Micro-Credentials provide lasting and transferable value as part of your education at Virginia Wesleyan. As you participate in conferences, complete workshops, and take courses through the VWU Global Campus, you will be awarded a variety of badges that you can include in your digital portfolio, display on your social media, and include as part of your applications. For more information on Achievement Studio, see below.
Anatomy of a Digital Badge
All of our badges adhere to the OpenBadges Standard, the world's leading format for digital badges that is verifiable and portable.
All of the information to verify your status, the work you did to complete the badge, and where you earned the badge is embedded into the data of the badge itself.
Micro-Credential Types
Based on the type of event you attend or complete, you will earn a different type of badge. These badge types are listed below.
Event Badge
An event badge is earned when you attend an event associated with the VWU Global Campus. These are usually one-day events, with no individual test, presentation, or assignment to complete as part of the workshop.
Level I Micro-Credential
A Level I Micro-Credential is earned upon completion of a multi-day, non-credit bearing workshop. No assessment of individual mastery of the skills developed in the workshop is required to receive a Level I Micro-Credential.
Level II Micro-Credential
A Level II Micro-Credential is earned upon completion of a workshop or credit-bearing course as part of the VWU Global Campus. Individual mastery of the skills developed in the workshop will be assessed several times over the duration of the workshop or course.
Macro-Credential
Macro-Credentials are awarded after earning a specific set of microcredentials that demonstrate a collective body of skills, knowledge and experience. Once all of the associated badges and micro-credentials have been awarded, the macro-credential will automatically be awarded.
Achievement Studio
As part of your first badge, you will be invited to create an Achievement Studio account. Here, you will be able to display the badges you have earned, upload samples of your work related to those badges, and identify other events and activities that are related to your education and training. You will be able to sort the badges into collections and share them with current and potential employers to showcase your education and skills.
Earning Microcredentials
To earn new microcredentials, you will need to register for free workshops through the VWU Global Campus or register for courses in the VWU Online program that have microcredentials associated with them. You can find a list of available badges and the associated workshop or course here .
Offering Microcredentials
Faculty and Workshop facilitators who are interested in offering a microcredential in connection with their course or workshop will need to fill out a form identifying the course or workshop, associated skills, and assessment methods. This form will be evaluated by the Global Campus Continuing Education Committee. Once approved, the badge will be created and linked to the course.