What are digital badges?

Before taking a closer look at the true value digital badges can bring to the higher education sector, it’s essential to understand what they are and the intention behind them. Digital badges in education are essentially electronic symbols used as micro-credentials to declare and document achievement or skills mastered in different learning settings. This digital badging system has become a credible way for learners to establish portfolios and express knowledge — ultimately used in both academic and professional settings.

Why are higher education institutions adopting digital badging?

As higher education institutions navigate unprecedented learning environments and stiff competition, they’re constantly in pursuit of strategies that not only remove barriers to academic achievement for learners but also provide the flexibility needed to keep student achievement, engagement and enrolment elevated across the long term. As a result, digital badges have been increasingly introduced as a powerful technique to accomplish these institutional objectives while promoting lifelong learning along the way.

The digital badges market in the education sector is ultimately being driven by key factors including:

• The rise of eLearning and distance education: eLearning and distance learning opportunities have shown significant growth over the last decade, which was only accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The increased adoption of online learning: Global disruptions also lead to an expedited adoption of online learning methods, along with the digital tools needed to promote successful outcomes. 
• The growing demand for greater accessibility and flexibility: Learners across the globe are in pursuit of learning opportunities that allow them to individualise their education and complete work at their own pace.
• The trend toward gamification: Gamification is being widely introduced as a strategy to improve learner engagement. This includes reward systems, such as open badges, to drive learner motivation, engagement and satisfaction long term. 

According to Valuates Reports, the global digital badge market is projected to reach $365.1 million by 2028 — growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1% from 2022 to 2028. This emphasises the anticipated longevity of micro-credential-based digital badges in the education sector. 

Potential uses of digital badging in higher education

A digital badge system can inevitably help unify the representation of successful learning outcomes in higher education. A purposeful and comprehensive system can introduce learners to new pathways toward academic achievement and serve as a catalyst for these students to explore additional educational experiences. 

While open badge use is anticipated to grow in popularity in institutions across the globe, it’s important to note that standards are still being developed to promote consistency with the implementation and recognition of skills — whether soft skills or technical skills. This means higher education institutions should keep micro-credentials’ potential value in mind, alongside what they can offer today. 

As universities experiment with digital badging strategies, here are a few possible opportunities for these micro-credentials:

1. Assessment

The badge system provides a valuable framework for consistency with courses and evaluations. Digital badges, by nature, are used to certify the assessment and skill mastery of learners. However, well-designed badges can also provide a form of assessment for institutions to gauge what learners are interested in and engaging with most — aligning learning goals with outcomes.

2. Peer review and feedback 

Institutions can leverage open badges to generate valuable peer discussion feedback. This may, for example, become a fundamental badge course component to encourage communication while learners progress. Furthermore, digital badges can be used to monitor student performance, where institutions or instructors can provide individualised feedback — promoting improved outcomes moving forward.

Earned micro-credentials are also easily shared over social networks. Learners benefit from the opportunity to share their academic achievements with friends, family and their professional network, while institutions inevitably reach a wider audience with authentic endorsements. 

3. Professional development

As the popularity and use of digital credentials and open badges continue to grow, potential employers can use them to validate skills and knowledge. Higher education institutions can leverage badges as a tool to teach soft skills such as communication, time management and problem-solving — which will prove highly valuable for students as they enter the professional workforce. 

Considering an SHRM report stating three out of  four employers say they have a hard time finding graduates with the soft skills their companies need, prospective students may be eager for  this opportunity for professional development, especially alongside evidence. 

The benefits of digital badges — for both learners and institutions

With the growing use of digital badges in higher education institutions across national networks, several key parties stand to benefit as a result. Digital badging systems aid learners by:

• Providing recognition for acquiring a new skill or completing an online course.
• Allowing a potential employer or hiring manager to easily see and verify competence.
• Motivating students to develop new skills.
• Encouraging lifelong learning with opportunities for continued education and professional development.

As institutions introduce micro-credentialing strategies, students also have the unique opportunity to share any digital badge of competency with ease. This is not only a bonus for communications with alternative institutions and potential employers but also loved ones who can see digital badges that are shared on their social media sites.

While open badges and micro-credentials provide clear advantages to learners, higher education institutions are another key beneficiary of these solutions. By introducing this modern credentialing strategy, institutions can:

• Provide more flexible learning opportunities: Digital badges, and micro-credentials as a whole, are helping institutions offer alternative pathways to academic achievement. This not only supports unique learning needs, but also improves accessibility. As a result, institutions can drive enrollment — particularly amongst international students who might require more flexible learning options.

• Promote greater student mobility: As higher education universities progressively introduce micro-credentialing approaches for student learning, they’re ultimately promoting student mobility long term — where an open badge or digital credential has the potential to be recognised by another higher ed institution. 

• Drive student engagement and motivation: Badges awarded for knowledge and specific skill acquisition can have a positive impact on intrinsic motivation — considering a study from Forbes that found the introduction of open badges drove engagement and motivation in learners. 

• Improve course completion rates: A digital badging system’s inherent flexibility, along with the potential to improve learner engagement, will help institutions drive course completion rates moving forward. 
• Keep pace with competitors: In an increasingly digital world, higher education institutions are in need of advanced technological solutions to keep pace amid fierce competition. 

