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03.710 Digital Badge Issuance Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish the use of digital badges to recognize learning achievements at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (“UNCW”) that differ from traditional academic credentials in duration, format, and/or competency basis. Digital badges serve as a visual representation of skills, competencies, and accomplishments acquired through formal and informal learning experiences.

Authority:

Chancellor

History:

Established March 4, 2026

Source of Authority:

N/A

Related Links:

Digital Badge Issuance Regulation

Responsible Office:

Office of the Provost and Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Policy Details:

This policy shall be implemented and applied in accordance with such regulations and guidelines as may be approved by the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs following consultation with appropriate governance bodies.

  1. Purpose

    1. The purpose of this policy is to establish the use of digital badges to recognize learning achievements at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (“UNCW”) that differ from traditional academic credentials in duration, format, and/or competency basis. Digital badges serve as a visual representation of skills, competencies, and accomplishments acquired through formal and informal learning experiences.

  2. Scope

    1. This policy applies to all UNCW learners (students, faculty, staff, and community members) who successfully complete an approved learning experience and associated assessment(s).

    2. This policy applies to all academic and non-academic units interested in issuing a digital badge to recognize learning associated with a defined learning experience with associated assessments.

  3. Guiding Principles

    1. Universal access to digital badging – Digital badging represents a novel and flexible mechanism to recognize learning in a variety of settings. UNCW is committed to ensuring that all units have access and ability to use this technology to advance the university’s mission.

    2. Transparency - The review and approval of digital badge use cases should be conducted in an open and transparent way. Therefore, data and decision-making processes will be open to all.

  4. Definitions

    1. Credential – Official recognition by an authorized body of completion of a learning experience that includes measurable learning outcomes, learner engagement, and assessment. Traditional credentials recognized by institutions of higher education such as associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees are awarded for completion of a program of study defined by minimum credit hours and a set curriculum that includes theoretical and practical content and skills. These traditional credentials are typically represented by the conferral of a diploma.

    2. Alternative Credential – Official recognition of learning that results from a learning experience that differs in duration, format, or competency basis than those typical of programs leading to a traditional credential. Alternative credentials can be awarded for credit bearing and non-credit bearing learning experiences, and are represented by certificates, certifications, digital badges, and other physical or virtual tokens. At UNCW examples of alternative credentials include non-credit certificates of completion. This policy applies to non-credit programming only.

    3. Microcredential – Official recognition of completion of learning that results from a learning experience that is shorter in duration than a traditional credential program. Microcredentials can be represented using a variety of physical and digital tokens including certificates, certifications, and digital badges. Microcredentials can be awarded for learning that results from credit-bearing or non-credit bearing programs. This policy applies to non-credit programming only.

    4. Stacking and Stackable Pathway – A process by which a learner can earn multiple microcredentials that lead through accumulation to a higher-level credential.

    5. Clock-hour – Unit of instructional time defined by the duration of instructional contact in a synchronous face-to-face or online setting or the equivalent needed to meet educational objectives in an asynchronous online setting.

    6. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) - Consistent with UNC System Policy 400.1.9[G] one CEU is awarded for each ten clock-hours of instruction. Fractional CEUs may be awarded for clock-hours that are not evenly divisible by ten.

    7. Digital Badge – A shareable digital representation of an achievement, skill, or competency that can be displayed online, shared on social media, and included in digital portfolios. Digital badges carry metadata that identifies the issuing body, learning experience, and learning outcomes achieved.

    8. Badging System – An online platform for designing, issuing, and transcripting digital badges.

    9. Requesting Program – Curricular or co-curricular unit desiring to issue digital badges for specific experiences and learning outcomes.

    10. Approval Authority – Person or persons charged with reviewing and approving alternative credential program proposals.

    11. Approval Criteria – Set of minimum standards that define types of alternative credentials.

    12. Learning Experience – An identifiable unit of structured learning offered by curricular and non-curricular bodies. Structured learning experiences include measurable learning outcomes, standardized content offered in face-to-face, online, or hybrid settings, and assessment of learning outcomes.

    13. Learner – any authorized person (student, faculty, staff, community member) who participates in an approved learning experience and completes the requirements of the alternative credential.

    14. Learning Outcomes – Specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that students are expected to demonstrate upon completion of a learning experience.

    15. Assessment – The process of evaluating learner performance against predefined criteria.

    16. Requestor– Requesting Program personnel who validate that the learner has completed all requirements and requests issuance of the alternative credential.

    17. Issuing Office/Issuer – Personnel tasked with issuing the badge to the learner using the badging system. Also tasked with assisting requesting program to design and develop metadata for badges.

