Digital Badges
Professional Education
Welcome to a new way to share your skills, knowledge and accomplishments
The University of Utah and digital badging provider Credly have partnered to provide our students the opportunity to earn and share digital badges. Our new digital badge program is designed to assist our students validate and differentiate their skills and to provide tools to tell their professional story.
A digital badge is a visual online representation of an accomplishment, skill, interest, or other achievement.
Digital badges communicate three things:
- Who did something?
- What did they do?
- Who says they did it?
An open digital badge takes it a step further by allowing others to see and verify the actions needed to earn the badge. By providing transparency as to who issued the badge (in this case, the University of Utah) and what the requirements were to earn the badge, digital badges can differentiate our students.
Shown above are examples of what the University of Utah Digital Badges look like. There are unique designs for the type of activity needed to earn the badge.
You can earn a badge for many different things; a course, a certificate, a co-curricular experience, a class or a project just to name a few.
Go Beyond the Transcript
Badges are used to communicate valuable skills that can sometimes be difficult to show on a traditional transcript. Digital badges provide a way for students to validate and share these experience with audiences that can impact future opportunities such as employers or even graduate programs.
Badges are for everyone! The University of Utah is a strong supporter of lifelong learning which helps students stay competitive and relevant by continually updating your skills. Digital badges can help you track and organize a lifetime of learning. Following are examples of the different types of badge earners benefiting from a lifelong learning mindset:
- Degree-seeking students investing their time in co-curricular activities
- University of Utah alumni preparing to make a career pivot
- Experienced professionals taking a non-credit certificate to secure a promotion at work
- Recent graduates just launching their professional career by adding technical skills to a liberal arts background
- Kids starting out a lifetime of learning in a STEM oriented summer camp
Step 1 EARN
Complete your participating certificate, micro-certificate or co-curricular program.
Step 2 CLAIM
Once you've earned your badge, you'll be sent a notification e-mail from our badge provider and partner, Credly. During this process, you'll receive information about how to claim and share your badge. At this point, you can also create your own profile page on the Credly website which provides numerous additional benefits.
Step 3 SHARE
If you choose, you can "share" your badge on social media sites or place your badge directly on your digital resume or e-portfolio.
Step 4 ADVANCE
Whether it's a new promotion, new job or graduate school, as a badge holder, you now have a variety of tools available to help you make that transition. You'll be able to access data about the labor market demand for the skills validated by your badge.
Here's an example of what others will see when they visit your badge page. You can also view it on the Credly page.
The University of Utah digital badging program currently awards badges for non-credit professional certificates and micro-certificates that are offered through Professional Education. See a list of programs currently awarding badges.
Future U of U plans include expanding the program to include a wide variety of co-curricular programs for degree-seeking students. Examples of badged co-curricular programs might include community service programs, global travel experiences or volunteer work for groups promoting diversity. Stand by to find out more in the coming months!
One of the most unique features of a University of Utah digital badge is the ability to easily communicate your accomplishments. Share your badge with social media sites or incorporate them on your professional branding tools like a resume or website.
The following sharing avenues are available through our badging partner, Credly:
- Via email
- Embedded in a website
- Place the badge on an electronic resume
One-Click Verification – Metadata
University of Utah digital badges contain metadata that allows anyone to understand the skills, knowledge and actions taken to earn the badge. Information includes the following items:
- Who the badge was issue by
- Who the badge was issued to
- The date of issue
- The expiration date of the badge if any
- The skills verified by the badge
- What the requirements are for earning the badge
- If the badge meets any outside accrediting standards
- Evidence of skills or knowledge earned - for example a report or project
- Recommendations for additional badges that can be earned
Digital Badges Open Career Opportunities
Explore Credly's labor market insights to learn which job opportunities are available as a result of your skills
We chose Credly to be our badging partner for a variety of reason, but one of the biggest reasons was the access to real-time labor market insights for our badge holders.
Based on your skills you can learn which employers are hiring, what job titles you might be qualified for, salary ranges and more. With your digital badge, you can search active job listings and even apply for them with just a few clicks through Credly.
What if I don't want my digital badge to be public?
If you do not want your certification or your profile to be visible to the public, you can make them private. In fact, you may simply discard the digital badge e-mail if you do not wish to participate in the program. The University of Utah and Credly take very seriously the importance of putting you in control of your certification. All information regarding you and your certification can be configured within the Credly system.
Is there a fee for claiming and sharing my badge?
No – there is no fee. Storing, managing and sharing credentials is free.
The Professional Education Department at the University of Utah manages the Digital Badge program for the University. Please feel free to email proed@utah.edu or call 801-515-1780 to schedule a meeting to learn more about awarding digital badges.
Questions? Contact us to find out more. Use our online contact form or call us at 801-585-1780.
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