Digital Badges

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Policy Number:
UW-1088
Responsible Office:
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy defines the parameters for use of digital badges at UW-Madison.

Definitions:
Academic Program
An area of study that leads to a degree/major, certificate, minor or named option, also referred to as a plan or subplan.
Academic Unit
The academic and administrative home for an academic program or subject listing, also known as an academic department, housed within an academic division (school/college). The academic unit originates all program and curricular changes through academic governance; ensures the curriculum is appropriate and that courses are offered regularly; provides student support services such as advising; prepares all content for the Guide and assures the program and subject listing is represented accurately at all times; oversees the course evaluation process; coordinates assessment and program review; and receives allocation for program enrollment, degrees, certificates and credits in the information systems.
Digital Badge (Microcredential)
A digital record of demonstrated competency, skills and/or knowledge achieved through a learning activity that can be displayed and verified online. The digital badge record contains detailed metadata about a student and their specific achievements, including the date the badge was earned, who issued it, the criteria required to earn it, and a description of the assessments used to determine the student’s achievement.
Scope:

Current and former students, and all UW-Madison units including non-academic units.

Policy:

Students seeking to document specific learning achievements recognized by employers and other audiences may use digital badges offered by UW-Madison to provide durable, reliable, shareable and verifiable records of well-defined and specific competencies, skills and/or knowledge.

Digital badges are associated with competency, skills, and/or knowledge gained through participation in certain learning activities offered and assessed exclusively by UW-Madison. Though the technology and tools used to create and issue digital badges can also be used to maintain digital archives for participation in camps, conferences, or workshops, such digital records are not digital badges as defined in this policy. They are, instead, digital participation awards and fall outside the scope of this policy governing the official UW-Madison badge and its associated imagery.

Digital badges may augment or complement, but may not duplicate, transcripted credentials. Similarly, badges are not to be awarded merely for completing a regular, credit-bearing course. All communication and promotional materials related to digital badges must clearly state these limitations.

Digital badges must be offered in conjunction with a formal or informal UW-Madison learning experience and cannot be earned through assessment only. Credit-based offerings can include portions of courses or combinations of courses. Non-credit offerings may include continuing education, employee professional development programming, seminars, workshops, or other events that involve a learning experience and assessment activity. The learning experience, not the badge itself, determines whether admission, financial aid, and/or enrollment policies and processes pertain to an individual’s experience, e.g., a student seeking both a degree and a badge may be eligible for financial aid while a learner seeking only a badge is not eligible for financial aid.

While elements of for-credit courses may relate to meeting digital badge requirements, badge completion is not a substitute for, or component of, for-credit coursework nor are badges recorded on the university transcript. Digital badges are non-credit credentials intended to supplement traditional academic transcripts and resumes for learning by highlighting demonstrated competency, skills and/or knowledge in a defined area or discipline.

Once issued, badges are controlled by the learner. Badges are designed such that they cannot be altered, and are verifiable, shareable, and discoverable.

Parameters for Offering Badges

  • Badges may be offered by any UW–Madison division or department (sponsoring unit).
  • Proposals to create, change or discontinue a digital badge must be made through the Lumen Badges form.
  • A digital badge represents an assessed successful outcome of a learning experience at UW–Madison. When designing a learning experience that will include the offering of a digital badge, the resources to assess the student’s learning must be included in the program structure, management, and budget.
  • Consistent with other UW–Madison credentials, the unit seeking to offer a digital badge must consult with their school/college continuing education director, academic dean and/or academic planner, or divisional director. In all cases, proposals to offer badges that include for-credit course activity must include support from the academic program, academic unit, and academic dean in the school/college offering the courses.
  • Proposals are approved by the head of the division or their designee. Considerations for granting approval are to evaluate the academic quality, market need, and financial sustainability of the learning experience.
  • Once approved, the badge will be added to the campus badging system and can be included in announcements of the learning experience.
  • Badge completion will be recorded using the current campus badging system administered by the Division of Continuing Studies.
  • The sponsoring unit is responsible for collecting and issuing learner completion records in the campus badging system.
  • The sponsoring unit is responsible for the cost of badge set up and training in the campus system as determined by the Division of Continuing Studies, and must include the ongoing cost of assessment and issuance of badges to completers in their budgets for providing the learning experience.
  • Badges will not be included as a separate page in Guide. An announcement of badges used to signify successful assessment of learning may be included in the Guide only if the learning experience is associated with an appropriate academic program included in Guide.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager:
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Associate Director, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143
Assistant Director, Learning Engineering Group -- Sarah Korpi, sarah.korpi@wisc.edu, (608) 890-3364
Effective Date:
03-24-2022
Date Issued:
03-30-2022
Revised Dates:

07-31-2023

Retrieved:
07-17-2025 04:54:43