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.
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 that can be displayed and verified online. The digital badge record contains detailed metadata about a learner 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 learner’s achievement.
Competency Badge
A competency badge is a digital record of demonstrated competency, skills and/or knowledge achieved through a learning activity and verified by successful completion of a formal assessed activity. While some competency badges may recognize achievement of foundational (remember, understand) learning outcomes, this badge type is best suited to higher level (apply, analyze, evaluate, create) learning outcomes. The assessed competency badge is awarded to learning experience participants who demonstrate mastery of competency skills through formal assessment. Examples of competency badge assessments include:
Scenario-based quizzes
Annotated resource reviews
Simulations
Mini projects
Presentations
Research-based posters
Written assessments
These assessments demonstrate mastery of the learning outcomes highlighted in the competency badge. Campus partners who utilize competency badges will be responsible for identifying the parameters for mastery. They will also need to identify those who will serve as evaluators of the assessment and their qualifications.
Engagement Badge
An engagement badge is awarded to participants who actively engage in a learning activity or event that is designed so that participants will engage in active learning. While attendance is required for an engagement badge, it is not enough to qualify to earn an engagement badge. This badge recognizes meaningful participation and achievement of foundational (remember, understand) learning outcomes without the need for formal evaluations. The engagement badge is given to participants who demonstrate active involvement in a specific learning activity or event. This can include contributing to discussions, completing interactive tasks, and showing consistent participation throughout the session. The key is meaningful engagement that aligns with the learning outcomes. Examples of meaningful engagement components that can be integrated into the design of activities/events include:
Participating in Discussions: Actively contributing to group discussions, whether in-person or online, by sharing insights, asking questions, and responding to peers.
Completing Interactive Tasks: Engaging with non-graded interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, or collaborative projects.
Providing Feedback: Offering constructive feedback on the learning activity or event, which can help improve future sessions.
Applying Learning: Demonstrating how the knowledge gained is being applied in real-world scenarios or personal projects.
Collaborating with Peers: Working effectively with others in group activities or discussions, showing teamwork and cooperation.
Reflective Contributions: Sharing personal reflections or experiences related to the learning content, which can enrich the learning experience for everyone involved.
Experience Creation: Participating in the creation and/or support of a structured learning experience for others.
These actions show a commitment to the learning process and contribute to a richer, more interactive learning environment. Further, they demonstrate meaningful participation and mastery of the appropriately worded foundational learning outcomes. Campus partners who utilize engagement badges will be responsible for identifying the parameters for achievement utilizing the engagement badge rubric guidance {linked} in their engagement badge proposal. They will also need to identify those who will serve as evaluators of the engagement and their qualifications.
Scope:
Current and former learners, and all UW-Madison divisions including non-academic divisions.
Policy:
Digital Badge Use
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 or grouping of credit-bearing courses. 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 Digital Badges
Badges may be offered by any UW–Madison division (sponsoring unit).
Proposals to create, change or discontinue a digital badge must be made through the Lumen Badges form.
A digital badge is either a competency or an engagement badge. It cannot be both.
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. Learning outcomes for badges will follow the guidelines for program and course learning outcomes.
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.
The official UW-Madison digital badge imagery is the only imagery that may be used for UW-Madison digital badges.
Badge completion will be recorded using the current campus badging system administered by the Division of Continuing Studies.
The official campus badging system is the only system that may be used for digital badges at UW-Madison.
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.
All digital badges pre-dating this policy revision must be retired or updated to meet policy requirements.
Implementation Plan
Outreach to all existing issuers with information on policy updates by the end of September 2025.
Collaborative work on compliance edits commences October 2025.
All changes needed to bring existing badges into alignment with policy are completed by the end of fiscal year 2026 (June 30, 2026).
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Associate Vice Provost for Academic Planning -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143 Director of Organizational Development -- Sarah Korpi, sarah.korpi@wisc.edu, (608) 890-3364
