Glossary
Badge – The term “badge” is typically used as shorthand to mean “Digital Badge” or “Micro-credential.” All micro-credentials are awarded as digital badges, but not all digital badges are created or awarded by Digital Promise.
Competency – A specific and discrete skill that a learner can demonstrate through the application of knowledge. Competencies represent the capability to successfully do something.
Competency-based – Each micro-credential is competency-based. In other words, a learner must demonstrate their competence through the submission of evidence, which is assessed by content experts.
Credential – A method of verifying any type of achievement that can be recognized through a variety of signifiers that include paper records, medals, badges, and more recently, digitized records. In academic settings, the term credentials usually refers to college and university degrees, diplomas, certificates, and endorsements. Digital credentials is inclusive of the digital versions of previously mentioned credentials, including digital badges and micro-credentials.
Digital Credential – This term is often used interchangeably with “Digital Badge.” This term may refer to any digitized form of credential such as PDFs, digital images, and credentials that adhere to specific technical standards, such as 1EdTech’s Open Badges Standard.
Evidence – Learners must collect and submit evidence of their ability to implement a skill before their competence can be assessed. Once the evidence is assessed, the learner will either receive their award or they are given tailored feedback from issuing organizations.
Issuer – The institution or organization that awards the micro-credential (or digital badge) to the learner.
Learner – This term refers to the person submitting evidence to earn the micro-credential. Learners come to micro-credential earning through various pathways, including conventional classroom settings, workplaces, community-based programs and more. The term also represents everyone, regardless of age, because individuals engage in lifelong learning through their daily life experiences.
Metadata – A set of data that describes and gives information about other data. In this case, when we use the word Metadata, we are generally referring to the data that combines with the badge image to produce a micro-credential. This data provides transparent information about what a learner had to specifically achieve in order to earn a specific micro-credential. It allows a level of detail that is often unavailable in records such as transcripts.
Micro-credential – Micro-credentials are competency-based digital credentials that recognize a person’s competence in a specific skill or set of skills. Micro-credentials are competency-based, on-demand, personalized, and shareable digital credentials. Micro-credentials leverage badging technology to issue digital certifications that verify competence of a skill or set of skills. Micro-credentials are awarded as digital badges containing secure metadata that adhere to the 1EdTech Open Badges standard.
Open Badges Standard – The Open Badges standard is a specification of the badge data that makes it an open and interoperable badge. This standard is set by 1EdTech.
The Digital Promise Micro-credential Framework – Every micro-credential developed by Digital Promise and its partner organizations (content experts) aligns with the Micro-credential Framework. The Micro-credential Framework consists of a competency, key method, method components, research and resources, and evidence section (submission guidelines and evaluation criteria). This framework is specifically designed for competency-based micro-credentials that recognize successful skill implementation.
