What Are Digital Badges?

A digital badge is a form of micro-credential in an online visual format that recognizes certain accomplishments, skills, or interests that the individual has completed through learning experiences. This competency or skills-based recognition allows a learner to demonstrate mastery and learning in a particular area that is less than a full degree or certificate. While it is not uncommon to hear the terms “micro-credentials” and “badges” used interchangeably, “badges” refer to the artifact issued to the student upon successful completion of a micro-credential program.

By obtaining a digital badge, the earner can gain relevant skills to display and utilize in today’s workforce. They take less time to earn than a degree and can be shared on a variety of platforms to show you completed certain requirements to articulate a skill that can be difficult to show on a traditional academic transcript. Digital badges also provide a way for students to validate and share their experiences with possible employers or graduate programs that can impact future opportunities.

Each badge contains metadata that illustrates the requirements needed to attain the badge and is verifiable. When the badge earner or another individual clicks on the digital badge image, you can see when it was issued, the skills covered, and the earning criteria. This transparency is what ensures the badge credibility and clearly articulates examples of the skill development.

The digital badges offered by Elon University, shown in the table below, are non-credit bearing learning opportunities and can be shared through a variety of platforms such as LinkedIn, your resume, embedded in a website or email signature, Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Badge Offerings

Digital Badge

Requisites

Skills Earned

Facilitated By
Advanced Data Competency

 Enrollment in or completion of 3 Data Intensive designated courses from at least 2 disciplines Career Development; Communication Skills; Critical Thinking; Data Analysis; Data Competency; Self Development; Technology Crista Arangala
College2Career Pathways 

 Enrollment in or completion of CAE course required to earn badge Career Development; Interviewing Skills; Professionalism; Resume; Self Development Kim Giles
Data Visualization Software

 Register for the LSB data camp: Tableau 101 Data Cleaning; Data Visualization; Tableau Haya Ajjan; Ani Vuolo
Ethnographic Research

 Apply for and be accepted through the PERCS Application Critical Thinking; Diversity and Inclusion; Ethnography; Field Research; Interviewing Skills; Professionalism; Qualitative Data Analysis; Qualitative Research Devin Proctor
Health Professions Education Primer

 Active and good-standing student in the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies Program Bedside Manner; Career Development; Clinical Practices; Debriefing; Inclusion; Leadership; Observational Feedback; Self Development Kim Stokes
Innovation in Entrepreneurship

 Member of Oak Originals; 2.5 GPA Small Business Development; Customer Service; Marketing; Pitching; Self Development; Time Management; Business Forecasting; Social Media Content Management; Website Management Alyssa Martina
Introduction to Statistical Programming
 Be enrolled in STS*2120 at Elon University or have transferred in equivalent course level Data Visualization; Descriptive Analytics; SAS; Statistical Analysis; Statistical Programming; Statistical Tests Laura Taylor; Crista Arangala
Elon Kickbox

 Apply for and be accepted into the Elon Kickbox program Budget Management; Critical Thinking; Digital Fabrication; Entrepreneurship; Iterative Design; Professional Communication; Project Management; Prototyping; Self Development; Technology Dan Reis
Laboratory Safety Training

 Successfully completed General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II at Elon University or have transferred in equivalent course level Biological Safety; Chemical Safety; Identify Laboratory Hazards; Professionalism; Risk Analysis; Safety Training Melinda Box
Maker Level I

 N/A Critical Thinking; Data Analysis; Digital Fabrication; Prototyping; Technology Sean McMahon; Dan Reis
PBNC Children’s Vision Screening Training & Certification Program

 Successfully completed NRS*3200 at Elon University Vision Screening; Career Development; Nursing Care; Professionalism; Visual Acuity Stacey Thomas
Programming in R

 Register for the LSB data camp: R Programming 101 Data Analysis; R (Programming Language); RStudio; Tidyverse; Technology Crista Arangala
Robotic Process Automation

 Register for the LSB data camp: Robotic Process Automation Data Architecture; Data Processing; Debugging; Robotic Process Automation; UiPath Kevin Agnew; Ani Vuolo
Web Analytics

 Register for the LSB Data Camp: Learn Web-Based Analytics Analytical Modeling; Data Analysis; Data Collection; Data Literacy; Preprocessing; Web Analytics; Web Development Manoj Chari; Long Xia

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of a digital badge?

