DUO, Open Badges and use of data on qualifications and diploma

News Release | May 03, 2017

At the end of April, the European partners who cooperate in the field of Open Badges held their project meeting at DUO in Groningen. The three-year Erasmus + project ‘Open Badge Network’ is now coming to an end.

DUO, is part of the Dutch Ministry of Education. DUO’s International Services Department deals with different subjects, Open Badges is one of them, the national Dutch diploma registry is another. Open Badges are a digital representation of skills, knowledge or performance. Organizations can issue them, and then people can share them online. An Open Badge consists of an image, supplemented with unchangeable data. They are created adopting an international open standard, which guarantees the authenticity of the badges.

Nowadays, training institutes, companies and volunteer organizations all over the world know digital badges. For example, an open badge can be proof of the successful completion of an internship or a course, showing learning outcomes and competences. They can be added to a CV  or a digital portfolio and shared on LinkedIn. Open Badges are free to use and rich in information. The underlying data refers to the publisher, the criteria under which the badge is issued and, if applicable, proof of the performance delivered.

They are safe to use because they are provided with a digital signature. In addition, the badges are ‘stackable’. For example, you can ensure that a certain large badge is issued once a few smaller badges have been achieved.

DUO is interested in this new technology, due to its possible application within the Europass portfolio. Perhaps that technology can also be used in the Diploma Registry. That is why DUO participates in the Erasmus + project ‘Open Badge Network’. In the Open Badge Network  project, a number of European partners work together to share and spread knowledge about open badges. This project is funded by the European Commission.

This month, a Dutch article on use of diploma data appears in the Dutch Journal of Education and Education (Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Onderwijsrecht en Onderwijsbeleid). It deals with the possibilities of digitizing educational data. Examples of this are the simplification of students enrollment process, and Open Badges as evidence of follow-up education.

More information about the Open badge Network project can be found on http://www.openbadgenetwork.com/, and on open badges in general at https://openbadges.org/