Glossary
Welcome to the Open Badges glossary! Below you will find definitions of terms related to Open Badges, linked so that you can explore the concepts in an intuitive way.
An Open Badge can optionally align to an educational standard, in which case the badge metadata will include the name, a URL and a description representing the standard. The alignment information may be relevant to people viewing an earner's awarded badges, or to a potential earner deciding whether to apply for the badge.
An assertion is a JSON-structured representation of the data for a specific badge that has been awarded. An assertion represents a single badge awarded to a single earner - it includes information about:
- who earned the badge
- what the badge represents
- who issued the badge
The assertion for a badge includes various data items required by the Open Badges Specification.
- Required data items in an assertion include:
- a unique ID
- the recipient
- the badge URL
- verification data
- the issue date.
- Assertions can optionally also include:
- the badge image (with assertion data baked into it)
- an evidence URL
- an expiry date.
- An assertion can be stored in a hosted file or a JSON Web signature.
- See the current assertion specification for full details.
Assessment in a badging system can involve various optional stages. For example, a badge issuer can present badges that are available for earning, capturing earner applications via the issuer website. The earners can submit evidence in support of their applications, which the issuer will then review, comparing the evidence to the badge criteria (which is defined when the badge is created). If an application for a badge is successful, the issuer may then award it to the earner, creating an assertion and typically contacting the earner.
This is only an example of what an assessment process might look like in a badging system, but the issuer is free to choose a method that suits their community of earners.
Non-technical term for issuing
- Alternatives include present, confer, grant.
A tool used to collect, share and display earned badges. One example is the Mozilla Backpack - a federated backpack is also under development.
Backpack Connect is an API provided within the Mozilla Backpack. With Backpack Connect, badge issuers can utilize persistent access to the earner's Mozilla Backpack, pushing awarded badges to it without having to request the earner's permission each time. Issuer access can be managed by the earner within their Mozilla Backpack account.
See also Using the Backpack Connect API
A digital representation of a skill, learning achievement or experience. Badges can represent competencies and involvements recognized in online or offline life. Each badge is associated with an image and some metadata. The metadata provides information about what the badge represents and the evidence used to support it.
- Earners can display their badges online and can share badge information through social networks.
- Issuers define badges and award them to earners.
A badge class is a definition of an earnable badge, which may potentially be awarded to one or more earners. Badge issuers define each badge class using a JSON file - in which the fields describe what the badge represents. A badge class includes a link to the issuer organization JSON for the badge. Each time a badge is awarded to an earner, the badge issuer creates a badge assertion which includes a link to the badge class.
See also Assertion Information for the Uninitiated
BadgeKit is a set of tools to make it easier for organizations to work with Open Badges. BadgeKit includes two main components:
- A Web application to handle various parts of the badge issuing process, including:
- Creating badges - defining their visual appearance and metadata
- Providing access to badge applications
- Administering user accounts for badge creators, reviewers, assessors and other participants.
- An API issuers can use when providing interaction with badge earners
- Issuer sites can use the APIs to provide a front-end interface for badge earners, with BadgeKit providing the back-end processing.
- The BadgeKit API lets issuer sites respond to events/ state changes that take place in BadgeKit, so that the issuer can customize the experience their badge earning community has, as well as handling the data for their own badge earners.
You can host BadgeKit on your own server - the code is all on GitHub.
Badge baking is the process of embedding assertion data into a badge image. The Mozilla Backpack includes a tool for baking badges.
See also Badge Baking
A code created by an issuer and given to an earner when they earn a badge. The earner can take the code and claim the badge associated with that code.
- Claim codes can be unique to the earner or multi-use, in which case many different earners can use a code to claim the same badge.
Earners can collect awarded badges and display them in backpacks. In the Mozilla Backpack, earners can group badges into collections, deciding whether each collection is publicly discoverable. If a badge collection is designated as public by the earner, displayers will be able to retrieve the badges within it, given the earner email address.
The consumer is someone viewing a badge awarded to an earner
- Examples could include colleagues, peers and potential employers.
A definition of the requirements for earning a badge. In a badge class, the criteria is included as a URL.
