• Context of the achievement.​ Where and when did specific learning happen? What new knowledge, skills or change has happened as a result of learning? What kind of specific achievement was reached?
• Tasks completed.​ What did the badge earner complete to qualify for this badge? What roles or activities did the badge earner undertake? What evidence did the badge earner submit to claim this achievement?
• Assessment procedures.​Which assessment procedures were in place to verify the badge evidence? Who was involved and how was the assessment carried out?
• Unlocking new opportunities.​ What new opportunities does this badge lead to? Mention all the valuable things that this badge unlocks.
• Links to a wider framework.​Though this information can be included as a separate data field in the badge, it does not hurt to mention if this badge shows any skills that are part of a larger competence framework or education standard or connects with a specific level of education (see ans example of hoe to align badges with the DigiComp 2.1 framework). When you add this information it will be easier to assess prior learning in relation to the relevant EQF level.
• Time spent to achieve the badge. This information is important because it gives information about how long has been ‘worked’ to achieve this badge. If a person worked 3 hours or 6 months to achieve the badge, that makes a difference.

Tips and Hints for badge descriptions

• Badges will be viewed by diverse audiences: badge earners, future employers, formal education staff and so on. Is a certain style of writing acceptable for the context where the badge will be used or viewed?

• Playful badge descriptions can motivate learners, but may be taken less seriously in more formal contexts. It is good to test badge samples with targeted audiences. The style also depends on who verifies the badge achievement and the evidence.

• A badge description can be written in first person style if the badge achievement and evidence are self-approved by a badge earner. Where badges are issued by staff, the third person’s perspective can be used to describe the earner’s achievements.
• Since badges will be displayed on the web, it is good to have a badge description that tells just enough information to understand the achievement and its context.
• Badge metadata is machine-readable. This means that badge information may be discovered by search algorithms and filtered accordingly. Be aware of some keywords that potentially help find a badge easier.

How to describe Badge criteria?

• Criteria should set specific objectives for the badge earner – what needs to be done and what needs to be achieved. It should describe what evidence should be provided: text, image or any other type of file.
• Assessment flow. It should clearly set out how it will be assessed: by the earner, by peers or by the educator or programme manager.
• Try to create criteria that are not too complex. Instead, split a complex badge into more easier-to-achieve badges.

• Some badges may not require uploading evidence, but they may require earning other badges before this particular one. Mention it in the criteria.





Badge Types



1. On-boarding badge can be issued for people learning about badges and finding out how badges will be used in the specific project or event.
2. Participation badge recognise or motivate active participation
3. Competence badge is often more complex and may consist of 'smaller' badges recognising knowledge, skills or attitudes.
4. Learning/achievement badge is issued to recognise specific learning achievement.
5. Fun badges are often the most popular as everyone want to have fun and having seriously funny learning process gives extra energy and joy.
6. Motivation badges might not be recognising the final achievements, but it could be be badges leading people along the way and recognising their efforts, persistence and motivating people to keep on going.
7. Behaviour badges can be dedicated for recognising specific behaviour that you expect or promote.
8. Membership badges can symbolise belonging to a specific group, organisation, class, process.

Assessment of badge evidence and ways to issue a badge

• Issue a badge by scanning a QR code. This is the method of issuing is generated automatically by the platform (by default). This method is suitable especially for in-person events, when participants physically come to the activity and organisers can decide when to issue a badge. By using this method, learners will not add any other evidence to the badge. The badge itself will be evidence of participation.
• Issue a badge by email. This method suits well if people can not scan the QR code on the spot or if they participated in an online activity and organiser has emails of learners.
• Set-up tasks to earn a badge. In many cases it makes sense that a badge is not issued, but earned by the learner upon completion of certain tasks. Badge issuer can define one or more tasks for each badge and require a learner to upload evidence - any kind of file: text based reflection; an image; a link, etc.

• Self-assessment. Evidence is self-approved upon the upload. This is a good method if you base your learning process on trust, assessment and self-reflection. Not all learning should be assessed by external people.
• Peer-assessment. You can set up a number of peers from the same activity who need to approve the evidence. Only then, a badge is issued. This method is relevant when activity involves several people in accomplishing some tasks together.
• External assessment. This method is suitable if activity organisers are willing to see the evidence and have the power to review and approve it. This is the most top-down approach and suitable for more rigid educational programmes.