Creating and issuing a new digital credential involves a number of different steps. In CHARM-EU, we have collected extensive experience in this.

Step 1: Policy: What governance and approval processes are required to create a digital credential?

When deciding to award digital credentials to your learners, this should fit into the broader strategy and policies of your organisation. In CHARM-EU, we have developed a Micro-credential Strategy and approval process for new digital credentials.

The staff member who would like to develop a new digital credential liaises with the CHARM-EU Joint Virtual IT Office and our Micro-credentials Team to discuss their idea, and fills in an internal form. This form gives information about the intended credentials, in the following categories:

• General description (including form of participation and assessment)
• Learning Outcomes
• Awarding Criteria
• Calculation of work load hours including comparability to ECTS
• Issuer of the credentials

These elements should align with the European Standard elements to describe a micro-credential (see Annex 1 in the Council Recommendation).

Following this, the form is then submitted to the CHARM-EU Academic Council who considers the credential, ensures that it aligns with CHARM-EUs goals and values, and approves or rejects it.

See the example of the CHARM-EU Edubadge “Inter-Institutional Collaboration in University Administration”. 

Step 2: Technology: which platform will you use to issue and manage the credentials?

The next step is to choose a digital platform with which to issue the digital credential and to gain access to it. It is important to consider technical, administrative and operational requirements to select the platform. For example,  supporting open standards and interoperability, identity verification,  administration, and cost. CHARM-EU has piloted the Edubadges platform and is preparing another pilot with the European Digital Credentials for Learning Platform. Access to the different platforms depends on the organisation you are working for and what platforms they are connected to. For instance, the Edubadges platform requires a Dutch partner, in this case Utrecht University. The European Digital Credentials for Learning Platform is open to all organisations, but requires buying an eSeal to identify the university and the mandate of the person ordering the eSeal beyond any doubt. A third option can be a commercial platform based on Open Badges technology.

Depending on which platform you use, you may also need to prepare a visual that you want to attach to your digital credential. Open badges usually require this. See the overview of badge classes and their corresponding visual of CHARM-EU.  Micro-credentials and Life Long Learning – CHARM-EU

Step 3: Administration: how will you organize the hand-out process?

Once you received green light and you have set up your digital credential in the platform of your choice, you will need to look into the administration of the learners that you want to award your digital credential. There are a number of basic choices to make:

• Do you want the learners to request the digital credential? Or do you already know who has earned it (for example, because you organized a course) and you want to send the credential to a pre-defined list of awardees?

• Do you want to simply send the credential as soon as it’s ready, or do you want to connect it to a certain ceremony, happening at a specific time perhaps, and maybe connected to an explanation about the credential?

• Do you want to encourage your awardees to share the news about their earned credential online? On what platform? Can you support that centrally somehow, for instance by congratulating them publicly?

• Do you want to follow-up the awarding process in any way, for example with support if you see that the credential is not being picked up, or with a survey later on to measure their satisfaction?

• Are you involved in CHARM-EU and would you like to create a new digital credential to recognize your learners’ achievements? Then look at the resources listed in the ‘read more’ section and reach out to the Micro-credentials team!
• Are you involved in one of the CHARM-EU partner universities, but not connected to CHARM as such? We can try to help you get in touch with the relevant colleagues at your university that can tell you more about the policy and the available platforms at your own university. Reach out to the Micro-credentials team!
• Are you involved in a different university, not connected to the CHARM-EU partnership? The steps described in the previous section are universal!

Are you interested in getting involved with CHARM-EU digital credentials? Check out our guides for more information!