Q: What is an Open Badge?
A: A badge is a representation of an outcome or achievement. Badges are often used in contexts like scouting, gaming, social sites and rankings or authority. Open Badges refer specifically to badges that adhere to an open standard being led by Mozilla for recognizing and validating learning. Open Badges are secure, web-enabled credentials that contain granular, verified information employers can use to evaluate an individual's potential.
Q: How does my credential get displayed as an Open Badge?
A: Certiport partners with a platform like Acclaim to translate the learning outcomes or experiences into the Open Badges standard defined by Mozilla. That means you are now able to accept, manage and share your credential as a digital asset.
Q: How is displaying my credential as an Open Badge useful?
A: Representing your credentials as Open Badges gives you the ability to broadcast your skills and tell your professional story online with single-click access to validated credential information. Many employers are learning about Open Badges, so curating an online portfolio of your credentials will place you at the forefront of what will become a convenient currency for communicating professional skills.
Q: Who is Acclaim?
A: Acclaim is an independent initiative backed by Pearson, the world's leading learning company. Its focal point is an enterprise-class badging platform built in compliance with Mozilla's Open Badges standards to support the specialized needs of credential issuers, employers and professionals. The Acclaim platform provides a secure means of storage, transport and credential publishing that adds a layer of protection against those who may falsely claim high-stakes credentials.
Acclaim also provides strategic consulting services around efficacy, credential program design, assessment, learning and badge system design. Acclaim is dedicated to growing a trusted and secure ecosystem around digital credentials to help education providers, high-stakes credentialing organizations, learners and employers unlock the potential of badges.
Q: What if I don't want my credential to be public?
A: If you don't want your credential to be visible to the public, you can make it private. If you don't want your profile to be visible to the public, you can make it private. If you don't even want a credential in the form of an Open Badge, you can discard it. All information regarding you and your credentials can be configured within your Acclaim account.
Q: Is there a fee for using Acclaim?
A: No. Using Acclaim to store, manage and broadcast your credentials is free for badge earners. Acclaim works with credentialing issuers to offset any costs and to ensure you have a best-in-class platform.
Q: How can I earn other credentials to display on Acclaim?
A: Acclaim works directly with credentialing issuers to display their credentials as Open Badges. If there is a particular credential you would like to see represented on Acclaim, please contact us.
Q: What's to keep someone from copying my badge and using it?
A: While Open Badges are simply digital image files, they are uniquely linked to data hosted on the Acclaim platform. This link to verified data makes them more reliable and secure than a traditional paper-based credential.
Q: Can I include Open Badges on my resume or LinkedIn profile?
A: Yes. Every credential and profile on Acclaim has a unique URL that can be embedded on a resume or website. Acclaim also offers seamless integration with several popular social and professional networking platforms for the display of credentials as Open Badges. If we are not currently connected with a particular platform that you use, please contact us.
Q: Can my Acclaim profile include credentials I've earned from other institutions?
A: Any credential that is valued by employers or helps you tell your professional story is welcome on Acclaim. Currently we work directly with credentialing providers in order to accommodate this, but will expand our offerings over time. Please contact us if there is a specific credential you would like posted to Acclaim.
Q: Can my Acclaim profile include other badges I've earned?
A: While Acclaim adheres to the Open Standard defined by Mozilla, we do not currently support the uploading of badges issued by other platforms. However, this is an enhancement we intend to make to our platform. If you have questions or other badges that you would like displayed on Acclaim, please contact us.