Information and communication technologies (ICTs) create opportunities to transform traditional educational practices challenged by rapid changes in global and modern society. Open Badges are one of the innovative solutions, which build new credentialing methods and systems capable to capture, recognize and validate a broad range of learning outcomes, participation or achievements. A strategic partnership project called #BADGES4GOOD initiated by organizations from Lithuania, Belgium, Italy, Norway Finland and Spain presents 12 good practices using Open Badges in various ways.
What are Open Badges?
Open Badges allow you to verify your skills, interests and achievements through credible organizations and attaches that information to the badge image files, hard-coding the metadata for future access and review. Badges can be displayed wherever earners want them on the web and share them for employment, education or lifelong learning.
Reasons for using Open Badges
Educational institutions, youth organizations, professional development organizations, networks, libraries, museums, non-profit organizations, companies, government agencies can use Open Badges for many reasons. The publication “12 Good Practices Using Open Badges” maps different examples of badge systems, their objectives and how mentioned institutions or organizations can benefit from these practices. The collection provides an understanding that Open Badges can be created for one-day event because of promotion purposes or providing a systematic work approach for your institution.
Step into the future
Open Badges are one of the most promising approaches to online credentialing, which can exist alongside and complementarity to traditional credentials. They are a solution to recognise learning wherever and whenever it happens. Thus, Open Badges ensure legitimization of skills and competencies that are not necessarily recognized in university degrees and professional credentials but have a value in modern society.
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The publication was made with the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which rejects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.