Open badges

Open badges are a digital method to prove evidence of competencies. A ‘badge’ itself is a symbol or indicator of an accomplishment, skill, quality or interest. The badges are based on an open standard that is not tied to any specific service or platform. This enables collecting them from different sources and displaying them on different platforms. Open badges enable individual advancement in student’s study paths and knowledge base. They are a modern, visual way of proving competencies that are slowly becoming more common.

Benefits of open badges

• They assist recognising and emphasising competencies gained via work and study
• They support attaching evidence in a variety of media types
• It is also said that learning is most effective when it is multi-channel and social
• Informal knowledge is made possible to recognise using open badges
• At best, the learner’s self-directedness can be enhanced by using digital tools and by using gaming content elements to inspire the accumulation of knowledge.

Open Badges require an application with attached evidence of the necessary competency. The applicant receives an email notification when the application has been approved as well instructions on how to accept the digital badge.

Received open badges can be made visible once placed in one’s Open Badge Passport or Mozilla Backpack. You can also add them to your digital portfolios such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or different blogs.

To any future employer, CORE project’s open badges will show a determined approach to the goals and commitment to achieve these. These are important appearances that employers also value in future.

CORE project is issuing a badge to all students who complete pop-up event or participate in competition during the project’s lifetime. In this project, students will also have the opportunity to apply for open badges of sustainable development developed in the Erasmus+ KA2 Healthy food choices for a sustainable future project.

Photo 1. Getting started with open badges

Photo 2. CORE Open Badge application process