A new approach to micro credentials visualization
A person’s curriculum vitae (résumé) is composed of different elements, all intended to certify the competences that a person possesses and their path of acquisition. However, not all competences are visible on school or working certificates, and often some skills aquired through professional experiences remain hidden. As learning happens in various contexts, it is important to have tools that help to make skills learned at work, through hobbies, or in voluntary work, visible.
Open Badges (OB) serve this purpose. They can be regarded as digital credentials, as they are digital representations of achievements, skills, and knowledge that individuals have gained. They are therefore particularly valuable for showcasing micro skills and credentials, which are often difficult to quantify through traditional means. Open Badges are often used in education, professional development, and other learning environments to recognize and validate competencies or milestones. They are therefore very interesting for VET programs for the recognition of skills and competencies and their portability and accessibility throughout a person’s career.
The interests in tools like open badges comes from the need to give form to skills and credentials acquired via informal learning and validate individual’s knowledge and competences in a specific area or field. Indeed, microcredentials are gaining popularity due to their flexibility, relevance to industry needs, and the ability to quickly upskill or reskill workers.
Micro-credentials are part of so-called ‘informal learning’ designed to cover specific skills or competencies, allowing learners to gain expertise in particular areas without needing to commit to a full degree or other further education program. They are acquired in a shorter time frame and often compared to traditional educational programs, ranging from a few hours to a few months. They are often developed in collaboration with industry partners to ensure that the skills taught are in high demand and directly applicable in the workplace. Therefore, upon completion of a micro-credential, learners receive a digital badge or certificate that can be easily shared on professional networks like LinkedIn, or added to resumes and portfolios.
What make Open Badges interesting is that they are visually recognisable as they are digital images that contain embedded metadata detailing the skills and achievements they represent. They can be verified for authenticity and are often issued by reputable organizations, and can be displayed on professional networks, resumes, personal websites, and social media.
For a provider, issuing Open Badges involves defining the purpose and criteria for the badge, designing it, choosing a badge-issuing platform, and then managing the issuing process.
Identifying the purpose is the first step in clearly define what the badge represents, and setting the criteria recipients must meet to earn the badge. The next stage is to elaborate a visual design (with the appropriate design tools) for the badge that includes an icon or logo, the badge title, and possibly the name of your organization. The design should be visually appealing and represent the achievement or skill. This graphic design should then be enriched with metadata (badge name, description, criteria, issue date, and expiration date if applicable) to make it verifiable and provide context to the achievement. It is then important to chose a suitable Badge-Issuing Platform for setting up the profile, uploading the design and the metadata and setting the criteria and conditions for issuing the badge. The badge can then be issued manually once the criteria are met or automatically. Overall, it’s important to ensure that badges are meaningful, verifiable, and easy for recipients to claim and share.
From a user perspective, the process of obtaining open badges is quite easy. You need to clearly identify your goals and what skills or knowledge you want to develop, gain or demonstrate. Then you can look for reputable organizations, institutions, or platforms that offer Open Badges in the areas you’re interested in, and follow the rules set for its delivery.
In the Digi Teachers project, Open Badges have been used as part of the training evaluation. In particular, training teachers´ competences were assessed and identified with Open Badges: the training consisted of three modules, and each module´s skills were evaluated. When a module was passed, an Open Badge was issued. The project started with creation of the training syllabus based on 1) DigCompEdu framework and 2) the results of a Digi Teachers project survey that was carried out in each partner country. The Syllabus was divided into three modules and areas of expertise under each module:
- Digital resources
- Teaching and learning
- Empowering learners
Once the syllabus was finalized, the project continued with building the training module, toolkit, and Open Badges.
Digi Teachers Open Badges
28 teachers participated in the pilot training and all together 78 Open Badges were issued. Open Badges were a new experience for the teachers, as it was for some partners. The feedback received was, nonetheless, really positive. Participants were enthusiastic about Open Badges, even though their utilization was still in its early stages. So, from this point of view participating teachers acted as Open Badge ambassadors in their countries.
Open Badges are a growing reality that give a perceivable digital recognition to micro-credentials, proving to be particularly useful also for VET programs and students. Their use is growing in many areas and Countries, but they are is still unknown in many others. It was a successful experience to work with them in Digi Teachers Project, and as ARFIE we hope to see them growing and become a presence in professionals’ CVs. Open Badges offer a real opportunity for improving CVs and employability as they clearly demonstrate to employers the micro skills and credentials possessed by their bearer. They encourage continuous personal and professional development (Lifelong Learning) and provide formal recognition of skills that are often under-represented in traditional qualifications. Last but not least, they are easy to carry across different platforms and stages of a person’s career.
By earning and displaying Open Badges for micro skills and credentials, individuals can provide verifiable proof of their abilities, making them more attractive to potential employers and collaborators.