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Digital badges and microcredentials are not the same. In this article we tell you the main differences.
What are digital badges?
Digital badges are evidence of academic and professional achievements that are also verifiable, socializable y validated in any geography when coming with open and interoperable technological standards.
A simpler way to explain it would be to indicate that a digital badge is a visual representation of an achievement more focused on employability, since by sharing it, employers can better understand the value of the training offer and have a Zóbel’s vision more granular of the skills that the individual developed.
Additionally, badges can incorporate in their certification format the field of “evidence”, which allows the employer to see the individual’s ability to implement the skill. For example, let’s imagine that we are certifying a graphic designer, in the “evidence” field we could place a link to your portfolio. This would allow you to see how developed or not your skill is.
According to Digital Promise, earning a digital badge is “a way to demonstrate skills to potential employers, build identity and reputation within learning communities.”
In summary, digital badges:
- They are a way to recognize, display and share information about a person’s skills and knowledge.
- They recognize formal and informal learning experiences.
- They can be issued for a variety of reasons and are not always connected to a microcredential.
Now, what are microcredentials?
Tinsley et al. (2022) state that microcredentials are “digital certifications that verify proficiency in a skill or set of skills.” By recognizing and verifying a skill or set of skills, a student can stand out from the rest.
A microcredential is earned when the student successfully demonstrates proficiency through a specific skill assessment. This assessment may require the student to implement the new skills in a work environment and show evidence of this implementation.
Some characteristics of microcredentials:
- Short-term training experience
- They are generally offered online and can be obtained asynchronously.
- A microcredential can stand alone or sometimes stack with others to demonstrate a higher level of understanding, depending on offerings.
- Microcredentials are offered and adopted by educational institutions, organizations and companies.
- Microcredentials use the representation of a digital badge to provide details about the learning experience.
What is the difference between digital badges and microcredentials?
The terms digital badge and microcredential are in some cases used interchangeably, especially since a digital badge is used to represent earning a microcredential.
However, the IDB in its framework Implementation and adoption of microcredentials shows the main difference this way:
Our recommendation is to use the word microcredential as one of the many “use cases” or “experiences” that you wish to accredit. That is, a digital badge serves to certify:
- The culmination of a short program
- The evaluation of a skill
- Participation in projects
- Professional milestones (excellence, performance, awards)
- Obtaining one or more microcredentials associated with a learning path
- and many more!
Some organizations award badges to certify stackable micro-credentials and the “diploma” or “certificate” format upon completion of a learning path. It all depends on the certification strategy you want to develop.
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