Digital badges represent accomplishments and skills in a visual way, similar to badges earned by Scouts and military members. Some universities, including Illinois State University, are using digital badges to recognize academic, extracurricular, and service achievements. Badges provide evidence of skills not highlighted on resumes, which can help students stand out to employers in an increasingly competitive job market. The use of digital badges has grown rapidly, with thousands of organizations now issuing badges. Taking advantage of Illinois State's badging system can help Honors students reinforce their resumes and prepare for a future where digital badges become more widely used and accepted.

1. Digital badges visually represent
accomplishments; they are
this generation’s take on patches
and medals issued by Boy & Girl
Scouts and the military.
The ISU Honors Program issues
badges in recognition of
achievements academic,
extra-curricular, and altruistic.
Seconds AVERAGE EMPLOYER
VIEWS A RESUMÉ
NUMBER OF BADGES OFFERED BY
THE Honors Program
A college degree doesn’t
necessarily reflect a student’s
ability to transition into the
workforce. Digital badges provide
employers with a means by which
to view pertinent work and skills
not highlighted in a resumé.
Building a digital resumé that
leverages badging can prompt
employers to take a closer look at
meaningful evidence .
As of March 2013, 98 entities were
issuing badges. That grew to
14,000 by June 2014. This includes
organizations such as Mozilla,
NASA, and the Smithsonian. Kent
State, Purdue, Harvard, and Illinois
State University are pioneering the
use of digital badges in
higher education.
VIEWS OF CREDIT EARNED
ON ISU’S BADGING VENDOR,
Credly.com
INCREASE IN Millions OF
USERS FROM 2014 TO 2016
As the job market becomes more
competitive and visual culture
becomes more captivating, badging
becomes more effective. With the
ability to link digital badges to social
media networks, such as LinkedIn,
students can reinforce resumés with
recognized skills. Taking advantage of
badging now will set Illinois State
Honors students ahead in the future,
where digital badging is predicted to
explode in popularity.
Sources
http://chronicle.com/article/Can-Digital-Badges-and/150257/
http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-badges
http://www.edudemic.com/guides/the-teachers-guide-to-badges-in-education/
http://www.skilledup.com/insights/do-open-badges-matter-to-employers-or-admissions-officers
Additional data provided by Illinois State University Honors Program.
Created 3/16 by Sarah Foote ‘18