Transcripts and resume line-items only go so far; digital badges share more information and provides instant recognition for achievement and skills earned.  Badges provide employers and peers concrete evidence of what you had to do to earn your credential, which can support your future opportunities and aspirations. By accepting and sharing your digital badges, you have the ability to share those achievements online in a simple, trusted, and easily verifiable manner.

Badges also give you the freedom to explore a skill, without the financial and time commitments of a degree. Personalize your learning and differentiate yourself both academically and professionally by completing a micro-credential and showcasing your diversified skill set.

How can I earn a digital badge?

The table above outlines the digital badges currently being offered for students to participate in and acquire. Earning a badge requires completion of unique criteria, which are determined by the instructor facilitating the badge. Some badges are associated with a particular program or course, but others are open to a wide range of students at Elon. The qualifications to participate in a badge program can be seen in the “Requisites” column in the “Badge Offerings” table above.

Please contact the instructor(s) associated with the badge you are interested in receiving and/or if you have questions regarding details about the digital badge.

How do I accept my badge?

Following your completion of the badge requirements, you will receive an email notification from admin@credly.com congratulating you on your badge achievement through Elon University. Click on “Accept your Badge” in the email message. Then, create a Credly account with your Elon email address login credentials or sign in if you have previously created an account. Once you have signed into your account, you will claim your badge by clicking on “Accept Badge.”

You also have the option to personalize your Credly profile by clicking on the profile icon at the top right corner of any screen. Select “Settings” on your Credly dashboard, add a picture to your profile and say something about your role at Elon University in the “Bio” or “Current Position” fields.

Where and how can I share my badge?

When viewing your accepted badge, click on the “Share” button to view the options to share your badge achievement. Your digital badge can be shared with the professional community in many ways. A digital badge viewer can click on your badge and will be taken back to Credly to view all the details of your achievement including the criteria for earning the badge and the evidence provided by the earner. You as the badge earner can share your digital badges directly from the Credly platform to outlets such as:

Other sharing resources: https://support.credly.com/hc/en-us/sections/360003206172-Sharing-to-Social-Media.

What will it look like when I accept and share my digital badge?

After accepting your digital badge, there is a myriad of ways to showcase your achievement. Here are a few examples of a student sharing their badge:

Attached to an email signature with a hyperlink to Credly:

Embedded into a resume:

Sample Resume with Digital Badge

Added onto your LinkedIn:

As a newsfeed share: 

Or, as an addition to your profile: 

What is Credly?

Credly is a digital badge platform that works with credible organizations to provide digital credentials to individuals worldwide. You can find answers to frequently asked questions and the ability to submit a help request here: support.credly.com.

If you have questions about the badging initiative or additional questions about the badges offered, please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@elon.edu.

Faculty Resources

Every full-time permanent faculty or staff member at Elon University has the opportunity to oversee a digital badge program. If you would like to propose a new digital badge not offered in the table above, please submit a micro-credential proposal form at this link:

The Micro-Credential Proposal Form will be evaluated for clarity of distinction, direction, delivery structure and evaluation, as well as value of competency or skill. The committee will be reviewing proposals to determine if the content and contexts are accessible and logical to earners and if the award criteria and evaluation tools provide evidence of competency demonstration. Proposals will also be assessed for specificity of content, alignment with best practices and standards, and connection to student’s career and learning goals.

When submitting the form, please include any evaluation instruments, list of materials, and syllabi that are visible to students.  If applicable, please include as attachments any evidence that the skills or competency are valued in the current or future workforce and or encouraged as part of published educational standards of practice (NACE competencies, NCEES, FINRA).

Elon-branded badges should be embedded with institutional practices of reflective experience and/or experiential learning attributes. Please contact Dr. Jennifer Platania at jplatania@elon.edu if you have questions about a digital badge proposal or the process of approval.