Open Badges are digital credentials that contain verifiable information about skills, achievements and learning. Unlike traditional certificates or digital badges, Open Badges include embedded metadata that provides rich detail about what the recipient accomplished.
The Mozilla Foundation created Open Badges in 2012, with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Their goal was to make a standard way for anyone to issue, collect and display digital badges across different websites. In 2016, stewardship moved to the 1EdTech Consortium (formerly IMS Global), which continues to develop the standard.
An Open Badge consists of two main parts: a visual image and underlying metadata. While it may look like a simple PNG file, the metadata contains:
- badge name and description
- who issued it
- who earned it (typically stored as a privacy-protecting hash of their email)
- what they did to earn it (the criteria)
- evidence of their work
- when it was issued
- any relevant standards or frameworks it aligns with
- optional expiry date.
The metadata stays with the badge image whether it’s downloaded, uploaded to different platforms, or shared online. When someone views a badge, they can verify its authenticity and see the actual work the recipient did to earn it.
Three key features distinguish Open Badges from regular digital certificates:
- Portability – Recipients own their badges and can take them anywhere. They can collect badges from different issuers in a digital “backpack” and share them across platforms.
- Evidence – Each badge links to proof of the recipient’s work or achievement. This could be project files, presentations, reflective writing, or workplace examples.
- Verification – Anyone viewing the badge can check it’s genuine and see who issued it, when, and what the recipient did to earn it.
Any organisation or individual can issue Open Badges using third-party platforms or their own software. This openness has led to rapid adoption – in 2022 alone, over 75 million badges were issued worldwide.
The technical standard behind Open Badges is now in version 3.0 which integrates with Verifiable Credentials, a broader standard for digital credentials.
Organisations use Open Badges to:
- recognise workplace skills and informal learning
- track professional development
- show compliance with industry standards
- support onboarding and capability building
- create skill pathways with stackable credentials.
While the technology behind Open Badges sounds sophisticated, using them is straightforward. Recipients can store badges in free online backpack services and share them through social media, professional networks, or job applications. Viewers can click on shared badges to see the embedded details and evidence.
The combination of portability, evidence, and verification makes Open Badges particularly useful for recognizing skills gained through practical experience rather than formal training. As more organisations adopt them, they’re becoming an increasingly common way to demonstrate capabilities and achievements in professional contexts.
What is an Open Badge? © 2024 by Rob Stewart is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International