Digital badges are the most recent trend in eLearning, and their benefits cannot be overstated.
Digital badges are a new way of demonstrating skills and achievements within the digital era. However, they go way beyond simple competencies and enrich your professional experience.
These digital badges not only give you credibility and recognition but also help you reach new heights. You can use them to showcase your skills to the world.
Furthermore, educators and employers use them to recognize students’ accomplishments. Digital badges are also important because they help track skills, accomplishments, and personalized learning paths.
Whether new to digital badges or looking for more information, this article will highlight the benefits you can expect.
What Are Digital Badges?
Digital badges are small, interactive images on the internet that can be used to recognize the attainment of skill levels or achievements.
The badge is linked with a qualification or piece of learning, and the badge can be awarded to learners on any digital platform.
They are badges issued by the learning management systems of educational institutes. Unlike traditional badges, which have a physical shape, digital badges are purely online.
They can be accessed and shared through a link. Digital badges are more interactive and convenient than traditional badges.
Digital badges can be worn on a social networking site or resume, making them more appealing. They are a great resource for the recruitment process.
Employers can view the badges of a prospective employee and understand his/her knowledge in a particular field.
Digital badges can also be proof of learning as they provide access to courses and course-related materials.
Digital badges are not just some cool new way to brag. It is a whole new way to learn, with endless possibilities. The following are some of the benefits of digital badges.
1. Foster a Sense of Accomplishment
The concept of learning through earning resonates with young people and adults alike. A credit-bearing badge increases learners’ engagement in learning activities, motivating them to complete the task successfully.
Having worked hard on a project or assignment, how often have you heard “nice job” or see your efforts ignored?
You may also hear that you did a good job, but it was only said in passing without explanation as to what made it so great.
All of this can leave learners feeling undervalued. Receiving digital badges for completing learning activities validates learners’ efforts.
It shows that someone took the time to look at their work and recognized all the positive aspects and skills involved.
This validates their efforts and provides them with a sense of accomplishment that motivates them to do more challenging work while nurturing an environment of support.
2. Acknowledges the Acquisition of New Skills
Among the benefits of digital badges is something that many people already know about the technology: it’s an acknowledgment of skills. Digital badges document the acquisition of new skills.
They confirm you’ve mastered the learning objectives and impart an accurate reflection about the necessary skills and competencies for your role.
Learning takes place throughout our lives. From the playground to the workplace, we are continuously solving new problems and mastering new skills.
Digital badges provide a mechanism to instantly recognize and express those achievements with pride.
Schools have already embraced badges to ensure that students and employees are trained for tasks, and digital badges take the concept to the next level.
3. A Simple Way for Hiring Managers to See Acquired Skills
A benefit that relates to something we all strive for: making life simpler. Having a resume that features digital badges allows potential hiring managers to quickly sort potential hires by their skills and knowledge.
It’s a great way to reduce the time the hiring manager spends sorting applicants. Digital badges display your skills and accomplishments in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
And, because they link out to a page where you can share your education, certifications, and work history, hiring managers can find all the information they need with a glance.
4. Promotes Customization and Allows for Personalization
Besides the obvious fact that digital badges are more flexible, allowing for a wider spectrum of design, what is so great about customization?
I believe personalizing learning is the most powerful way of learning. It’s your own unique learning experience, which is a major key success factor.
Customized learning opportunities are more effective because they’re as unique as each learner, enabling students to build upon their strengths.
Digital badges help facilitate this customization by supporting personalized learning experiences and helping learners shape a unique path to learning attainment.
Customization and personalization are key elements of digital badges. Certification bodies can customize their badges to fit the needs of their students
5. Encourages Students and Members to Develop New Skills
Digital badges encourage individuals and organizations to gain skills through new learning opportunities. Individuals can use digital badges to develop new competencies and verify long-term experience (work-related or otherwise).
These new skills can also boost their self-esteem and motivate them to perform better in class, assignments, and everyday life.
Because digital badges are visual, it is easy for people to quickly judge a person’s expertise in a certain subject.
If badges are tied to completing a task or project, students are incentivized to progress and earn the badge.
Even better, skill acquisition will become part of the student’s identity, and they will be recognized for it.
6. As Parents, You Can Use Digital Badges to Track your Child’s Progress
Being a parent, you need to keep an eye on every aspect of your child’s academic development and extracurricular activities.
