The Potential and Value of Using Digital Badges for Adult Learners examines the nature, value, and potential impact of digital badges, an emerging electronic form of recognition of an individual’s knowledge and skills.

The report was co-authored by Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO of Credly and director of the BadgeOS project, Erin Knight at Mozilla Foundation, and Susan Manning at the University of Wisconsin, under contract to the American Institutes of Research and with funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE).

Abstract: At their most basic level, digital badges are a new way to capture and communicate what an individual knows and can demonstrate. This report examines the nature, value, and potential impact of digital badges, an emerging electronic form of recognition of an individual’s knowledge and skills. Badges can represent different levels of work and engagement, including more granular skills or achievements, marking in some cases small and/or very specific abilities. For this reason badges hold particular promise for certifying the skills of adult learners in basic education programs, many of whom have few, if any, formal credentials (such as diplomas), but who are obtaining functional skills that would be valued in a workplace setting if a mechanism for certifying those skills and knowledge was available. This report, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), explores the potential and opportunities for developing and implementing a system of digital badges for adult learners.

The report is freely available on the US Department of Education website at:
http://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-716