Digital
Badging
Penn State Engineering is creating high quality learning experiences for students and working professionals and recognizing their achievements with digital badges
What is a Digital Badge?
A digital badge represents a range of achievements gained by a learner in both formal and informal learning experiences. The badge displays the learners’ achievements with meta-data, which is visible information that describes what the learners can do after earning a badge, what they had to do to earn it, and why employers or others viewing the badge should care about it.
An educational experience can be a variety of learning experiences, such as a short course, workshop, special event, project, internship and more.
Development of Educational Experiences
Digital badges are versatile, and the metadata contained within a badge allows it to represent achievement in a variety of educational experiences. At the same time, this versatility must be balanced with quality control. To do this, the college of engineering will categorize educational experiences into two categories: COE Certified Microcredential and Badged Learning.
COE Certified Microcredential
These are educational experiences that have heightened quality assurance and academic review at the college level. In most cases, these are offered to an external audience for a fee.
All COE Certified Microcredentials will be prioritized based on the strategic goals of the college.
1. Submit Your Idea
Please fill-out and submit the Educational Experience Survey.
This will help us learn more about your idea for the educational experience.
2. Meet With Us
We’ll meet to discuss the details of your learning experience and the processes involved in development. Upon approval from your department head, we’ll provide this information to COE Strategic Committee for approval and prioritization.
3. Design & Development of the Educational Experience
Once selected for development, you will collaborate with an instructional designer for the design and development process. Timelines for this process vary and will be discussed during the initial meeting.
4. Create a Listing Page & Digital Badge
Complete the survey: COE Microcredential: Listing & Badge Creation.
- The information for the microcredential listing is displayed on the Engineering Online Catalog.
- The badge information will be shown with the digital badge associated with the microcredential. See examples at Penn State College of Engineering Badges.
5. Peer Review
A peer faculty member with expertise in the topic area will review that the skills displayed on the badge align to the educational experience and assessment learners will undergo in earning the badge.
6. COE Committee Approval
The completed course will be submitted to the COE Review Committee for final approval.
7. Offer Your COE Certified Microcredential
After approval from the COE Review Committee, the COE Certified Microcredential is ready to run.
As learners successfully complete the COE Certified Microcredential, they will be notified of the Penn State badge they earned.
Badged Learning
These educational experiences have quality control managed at the faculty and department level. In most cases, these are offered to current Penn State students and employees.
1. Submit Your Idea
Please fill-out and submit the Educational Experience Survey.
This will help us learn more about your idea for the educational experience.
2. Meet With Us
Meet with us for an initial consultation to discuss the details of your learning experience, the processes involved, and the support available to you. Approval from your department head is needed to proceed to the next step.
3. Design & Development of the Educational Experience
The design and development process will vary with each learning experience. It’s recommended that you work with an instruction designer for this stage.
4. Create a Digital Badge
Fill out the Digital Badge Creation Form. The badge information will be shown with the digital badge associated with the learning experiences. See examples at Penn State College of Engineering Badges.
5. Peer Review
A peer faculty member with expertise in the topic area will review that the skills displayed on the badge align to the educational experience and assessment learners will undergo in earning the badge.
6. Offer Your Badged Learning Experience
Your badged learning experience is ready to run.
7. Issue Badges to the Learners
As students successfully complete the badged learning, they will earn the Penn State badge.
Issuing badges is a 3-step process:
- You’ll gather the required student information in a CSV or Excel file
- We’ll input the information into the Credly badging system
- Students will then receive an email from Credly with directions on how to claim their badge
For directions on how to gather student data, see Prepare the Credly CSV Template for Issuing Badges
Restrictions
- Any educational experience developed outside of this process will NOT be granted a badge with the PSU logo.
- When bringing in guest speakers to present content, a Penn State faculty member must have oversight of the content AND of the assessment used to evaluate student performance.
Technical Requirements
Platforms
- Badges must be issued through Credly, which is the badging platform approved by COE.
- Online learning must be facilitated by a Learning Management System approved by COE, such as Canvas and the Engineering Online platform. (Note that not all educational experiences will have an online component.)
Badge Graphics
Styles for COE Certified Microcredentials
Styles for a single COE Certified Microcredential. Icons in upper-left are customizable.
Styles for a series completion badge.
Styles for Badged Learning
Styles for a single badged learning experience. Icons in upper-left are customizable.
Styles for a series completion badge.
QUESTIONS?
Contact us!
PSU Engineering Badge Examples
Engineering Badges Created
Issued to Learners
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About the Office for Digital Learning
Promoting innovative approaches to engineering education on campus and online, we offer a variety of degree and certificate programs, develop individual online courses, and work with faculty to enhance teaching and learning.
Need some help?
Get In Touch
About the Office for Digital Learning
Promoting innovative approaches to engineering education on campus and online, we offer a variety of degree and certificate programs, develop individual online courses, and work with faculty to enhance teaching and learning.