Mozilla Open Badges Presentation (2014)

Open Badges, a new online standard launched in March 2013 by Mozilla, is open source, free software, which any organization can use to create, issue and verify digital badges to recognize and verify learning.

Many of us are familiar with and likely earned some kind of physical badge in our lifetime. Who can forget all those colourful badges sewn or pinned on a sleeve, jacket or hat of a Girl Guide or Boy Scout? These badges represent the accomplishment of various achievements and are often proudly displayed by the recipients.

Digital badges, originally introduced in games, are also used to recognize achievements and completion of specific tasks, but they are issued and shared digitally.

They are often treated as rewards and recipients seek them to:

• create a record of accomplishment
• accumulate badges to demonstrate expertise
• display badges to represent participation in events
• share with potential employers or admissions offices

Digital badge issuers use digital badges for:

• college or secondary school courses
• camps or seasonal activities
• recreational activities
• employee training
• professional credentialing
• personalized learning

To provide a common system for the issuance, collection, and display of digital badges on multiple instructional sites, Mozilla Foundation developed Mozilla Open Badges – free software and an open technical standard any organization can use to create, issue and verify digital badges.

Many educational institutions and learning management system providers, such as Blackboard and Moodle, quickly partnered with Mozilla to enable online teachers and administrators to issue Open Badges for course and activity completions.