Last week I wrote about what Open Badges are. But why would we want to use them and what benefits do they bring beyond traditional certificates? In this article, we’ll look at how badges make informal learning visible, promote meaningful reflection and create lasting value through evidence-based recognition.
Making informal learning visible
Most continuous learning in workplaces goes unrecognized. Someone might solve a complex problem as a result of their learning, improve performance or mentor colleagues – yet these valuable contributions often remain hidden. Open Badges change this by providing tangible recognition backed by evidence.
When someone earns an Open Badge, they submit actual examples of their work and its impact. This could be documentation of a project they led, a video of them applying new skills or feedback from colleagues. The badge becomes more than a symbol of completion – it’s a record of real achievement.
As people collect badges over time, they build a rich portfolio of their professional growth. Each badge contains evidence of what they did, how they applied their skills and the difference it made.
Beyond traditional certificates
Open Badges work differently from standard certificates or digital badges. The recipient owns their badges and can take them anywhere, regardless of who issued them. This portability means people can build a complete picture of their skills across multiple roles and organisations.
Each badge contains built-in metadata that makes it verifiable. Anyone viewing the badge can see the criteria, evidence and issuing organisation without needing special access or permissions. The evidence stays with the badge even as it moves between platforms.
Badges can also stack together to show progression. Someone might start with foundational skills badges and gradually add more specialised or advanced ones. This creates a clear pathway for development while documenting each step of growth.
Driving meaningful learning
Traditional online learning often follows a simple pattern: consume content, take a quiz and get a certificate. Open Badges can require people to demonstrate they’ve actually applied what they learned in real situations.
To earn a badge, recipients typically need to:
- show how they’ve used new knowledge or skills in their work
- reflect on what worked and what they’d do differently
- document their process and results
- share their experiences with colleagues.
This approach turns passive content consumption into active learning. The badge becomes a starting point for applying and refining skills rather than just an endpoint.
Business benefits
Open Badges help organisations identify where skills are developing and where gaps exist. The evidence submitted for badges provides insights into how learning translates to actual work performance.
Organisations can use badges to support change initiatives by recognizing people who adopt and champion new ways of working. This creates visible examples and encouragement for others.
For compliance-related training, badges go beyond simple completion tracking. The evidence requirements make sure people understand how learning applies to their specific role and can demonstrate proper implementation.
Badge submissions also provide direct data about learning effectiveness. Rather than relying on satisfaction surveys, organisations can see concrete examples of how training influences work practices by evaluating learner submitted evidence.
Value for each stakeholder
Open Badges involve at least three key groups of stakeholders, each gaining different benefits:
- Recipients earn and own the badges. They control where and how to share them, building a portable record of their capabilities backed by real evidence. Each badge represents not just what they know, but how they’ve applied that knowledge.
- Issuers create and award the badges. This could be an organisation recognizing internal talent or a training provider validating learner achievements. Issuers gain insights into skill development and can track how learning impacts performance.
- Consumers view badges shared by recipients. This might be a hiring manager assessing a candidate’s capabilities or a professional body reviewing evidence of competency. The built-in evidence and verification let consumers make informed decisions based on demonstrated abilities rather than just claimed knowledge.
As workplace learning continues to evolve beyond traditional training models, Open Badges offer a practical solution for documenting the real-world application of knowledge and skills. The 75 million badges issued in 2022 show this isn’t just a trend – it’s becoming an established part of professional development.
Why Open Badges? © 2024 by Rob Stewart is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International