Young boys and girls in the American Scouting program are awarded merit Badges and decorative pins to wear on their uniform as they progress through different goals. These badges celebrate special events, accomplishments and are a source of pride to the scout who has earned them.

Similarly, in an online education platform, Badges are a form of gamification that rewards students for various learning achievements such as completing modules, learning new skills etc.
To be more specific – Badges can be defined as shareable micro-credentials or mini-certificates that authenticate student accomplishments, skills, and even personality traits. Many badges include meta-data such as the description of the badge, the name of the online institute that issued it as well as the criteria required to receive it. There is no limit to the number of badges that can be earned and students can work towards earning a collection of badges in a variety of fields to demonstrate your expertise across disciplines.

We live the age of online learning, where students are learning, not just for the sake of a certificate, but they are returning to education to gain new knowledge and learn new skills that will help them capitalize on a range of career enhancing skills.

For many students, badges serve as micro credentials for these newly learned skills that can be easily displayed on their digital resumes, on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other networking sites. These badges demonstrate skill and expertise in a designated area. Many times, these badges represent more than a new skill learnt. They serve as a link, directing people to data and information on how and when the badge was earned.

Badges also give students an opportunity to showcase their achievements and articulate their newly learned skills in a real-time basis rather than waiting for the end of the academic year certificates. It also helps to map out a clear pathway for students, trainers and employees to understand where they have been and where they are headed on their lifelong learning journey. It also allows learners to visually gauge and compare themselves to others in a common online education platform.

Online Badges also serve as a great way to motivate students. While badges do not have any financial value, but students work hard to acquire them so that they can showcase their achievement to their peers and prospective employers. As students notice that their earned badges increasing, they are motivated to learn more.

On the other hand, if a student is not successful at mastering the sets of skills and earning the required set of badges, then the facilitator can immediately recognise the lag in learning, coach the students in what they need to do to improve and earn the badge.

Thus adding Badges on your online education platform is a great way to engage with your students – motivate them, identify the problem areas and coach them effectively.
For educational institutes as well, offering badges on your online course also helps build the credibility of your brand. For instance when learning share their badges on social networking sites, it offers easy and visual way for institutes to extend your reach and reputation and promote your courses in an organic manner.

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