Overview
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, professional development is essential. King’s Business School (KBS) is taking steps to stay ahead of the curve by introducing Digital Badges and Certificates—a modern way to represent and recognise achievements and skills. These credentials provide students and staff alike with verified proof of their accomplishments, which can be easily shared on platforms such as LinkedIn or added to digital portfolios.
What Are Digital Badges and Certificates?
Digital badges are visual representations of skills, achievements, or credentials earned through formal and informal learning experiences. They serve as verifiable indicators of one’s accomplishments, making it easier for individuals to showcase their expertise to employers and institutions.
Why Are Digital Credentials Important?
Digital badges come with a range of benefits that traditional recognition methods, such as printed certificates, cannot provide. Each badge includes metadata that verifies:
- The issuer of the badge.
- The criteria needed to earn it.
- Evidence of the achievement.
Additionally, digital credentials are easily shareable across social media platforms and digital storage, providing greater portability and visibility. They also enable faster and more cost-effective distribution, making them an efficient alternative to traditional certificates.
Enhancing the Learning Experience at KBS
At KBS, the integration of digital credentials supports the school’s commitment to fostering lifelong learning. It encourages continuous professional development and offers students an engaging learning process through elements of gamification – such as levels, points, and progress indicators – that make skill development fun and motivating.
KBS’s Digital Credentials Initiative
The launch of digital badges was initially supported as a 12-month pilot by the KBS Innovative Education Fund Bid, with the main goal of enhancing alumni engagement, student experience, and employability. Collaborating with various teams across KBS, the project aims to formally recognise career development and help foster a sense of accomplishment.
Key uses include:
- Recognising peer tutors and student representatives.
- Showcasing teamwork and leadership skills to prospective employers.
- Highlighting achievements in modules such as the IMPACT program, increasing the visibility and prestige of KBS students.
The Accredible Platform
The backbone of this initiative is the Accredible platform, a system that allows for the creation, issuance, and sharing of digital credentials. KBS invested £7,660 into the platform to provide digital badges for up to 1,000 recipients. This includes the cost of the platform itself (£7,030) and graphic design services (£630) to ensure that each badge meets the KBS brand standards.
Lessons Learned and Next Steps
The introduction of digital badges has not been without challenges. Coordinating the design process, ensuring brand compliance, and understanding the platform’s features required collaboration across various teams. Despite this, the feedback has been positive, and the initiative has already begun making a difference in student engagement and employability.
Looking forward, KBS have renewed use of the platform for the new academic year, continuing to issue badges and expand their use within the school. We plan to assess the review the use of the platform by the end of 2024-25 and determine its future role in KBS’s Digital Education strategy.
About the Author
Alastair Gemmill is Digital Education Manager at King’s Business School, King’s College London
