What a credential is
A credential tells us who is authorized or trusted to do something. A doctor's license allows them to prescribe treatment. A certification from an organization like PMI, Amazon, Microsoft or Cisco builds confidence that someone has certain skills, or at least did at some point.
Credentials mainly serve other people. Instead of asking for a live demonstration, a viewer can see the credential and feel reasonably confident the holder can be trusted with that skill.
Certifications can come from large organizations with industry recognition, or from a single company or person. The organization issuing the credential lends its credibility to the person receiving it.
Why digital badges
Digital badges are credentials that live online. They can be shared on websites and social media. Because they link back to the issuer, the criteria and the evidence, they're credible in a way a simple image isn't.
CDD uses digital badges that follow the Open Badges standard. That means a badge can be verified by other tools and carried by the person anywhere, including to a new employer.
Benefits:
- Employees can show their skills on social media and elsewhere.
- Employers can identify capable people through recognized, substantiated skills.
- Organizations get a common language for professional achievement.
- People are recognized for real skills, not for sitting through a class.
What goes on a badge
Each badge has a few parts. A good badge keeps its focus on the skill.
- Badge name: Flexible, but it's nice when it describes the holder, not just the badge. Examples: Fire Starter, Agile Thinker, Dental Hygienist Level 2.
- Badge description: A few sentences that describe the holder. Focus on what they can already do, not what they learned or how they were trained. Write it for a future employer.
- Earning criteria: The list of competencies the person must master. It tells the learner, the evaluator and any future employer what the badge means.
- Expiration (optional): The number of days a badge stays valid, if the skill may fade and needs recertifying.
- Standard skills (optional): Connect the badge to standard industry skill codes (for example EMSI), so hiring systems can recognize it.
- External criteria link: A link to more detail, such as suggested learning and evaluation instructions, hosted elsewhere.
A sample layout
[Badge name]
[One paragraph describing the badge holder.]
Earning criteria
- [Competency one]
- [Competency two]
- [Competency three]
Optional: expiration · standard skill codes
Kept separate from the badge
- Evaluation instructions
- [Guided conversation, project, or other method]
- Suggested learning
- [links to resources and practice ideas]
Designing the badge image
Work with a designer to create a badge image people will be proud to share. Keep it simple and recognizable. Set the expiration (if any) and metadata when you build the badge.
Awarding, and taking away
Make sure awarding works smoothly. Your champions should be able to award and revoke badges. Deploy badges to small batches of employees first, gather feedback, then widen. Watch for problems in evaluation logistics, awarding and learner feedback.
Tools for badges
You can run a badge system on many platforms, including a learning management system. CertifyHub is one purpose-built option: it supports authoring certifications, human evaluation, and awarding Open Badges. Use whatever fits your team.