Welcome to UWM’s Badging Resources site! Here you can find information and documentation to help you create and issue badges and to learn more about what to do with badges when you receive them.
About Badging
Badging refers to the issuing, receiving, and distributing of digital badges that signify some accomplishment on the part of the recipient. The badge itself is a visual representation of that achievement or accomplishment. The digital nature of badges allows them to be easily shared by earners, who can choose whether and how to distribute their received badges—on social media and websites, for example.
All sorts of organizations use badges. For example, militaries have used medals and ribbons to indicate rank and achievements for hundreds of years. Scouts are issued merit badges for demonstrating proficiency in first aid, woodworking, and orienteering. Badging in the context of this resource site, however, refers to digital badges.
Digital badges can be used for a wide range of purposes in credit and non-credit situations. For instance, badges can be used by programs to signify the earning of a microcredential; they can be issued to instructors participating in professional development opportunities; and they can be used in courses to signify completion of modules or assignments.
About Microcredentialing
Badging and microcredentialing are sometimes (mistakenly) used interchangeably, but there is an important difference between these two terms. Badging is how an achievement is recognized; microcredentialing is what students need to do to earn that achievement. To use an analogy, badging is to a diploma as microcredentialing is to coursework.
Students and learners benefit from microcredentialing because they can gain recognition for skills that may not always show up on a transcript. Programs can benefit by creating shorter pathways for learners to gain credentials without pursuing a certificate or full degree, thereby increasing enrollments. When badges are distributed through social media networks, such as LinkedIn, the university benefits from increased exposure that increases brand awareness in the community.
Microcredentialing has grown significantly in higher ed over the past several years. It was recently highlighted in the 2021 Horizon Report, and many institutions, such as Miami University, Brigham Young University, SUNY-Buffalo, and Purdue University, offer microcredentials.
For more information about microcredentialing at UWM, visit the Microcredentialing Resources page on the Academic Affairs website.
Badging at UWM
Several programs at UWM already offer badges to students, learners, or participants:
- The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning offers badges for completing the Online and Blended Teaching Program, the Canvas Workshop Series, and the Orientation for Online Students.
- UWM’s TechEd Frontiers issues badges to learners who have completed microcredentials, such as the Cybersecurity Analyst I and Data Analytics and Visualization with Excel pathways.
- UWM’s School of Continuing Education provides digital badges for a wide range of certificates, including the Project Management Certificate and the Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
If you are interested in learning more about badges or in joining UWM’s Badging Work Group, please contact Amy Mangrich.