Glossary
Alternative Credential: Non-traditional (non-degree) credentials offered by institutions of higher education, which may be for credit or non-credit. Typically issued in a digital format.
Assessment: A process that ensures appropriate rigor and expertise to evaluate a learning activity to determine to what extent learning may have occurred.
Badge (Digital): An artifact that indicates an accomplishment or skill that can be displayed, accessed, and verified online.
Certificate: An academic program (undergraduate, graduate or professional level) based on a free-standing body of knowledge, often interdisciplinary in nature.
Competency: Learnable, measurable, and/or observable knowledge and skill sets gained.
Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR): A customizable personal digital record for all learning experiences. It can showcase learner records like courses, competencies, internships, or digital badges.
Credential: (revised definition): Documented forms of completion or achievement. (e.g., educational certificates, degrees, micro-credentials, certifications, or government licenses)
Criteria: The knowledge, skills or competencies that need to be demonstrated by a learner to earn a credential.
Earner: An individual that completes the requirements to earn a digital credential.
Evidence: The assessment artifact or product associated with a credential that demonstrates the accomplishment of the criteria (e.g., video, oral presentation).
Interoperability: The ability of different systems to communicate and exchange data seamlessly.
Issuer: An organization or individual responsible for issuing badges.
Learning Employment Record (LER): A comprehensive digital record of a worker’s skills and competencies. It can document learning wherever it occurs, and may include records of credentials, degrees, and employment.
Metadata: Described as “the guts” of a digital badge which provides information regarding the requirements a learner demonstrated to earn the credential along with the evidence of completion.
Micro-credential: A short program that allows students to gain industry-relevant skills and/or other competencies.
Open Badge: Open badges are portable credentials containing metadata that offer detailed information about the achievements being credentialed.
Stackable Credential: Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an individual’s qualifications and help that individual move along a career pathway and further education.
Trust: The consumer’s belief that the credentials received have value (governance), are validated (true), are associated with the learner (identify) and are unchanged (immutable).
Verifiable: Confirmation that a credential is authentic, accurate and legitimate and has been awarded by an institution to a specific learner.