempt to embrace the future in our learning ecosystem.