Digital Badges

Digital Badges are an exciting way to provide Extension programs with an officially recognized way to award learners with an individual award recognition of accomplishment. They are the 21st century version of the printed certificate of accomplishment, and in fact can also include a printable certificate. The digital record contains detailed metadata about achievements such as who earned it, who issued it, the criteria required to earn it, and as possible the evidence and assessment of the relevant skills.

UW-Madison recognizes 2 official digital badge types: competency badges and engagement badges.

Competency Badges 

Competency badges certify demonstrated mastery of specified skills or knowledge. They are assessment‑driven credentials intended to document that a learner has achieved clearly defined learning outcomes at higher cognitive levels (typically Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, or Create). Competency badges require a transparent assessment strategy, a documented passing threshold, and qualified evaluators whose scoring procedures are auditable and reproducible.

Key characteristics:

• Learning outcomes written as observable, measurable statements that align to higher‑order Bloom verbs.

• Formal assessments (projects, exams, portfolios, interviews, performance tasks) with scoring rubrics or objective thresholds.

• Documented evaluator roles, calibration procedures, and conflict‑of‑interest safeguards.

• Metadata that describes the assessment methods, passing criteria, issuer, and issue date.

• Appropriate when badges are intended for hiring, credentialing, professional advancement, or as evidence of transferable skill mastery.

Engagement Badges

Engagement badges recognize meaningful involvement and attainment of foundational learning outcomes (typically Remember and Understand) through active learning experiences. They validate consistent, purposeful engagement in designed learning activities rather than high‑stakes summative mastery. Evidence for engagement badges centers on experiential learning artifacts, reflective work, and demonstrable contribution to the learning process.

Key characteristics:

• Outcomes framed at foundational cognitive levels or focused on demonstrable participation behaviors.

• Criteria that document meaningful engagement (e.g., discussion contributions, completion of interactive tasks, submitted reflections, collaborative artifacts).

• Rubrics or rule‑based earning rules that are transparent and consistently applied; attendance alone is insufficient.

• Flexible evidence pathways to support Universal Design and accessibility; recordkeeping of timestamps, submissions, or facilitator logs.

• Appropriate for recognizing sustained participation, practice, or formative learning activities that support later competency development.

What will this cost?

Extension is centrally funding badges up to Tier 2 (which includes unlimited new badge creation and up to 1500 badge awards). When you propose a new badge, the Extension divisional approver (Christine Rybak) will reach out to you to discuss the number of badges you intend to award as well as to ensure programmatic leadership approval of the badge. If you intend to award a large number of badges, we will discuss costs. If you are awarding a small number of badges, it is likely that this service will be free for you.

If you have questions, please contact helpdesk@extension.wisc.edu.