  5. Types of Digital Badges

    1. Type 1 Badge (Teal):

      1. Purpose:Type 1 badges are denoted by teal coloration and are awarded for the completion of a non-credit learning experience of limited duration and scope less than ten clock-hours.

      2. Eligibility: Available to all UNCW learners (students, faculty, staff, and community members) who successfully complete the approved learning experience and associated assessment(s).

      3. Requirements:

        1. Learning Outcomes: Each alternative credential represented by a Type 1 badge must have clearly defined learning outcomes related to a specific area of study or skill.

        2. Assessment: Students must complete an assessment aligned with the learning outcomes. This could include quizzes, projects, practical demonstrations, or presentations. Programs focused on information transfer may consider attendance and participation as a form of assessment.

        3. Instructional time: Alternative credentials represented by Type 1 badges are awarded for programs lasting less than ten clock-hours of instructional time. Type 1 badges can be awarded for in-person, hybrid, and fully online (synchronous or asynchronous) learning experiences.

        4. Stackability: Type 1 badges are stackable and can be included in pathways that lead to higher order alternative credentials.

    2. Type 2 Badge (Navy):

      1. Purpose: Type 2 badges are denoted by navy blue coloration and are awarded for the completion of a non-credit bearing learning experience of ten to thirty clock-hours of instructional time. Type 2 badges can be awarded for a single learning experience of appropriate duration or through accumulation of multiple Type 1 badges in a defined stackable pathway.

      2. Eligibility: Available to all UNCW learners (faculty, students, staff, and community members) who successfully complete the approved learning experience(s) and associated assessment(s).

      3. Requirements:

        1. Learning Outcomes: Each alternative credential represented by a Type 2 badge must have clearly defined learning outcomes related to a specific area of study or skill. In addition, if earned through a stackable pathway, the alternative credential represented by a Type 2 badge must have learning outcomes representing the summative results of learning experiences embedded in subsidiary alternative credentials.

        2. Assessment: Learners must complete an assessment aligned with the learning outcomes. This could include quizzes, projects, demonstrations, or presentations. Programs focused on information transfer may consider attendance and participation as a form of assessment. Completion of alternative credentials defined in the approved stackable pathway leading to a Type 2 badge is considered de facto evidence of meeting all required learning outcomes.

        3. Contact Hours: Alternative credentials represented by Type 2 badges must be at least 10 clock-hours but not more than 30 clock-hours of instructional time in duration or the equivalent in an asynchronous online environment. These hours may be earned through workshops, classes, seminars, conferences, or other approved activities. Learning experiences leading to a Type 2 badge can be in-person, hybrid, and fully online (synchronous or asynchronous). Instructional time can be acquired in a single learning experience or through accumulation in a defined stackable pathway.

        4. Stackability: Type 2 badges are stackable and can be included in pathways that lead to higher order alternative credentials.

    3. Type 3 Badge (Gold):

      1. Purpose: Type 3 badges are denoted by gold coloration and are awarded for the completion of a single learning experience of 30 or more clock hours, or two or more alternative credentials represented by Type 1 (teal) or Type 2 (navy) badges that are associated through a defined and approved stackable pathway.

      2. Eligibility: Available to all UNCW learners who successfully complete the approved learning experiences and associated assessments that comprise a single learning experience of 30 or more hours or two or more alternative credentials represented by Type 1 or Type 2 badges associated through a defined and approved stackable pathway.

      3. Requirements:

        1. Learning Outcomes: Each alternative credential represented by a Type 3 badge must have clearly defined learning outcomes related to a specific area of study or skill. In addition, if earned through a stackable pathway, the alternative credential represented by a Type 3 badge must have learning outcomes representing the summative results of learning experiences embedded in subsidiary alternative credentials.

        2. Assessment: Learners must complete an assessment aligned with the learning outcomes. This could include quizzes, projects, demonstrations, or presentations. Programs focused on information transfer may consider attendance and participation as a form of assessment. Completion of alternative credentials defined in the approved stackable pathway leading to a Type 3 badge is considered de facto evidence of meeting all required learning outcomes.

        3. Contact Hours: Alternative credentials represented by Type 3 badges must be at least 30 clock-hours of instructional time in duration or the equivalent in an asynchronous online environment. These hours may be earned through workshops, classes, seminars, conferences, or other approved activities. Learning experiences leading to a Type 3 badge can be in-person, hybrid, and fully online (synchronous or asynchronous). Instructional time can be acquired in a single learning experience or through accumulation in a defined stackable pathway.