It is impossible to check the individual activities they do inside the school. But once they get digital certificates, there will be one public repository for all their achievements.
Every parent wants to know what their child is learning from their time at school. With digital badges, parents can follow along with the assignments and activities their child has completed and even access the content of those assignments.
7. Digital Badges Have Substantial Value
Digital badges have substantial value. They’re a digital way of validating the skills and knowledge that students learn when they participate in an extracurricular activity.
Badges have monetary value, too, because they are linked to related internships, apprenticeships, and career opportunities.
Digital badges are an exciting new way to acknowledge and reward individuals for learning. As a universal way to communicate accomplishment and validate individual learning, badges will transform both how learners interpret and how employers value accomplishment.
8. Create a Portfolio of Accomplishments
One of my favorite benefits of digital badges is that they’re a great way to create a portfolio.
As all the badges are linked to evidence, this allows for some great profile pages with robust evidence presented. Creating a portfolio of your accomplishments is a great motivator for students.
Many students want to show off the work and accomplishments that are most important to them. That’s why a digital badge, or even a simple printable copy of the badge, can help students feel proud of their work.
Besides, badges provide proof of their unique skills, interests, and talents instead of just a list of classes taken or grades earned. Think of this digital resume as a way to improve their visibility and provide them with a competitive edge.
9. Reveal Members’ Passion for Continuous Learning
Digital badges have become more than just a way to earn credit. It’s an opportunity to extend yourself beyond the classroom and share your mission with the rest of the world.
Unlike transcripts or degrees, badges are portable and can communicate skills and accomplishments in any discipline.
In addition, a digital badge is an image similar to a medal or emblem that users can download and use to represent that they have achieved a desired milestone or skill.
You may find digital badges useful if you are part of a membership organization and want to reward continuous learning.
10. No More Lost Awards and Certificates
With digital badges, lost awards and certificates will become a thing of the past. Some of you may have lost awards and certificates you worked hard for in high school or college.
This award may very well have been your most important one, but over the years, you misplaced it, whether by moving to a new house or traveling.
It’s possible that your resume could be lost for whatever reason. Also, it’s possible that your hard-earned sports awards and certificates were put into a storage box and never seen again.
This prevents you from showing off all your accomplishments. With digital badges, your valuable achievements are safe and secure.
Look up an award on your smartphone app at an interview or pull up trivia at a party on your tablet.
You can also see your badges across multiple devices, whether you use Windows, Android, or Mac OS, so no more switching between them.
11. Allow for Different Types of Assessment Experiences
Digital badges are one tool in our toolbox for assessing student learning. Imagine showcasing students’ knowledge and skills in creative, collaborative ways and using assessment options that are as engaging as the final product.
A situation where assessment is a process as well as a result. Digital badges connect students to a new and different kind of assessment experience.
Also, by moving from a classroom-based model to an environment where students are engaged in self-paced activities, they can demonstrate their learning in numerous ways.
Digital badges allow them to showcase their skills, create an eBook or video blog as an artifact, or even link out to share their project on another site. In return, they receive a badge that tells the world what they’ve learned.
FAQs
Do you need digital badges for your online course?
Yes. Digital badges are an awesome tool that can help more students sign up for an online course. Students look for value in the courses they choose, and badges offer a way to get a good return on the time and money they spend.
Where can you earn digital badges?
Digital badges can be earned in many different ways. You can earn one by participating in a class, talking with a mentor, or completing a test or project.
Who can earn digital badges?
Digital badges aren’t limited to “digital natives.” A digital badge can be awarded for achieving a specific learning objective, completing a course of study, or demonstrating mastery of a topic.
Final Thoughts
Some of the benefits that can come with having your digital badge include being able to share your strengths and what you are capable of with others.
Also, you wouldn’t have to worry about losing track of achievements, as everything is secure online.
Digital badges are a way to validate and celebrate learning, not just within formal educational settings but also within distance education.
There’s plenty of evidence that they work as motivational tools and can be used effectively without any significant extra training or resources. Although there are many great examples, they have been used to full effect.
They have the potential to enhance rather than replace learning. If you haven’t explored digital badges yet, I urge you to do so. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
You can also explore the best digital education tools for students and teachers.
Thanks for reading.
