Digital badges and verifiable credentials, explained

Open Badges

Open Badges is a specification maintained by 1EdTech for packaging a credential with its metadata: who issued it, who earned it, what it was for and the criteria. The point is portability and a link back to the issuer, so the badge can be checked later.

Verifiable Credentials

Verifiable Credentials is a W3C standard for credentials that are cryptographically signed. A verifier can confirm that the issuer signed it and that it has not been altered, without phoning the issuer each time.

What to look for in a badge

• A stable link back to the issuer’s record.
• Clear criteria: what was assessed, and how.
• An issue date and a status that can change.
• Signing or hosting that lets a third party check it independently.

What a badge cannot do

A badge proves that an issuer made a claim. It does not make the issuer credible. Judge the badge by the body behind it. IICTP issues digital badges tied to its public registry, and it is a new independent body that is not ISO/IEC 17024 accredited.

IICTP is a new independent credential and is not ISO/IEC 17024 accredited.