        4. Stackability: Type 3 badges cannot be included in pathways that lead to higher order alternative- or credit-bearing credentials.

  6. Badge development and approval

    1. Requests for digital badges can originate with any academic or non-academic unit at UNCW. Requests should be properly formatted and reviewed using the appropriate system of record as described in regulation.

    2. Digital badges can be issued for non-credit alternative credentials that have been approved by the appropriate Approval Authority.

    3. Proposals for new digital badges must be submitted to the Digital Badging and Microcredential Committee using processes described in regulation. The DBMC is charged with the timely review of badging proposals, and for forwarding approved proposals to the Issuing Office for deployment.

    4. The Issuing Office is charged with supporting Requesting Programs to build digital badges using the tools provided in the badging system and in accordance with the UNCW Brand and Identity Guide (BIG), to refine and enter appropriate metadata in the badging system, and to issue badges to learners who complete the learning objectives.

    5. The Issuing Office should maintain a level of expertise in the use of the digital badging system to facilitate the creation of badges that are visually appealing and uphold UNCW’s reputation as an excellent institution of higher education. Understanding also that an alternative credential, and therefore the digital badge that represents it, has no inherent value, the Issuing Office should maintain expertise in the refinement and application of metadata to ensure that the value of the alternative credential (and digital badge) is readily apparent.

  7. Badge issuance and recording

    1. Once an alternative credential is approved and its digital badge with appropriate metadata is recorded in the badging system, it is the responsibility of the Requesting Program to deliver the learning experience outlined in the proposal. The Requesting Program is required to verify that all learners have completed the learning objectives through appropriate assessments, and that alternative credentials and their associated digital badges be requested only for those who are verified as complete. The Requesting Program periodically submits the names and identifying information of learners to the Issuing Office. The Issuing Office is then responsible for the timely issuance of badges in the badging system and working with learners to use their earned digital badges in effective ways.

  8. Digital Badging and Microcredential Committee (DBMC)

    1. Purpose - The Digital Badging and Microcredential Committee is a cross-divisional committee of faculty and staff representing the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs. Its purpose is to review and approve proposals for the use of digital badges to represent alternative and micro- credentials that result from the completion of non-credit-bearing learning experiences. The DBMC does not approve micro- or alternative credentials. The primary role of the DBMC is to ensure that digital badges are issued for learning experiences with properly defined learning outcomes, contact hours, and associated assessments. Secondarily, the DBMC is responsible for ensuring that alternative and micro- credentials are not duplicated across campus, and that all such alternative credentials are properly approved within the proposing unit. Within the scope of its responsibilities, the DBMC periodically reviews and updates policies and procedures for developing and administering alternative- and micro-credentials and issuance of digital badges.

    2. Membership – The DBMC is comprised of members representing the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs. The number of committee members and division of membership across units must be defined in the appropriate regulation. The DBMC must evaluate its membership structure at least every four years.

    3. Co-Chairs – The DBMC is led by co-chairs representing the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs. Co-Chairs from each division are appointed by the appropriate Vice Chancellor. Co-Chairs are responsible for organizing regular meetings of the DBMC and for the administration of the approval process for alternative credentials represented by digital badges.

  9. Responsibilities

    1. Learners:

      1. Understand the learning outcomes associated with each badge.

      2. Complete assessments honestly and to the best of their abilities.

      3. Demonstrate mastery of all learning outcomes.

      4. Maintain a record of earned badges.

    2. Requestor:

      1. Develop clear learning outcomes, student engagement activities, and assessments for each alternative credential.

      2. Ensure the distinctiveness of the learning experience and consult with other units offering programs with similar content or objectives.

      3. Offer the learning experience.

      4. Review student submissions promptly.

      5. Ensure consistency in assessment processes.

      6. Submit names of learners to the Issuing Office in a timely manner for issuance of digital badges.

    3. Issuing Office:

      1. Administer the badge issuance process.

      2. Maintain records of awarded badges.

      3. Record all metadata needed to communicate to a non-expert the content and quality of the learning experience, learning objectives, and assessments.

      4. Provide technical support to students for accessing badges.

      5. Provide technical support to requesting program for developing badges associated with appropriate learning experiences.

    4. Digital Badging and Microcredentials Committee (“DBMC”):

      1. Administer the approval process for use of digital badges.

      2. Report on the usage of digital badges by campus constituents to university administration, as appropriate.

      3. Ensure that all alternative credentials represented by a digital badge meet minimum criteria for learning outcomes, assessment, and contact hours.

      4. Periodically reviews and updates policies and procedures for developing and administering alternative- and micro-credentials and issuance of digital badges.