Description #
Open Badges are digital certificates (or badges) issued to learners of training courses who have acquired a specific set of skills, or to certify the results achieved or their participation. They can serve as “proof” of learning achieved, courses completed, or further educational outcomes. The badges therefore serve to recognize learning. They can be used in many sectors: work, school, leisure. There are a number of free platforms available for designing open badges, such as Canva, Accredible, Openbadges.me, or RedCritter.
How to get it #
Why recommended #
Pros #
– Innovative and creative evaluation option
– Recognition of modular certifications
– Recognition of not-formal learning outcomes
– Motivation and promotion of participation in learning
– Tracking of the learning phases
– Easy integration into social networks
Cons #
– There are currently no standards or quality criteria for badge providers
– Lack of standard technical solutions for recording learning outcomes and automatically assigning badges
Application to the VET Area #
Training
Work-based training
Tutoring and accompaniment
Support for business creation
Level #
Integrator
How to use this tool #
Open Badges are a flexible and “portable” way to recognize learning and can be integrated into, or alongside, traditional qualifications and professional accreditation systems. Regardless of the “formal” acquisition of skills, widely regulated in the VET Systems of various European countries, Open Badges can be used to make the acquired knowledge and skills “visible” and in some way “spendable”, which make up a certified and verifiable digital wallet.
Open Badges can therefore become particularly relevant in the context of tutoring and support for work inclusion and job placement, within which these certificates could at least be relied upon in the phases of seeking opportunities and mismatches. In the (possible) perspective of the introduction of regulatory changes to the VET systems in the countries concerned, the Open Badges could be used to certify the achievement of otherwise indemonstrable skills.
Training #
– Enable the modular recognition of non-formalized skills or in non-formal learning contexts
Work-based training #
– Enable the modular recognition of non-formalized skills or in non-formal learning contexts
Tutoring and support for job placement #
– Enable the modular recognition of non-formalized skills or in non-formal learning contexts
Support for self-entrepreneurship and business creation #
– Enable the modular recognition of non-formalized skills or in non-formal learning contexts
Practical Resources #
Openbadges.me Tutorial: How to Issue Badges
5:53 min
Digital Badges with Accredible
6:22 min
Creating badges in Canva
6:59 min
Further reading and suggestions #
– Canva for teachers
– A beginners guide to open badges
– Badges community
– Support
