Why use digital badges for co-curricular programs?

Co-curricular programs happen outside class, so the results never reach the transcript. Schools record them with certificates or mileage points, but those records are hard to check from outside the school.

A digital badge is an online credential that holds the program name, criteria, issuer and date. Anyone can check it with one link, so students can show it on their résumé and LinkedIn as is.

From one program office to the whole school: two ways

Universities use digital badges in two main ways. Pick by size and by where your school’s systems stand. You can also start small and grow later.

Option 1. Issue straight from the Certi platform

Sign in to the Certi platform, create a badge, upload the list of students as an Excel file and click Issue. Students get the badge by KakaoTalk (Korea’s most-used messaging app) and email, and open it with the link in the message.

One program office, department or center can start right away. There’s no waiting on the school’s IT team, and you buy a pass for only as long as you need it.

At universities, Korea University’s K-MOOC, Gachon University’s Semiconductor Specialized University Support Program, Kwangwoon University’s Online Education Support Center, Jaeneung University have issued badges this way.

Option 2. Connect the whole school’s student system

As programs and students multiply, it gets hard for staff to tidy and upload a list for every session. Connect the school’s co-curricular system to Certi by API, and a student only has to press Get badge on a completed program: the badge is issued and added to the student’s My badges automatically.

Hoseo University uses Certi connected to its campus-wide student system and co-curricular programs. Its self-development certification badges are split by area, such as career challenge, career planning, learning growth and personal growth, and each area has Level 1, 2 and 3. For example, the Career Challenge Badge (Level 1) goes to students who complete the online job bootcamp.

The scope of integration depends on the school’s systems and is set together during onboarding. The Pro plan includes support for integration development.

Which option fits your school?

You don’t need to integrate from day one. Start with one program office on the Certi platform, and expand to a campus-wide integration as programs grow.

How much does it cost for 100 to 1,000 students?

One credit issues one badge, and recipients pay nothing. Each plan adds credits every month, and annual billing (12 months) saves 15%. Pick the plan that fits how many badges you issue in a year.

For 1 to 11 months, it’s KRW 7,700 (Mini), KRW 22,000 (Basic), or KRW 58,300 (Pro) a month. In a month when you issue a lot at once, buy extra credits at KRW 300 each. The free trial gives you 30 credits for one month, with no card required.

See the pricing page for plans, and the pricing and payment FAQ for credits and how to pay.

What should you decide before you start?

Whichever option you choose, decide these four things first, and badges keep the same standard even when staff change.

For more on splitting badges into levels, see How to issue digital badges in tiers. Pick skills from the list in Certi and AI suggests the ones that fit.

How does each student’s record build up?

Badges collect in My badges in the student’s Certi account. Badges from different programs and other institutions sit in one place, stay in the account after graduation, and can be shared with a link at any time.

School staff can open a student’s profile on the platform to see all the badges that student has received.

For how students add badges to a résumé, see How to add a digital badge to LinkedIn and your résumé.

How do several departments and program offices share it?

There’s no limit on admin accounts, so the student affairs office, departments and program offices can all work under one school name. Each office gets its own permissions, and every badge issued gathers on the school’s organization page.

Support for splitting one school into several organizations (teams) is coming soon.

How do you use it as outcome data?

Each badge keeps a record of who received it and on what criteria, and the Certi platform shows issuance and view status for each badge. Download the issuance history as an Excel file to use in outcome reports.

For documenting outcomes for programs such as ANCHOR, see How to document ANCHOR program outcomes with digital badges. Check your program guidelines first to confirm badges fit the performance indicators.

What does Certi offer?

The same Certi works from one small program office to the whole school. Korea University, Gachon, Kwangwoon and Jaeneung issue from the Certi platform, and Hoseo University issues through its student system integration. Here is how Certi answers the questions schools often ask when choosing a service.