Introducing systems for digital credentialing with ease

The major shifts in the education sector in recent years have required higher education institutions to evolve to effectively accommodate these new forms of learning and workforce needs. In fact, research from Educause found that 13% of universities are actively engaging in the digital transformation — with 32% of these institutions working to develop a digital transformation strategy. With these trends projected to continue, it will be essential for higher education institutions to consider how digital technology can refine their processes and reputation.

Digitary by Parchment supports  education institutions in their pursuit of robust digital solutions by enabling millions of people to share their verified digital credentials and academic achievements online — securely, quickly and easily. Working with over 150 leading institutions across the globe, solutions from Digitary by Parchment are designed to help legitimate education providers give their learners an unparalleled experience.

Learn more about how Digitary CORE solutions can help your institution keep pace with digital trends in the education sector or submit an enquiry to get started.

The GDN Annual Meeting, 2022

At the GDN Annual Meeting, stakeholder representatives from over 100 organisations gathered to share, learn and lead discussions on strategies aimed at streamlining the exchange of authentic, autonomous educational data — with the expectation of fair recognition. The 2022 meeting, held October 12-14, centred on the themes of:

• Learner centricity.
• Interoperability.
• Lifelong learning. 

These ultimately highlight the interdependence of three key issues associated with digital credentialing solutions: All of which must be met to make digital learner data portability a global reality. 

How digital credential networks support international learner mobility

Kevin Martin, Higher Education, General Manager at Parchment, discussed some of the trends surrounding digital credentials in higher education today and how digital credential networks can support international learner mobility. 

Kevin explained that, in the face of the pandemic, education institutions and educators needed to shift from in-person platforms of teaching, learning and graduating to online platforms. And unfortunately, there’s been an increase in socioeconomic inequality because of a lack of access to virtual learning platforms. 

This means vulnerable learners, including  students escaping situations like war, rely on documents like transcripts, diplomas and certificates as tools for rebuilding their lives and regaining a sense of autonomy. Concurrently with the pandemic, wars and conflicts are making it difficult and nearly impossible for learners to access credentials relevant to their prior learning.

Over the last 10 years, these effects have been largely seen in:

• Syria.
• Afghanistan.
• Ukraine.

And, the affordability and the cost of studying abroad continue to be important considerations for international students. While studying abroad can offer a high-quality education, cultural and social experiences and a route to a better job, international education is one of the single largest investment decisions for many students due to the:

• High cost of tuition.
• Rising cost of living.
• Unfavourable currency exchange rates.

According to Research.com, the costs of attending a private and public university today are close to $48,510 and $21,370, respectively. This represents an increase of roughly 25% at private universities and about 30% at public universities since 2012.

Support for international learners today

Today, there are several significant projects, partnerships, companies and initiatives that are scaling academic and professional records exchange across the globe. Here are a few examples to note:

• Through the ARUCC MyCreds™ | MesCertifMC National Network, Canadian colleges and universities are providing credential wallets tolearners, giving them 24-7 access and helping them securely send their documents, badges, micro-credentials, transcripts and parchments — anytime, anywhere.
• My eQuals, managed by Higher Education Services (HES), is the official tertiary digital credentials platform for the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector, students and verifiers.

At Digitary by Parchment, our globally trusted online platform — launched in Dublin, Ireland, in 2005 — is now used by employers, education providers and government agencies in over 125 countries. Digitary CORE helps institutions and organisations verify the authenticity of degrees, transcripts and other academic records online. 

However, to build toward a united future, standards need to be set. Organisations that will play a critical role in casting the vision for, and standards of, academic credentials include:

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
• The Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC).
• 1EdTech.

How credential innovation empowers learners 

New Credentials have emerged to provide a fuller picture of a learner’s capability — representing the breadth of what learners know and can do as a result of their learning. This has led to tremendous innovation in credentials, including: 

• Academic transcripts.
• Diplomas.
• Certificates.
• Badges.
• Comprehensive Learner Records.

Institutions are quickly and increasingly partnering with organisations like those mentioned earlier to create new pathways, communicate more content and make these credentials actionable for learners. 

What to expect moving forward

Kevin also spoke about how the emergence of digital credentials has been creating a culture of recognition, and the next step is to put those credentials to work.

This means, employees will need to learn new skills as demand moves from physical and cognitive to more technical and socialisation skills, and employers are progressively utilising skills-based hiring. Because of this, there’s an even greater need for skills data. Digital credentials will become the building blocks for both job seekers and employers as the marketplace for skills and technology becomes more sophisticated. 

Given the compelling need to work together and the increasing use of digital technologies, the global collaboration surrounding these initiatives is more valuable than ever to: 

1. Continue to build national networks.
2. Bridge these national networks to ensure that we have interoperable systems built to inform and empower greater student mobility.

By connecting national networks and providing access to equitable, interoperable systems that enhance learner mobility, institutions can adequately support international learners — particularly the most vulnerable populations in our localities, countries and the world. 

Continued support from partners like Digitary

Digitary by Parchment is a GDN patron organisation with a like-minded belief that learners should be able to access and share their digital credentials, including certificates, transcripts, diploma supplements, Higher Education Achievement Reports (HEARs) and more, securely and easily.  

Digitary CORE (Certified Online Records Exchange) is a leading secure online platform for certifying, sharing and verifying digital academic credentials worldwide. Our platform is ultimately designed to empower learners on their lifelong learning journey while supporting higher education institutions in pursuit of providing an unparalleled student experience. 

Discover more about how Digitary’s solutions support interoperability and learner centricity or submit an enquiry to get started.