2025 Badge Summit

Purdue University Global has learned a lot through recent years, and as a result of testing several strategies, has successfully increased digital badge engagement by empowering earners to share their credentials. Through strategic communication and email campaigns, we’ve fostered a culture of recognition and professional visibility to help earners amplify their professional reach. This session explores our approach, key insights, and best practices for maximizing badge impact.

The lecture will delve into the open-ended question, exploring how badges can be effectively measured and evaluated to maximize their impact on employability, skill validation, and academic success in a university setting. The interesting facts one can find as we look deeper into how our badging programs can affect students. For example, this year is the first time first-generation students received more badges than non-first-generation students. Beginning with an introduction on how a great program on badging was set in motion, what makes an effective credentialing system, and their integration into higher education, the lecture will emphasize the necessity and opportunities of data-driven insights for refining badging initiatives. Methodologies for data collection, including quantitative and qualitative approaches, will be outlined, along with key metrics such as employability, equity gaps and engagement outcomes. Techniques for analyzing collected data and how to persuade various parties in sharing their experiences, real-world case studies from our university and many correlations we found, and best practices will be shared, acknowledging challenges and offering practical solutions. Concluding with future directions and integrating such studies into the university reporting and periodic collection in digital badging, the lecture aims to equip attendees with comprehensive strategies to assess and enhance their digital badging programs which have already been initiated.

In this session, we will hear from program leaders at the Delaware Department of Education, who are using competency-based micro-credentials as an integral part of their educator professional development strategy. We will detail the history of our partnership, their program goals and findings from recent submissions and recent educator feedback that is helping to shape their program. Interactive elements will be incorporated, including live polling and opportunities for Q & A.

In this virtual session, DCC Director Dr. Kerri Lemoie  will address questions and themes that arose from the DCC Fishbowl activity hosted by DCC Operations and Project Manager Gillian Walsh. Topics may include: the function of issuer registries in VC ecosystems, trust models for VCs and Open Badges, digital identity solutions, and applications in higher education. If time allows, participants will be able to ask Dr. Lemoie questions related to VCs and Open Badges.  

With our micro-credentials program and platform, we’ve worked with over 100 subject-matter expert organizations to provide more than 600 competency-based micro-credentials. In 2024, we partnered with learners and practitioners to design an open-source badging solution, Badge Engine, that focuses on Equity, Learner Autonomy and Control of Data, Serving All Ages, Open Source for Sustainability and Scalability, and Adherence to 1EdTech Open Badges Standard V3.0.

This session explores the combined impact of gamification and financial incentives on transfer student success through the Transfer Envisioning Network (TEN) Program Badge. By integrating academic support, career readiness activities, and monetary rewards into a gamified structure, TEN provides a comprehensive approach to improving student engagement, retention, and career outcomes. The Transfer Envision Network (TEN) program leverages gamified learning combined with financial incentives to enhance the success of transfer students. Participants will learn how this dual approach fosters higher engagement and persistence among transfer students, leading to improved academic and career outcomes. The presentation will include preliminary data on the program's effectiveness, highlighting student engagement levels, retention rates, and successful career placements. The session will also explore the broader implications of integrating these strategies within higher education institutions. The session will begin with an introduction to TEN’s gamified structure and incentive model powered by Suitable, providing an overview of the program’s design and objectives. Special focus will be placed on the unique needs of CSU Channel Islands’ transfer student population and the program’s intentional alignment with those needs. This will transition into a discussion on the power of combining gamification and financial incentives to drive engagement, particularly within a diverse and often nontraditional transfer student demographic. Attendees will then learn about the measurable impact of the TEN program on student retention and career success. Preliminary data will showcase improvements in student outcomes, such as GPA increases, enhanced engagement, and higher retention rates. The session will also highlight successful career placements and demonstrate how incentivized, structured support contributes to students achieving tangible academic and professional goals. To encourage deeper reflection, the presentation will include an interactive discussion on the future of incentivized learning in higher education. Participants will engage in conversations about the applicability of gamified learning and financial rewards within their own institutional contexts, sharing ideas and exploring new opportunities to foster student success. Implemented in Spring 2024, the TEN program has already shown promising results in increasing student engagement, retention, and career readiness. Data reveals measurable improvements in these areas, underscoring the effectiveness of a dual approach that addresses both motivational and practical barriers to success. The session will also address challenges faced during implementation, such as time constraints due to students’ work and family responsibilities, and the strategies used to mitigate these challenges. This session is designed for academic administrators, student success coordinators, faculty, and student affairs professionals who are interested in exploring innovative, data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes. The Transfer Envision Network demonstrates how integrating gamification and financial incentives can holistically support students, with particular attention to the transfer population, whose needs often differ from traditional students.

How can online micro-credential content and structure be designed to aid in the learning process for adult learners?  What are the best practices for micro-credential development and design? A well-structured design aids adult earners in building confidence in their ability to succeed in an online learning environment. In this session, attendees will hear about lessons learned in developing strategies to standardize micro-credential design across a university system.  A standardized micro-credential design framework ensures consistency, trust, and scalability across multiple campuses. It can support lifelong learning, employer recognition, and skill verification, making micro-credentials a valuable tool for career advancement. 

In this session, we will share the story of developing training for badge practitioners across the Alamo Colleges District and its five Colleges. A tour of an example training will be provided. Our lessons learned (and still being learned) we be shared.

During our collaboration with the Cities of Learning network on the "Quality Label for Badge Recognition," we explored how novice and expert users perceive badge quality and the criteria affecting it. This session presents findings from a scientific study that analyse and compare the importance of the factors influencing quality of badge creation and issuance processes in different target groups. It also explains how these insights can help improve badge quality and effectively communicate its value to diverse audiences.

What if you could carry a complete, personalized record of your achievements in your pocket, ready to share when it matters most? This presentation explores the exciting potential of Open Recognition Wallets—digital tools that put individuals in charge of showcasing their skills and experiences. We’ll talk about how these wallets go beyond traditional credentials, embracing diverse learning journeys, self-issued badges, and endorsements from communities. Whether you're curious about the future of recognition or eager to rethink how achievements are celebrated, this session offers fresh insights and practical ideas for reimagining what’s possible.

This panel of instigators will engage in a provocative and interactive discussion about what an All Learning Counts movement could mean at this moment in time, and will provoke a deep conversation among attendees for how this movement might help advance thinking about 1) where learning happens, by whom, and for whom; 2) how we can assess, validate, recognize knowledge, skills, and abilities regardless of source; 3) how this paradigm can help meet labor market needs - both in addressing skill gaps but also experience gaps; 4) how it can accelerate on-ramps to furthering education and off-ramps to career opportunities for learners; 5) how it can address equity issues; 6) and therefore, a bigger "So What?" and "Yes, now!" 

The biggest challenge facing the credential world currently is that of organisations "consuming" the credentials that all the credential issuers are busy creating. Employers, Universities etc have certain credentials that they know and recognise but why should they trust new digital forms of recognition? The latest version of the Open Badge Standard (V3), provides functionality that can help both credential issuers and consumers increase trust and will be key to driving widespread adoption. In this session Stephen will explain how large organisations can use credentials to support large reskilling efforts and how to increase trust in the meaning and value of those credentials.

(I will do a table talk based on the same theme. Something like "Ten practical ways to increase trust in your credentials")