Badges are accompanied by descriptions when they are listed, shared and displayed.
An interactive listing of badges. Examples include directory.openbadges.org - source code at: https://github.com/mozilla/openbadges-directory
A badge displayer accesses badges that are publicly available and displays them in an online context. The process involves verification.
See also Open Badges Onboarding: Displayers
The Displayer API is a tool provided within the Mozilla Backpack. Badge displayers can use the API to retrieve badges associated with an earner's email address. Displayers can only retrieve badges the earner has designated as public - within collections.
See also Using the Displayer API
A person who has met the necessary requirements to earn a badge. Badge issuers decide who to award badges to. Earners can opt to apply for available badges.
Submitted proof that an earner meets the criteria for a badge they are applying for
- Can be a link to text, images, and other media.
When an assessor decides whether or not an applicant has met the criteria for a badge, they can forward feedback regarding the decision
- Depending on whether the earner is under 13 or not, the feedback will be a set of pre-canned messages or come free-form.
When an issuer awards a badge to an earner, they create a badge assertion to represent the award. This assertion may be hosted or signed. A hosted assertion comprises 3 JSON files and a badge image, all stored at persistent Web locations.
A badge assertion includes information about the identity of the earner. This information typically comprises the earner email address. Badge displayers can check earner email addresses against the assertion email to verify that a badge was awarded to the person claiming it.
The email address within a badge assertion may be hashed for additional security - the hash can also be salted, in which case the salt value is provided within the assertion JSON.
Connect a badge to a person - technically this is the act of awarding the badge to the earner. This may happen when an earner makes a successful badge application. Badges can also be issued by submitting claim codes, or directly by the issuer to the earner email address. Issuing a badge means creating a badge instance for the earner email address.
- Non-technical term: award
To create a badge instance, the issuer creates an assertion file, which includes JSON indicating information about the badge award.
Person or organization who creates/ offers badges and issues them to earners. Issuers can be individuals or organizations.
See also Open Badges Onboarding: Issuers
The OBI provides a range of tools to support badge issuing. Additionally, a number of badge issuing platforms are available, including:
- Achievery: a free platform for evidence-based credentialing issuers can use to manage Open Badges http://achievery.com/
- Badge List: build, host and award Open Badges together with supporting evidence http://badgelist.com/
- BadgeOS™: an operating system/ WordPress plugin for recognizing achievement with Open Badges http://badgeos.org
- Credly: a complete end-to-end platform for creating, issuing, sharing and displaying Open Badges http://credly.com/
- ForAllRubrics: rubric and badging platform for teaching/ learning https://www.forallrubrics.com/
- Makewaves: social learning environment for schools and other communities https://www.makewav.es/
- Open Badge Factory: cloud system for creating and issuing Open Badges https://openbadgefactory.com/
- Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU): platform to support learning communities focused on peer interaction http://badges.p2pu.org/
- Remix Learning: customizable cloud based social learning network for primary and secondary education http://remixlearning.com/
- Youtopia: manage activities, goals and badges to encourage engagement and recognize achievement http://www.youtopia.com/info/
The Issuer API is a resource provided within the Mozilla Backpack. With the Issuer API, badge issuers can push the badges they award earners to the Mozilla Backpack. The earner can then manage visibility of each badge, optionally making it available for public display.
See also Using the Issuer API
When an issuer creates a badge class, they include a link to another JSON file describing the issuer organization. The information includes the issuer web address, which is used to verify the badge award.
Information contained within a badge that defines it:
- Includes name, description, and links to other important details like the badge's criteria, evidence and issuer information.
- The metadata for an awarded badge is defined in a badge assertion.
The Mozilla Backpack is a tool for earners to collect, share and display the badges they have been awarded. Earners can import badges into the Mozilla Backpack and issuers can offer to push the badges they award to the Backpack. Once a badge is in the earner's Mozilla Backpack, they can organize it into groups and control visibility. Public badges are discoverable by badge displayers.
See also the Mozilla Backpack repo
Open Badge Infrastructure, OBI
The OBI is a set of software tools and specifications to support badging systems. These tools define the structures used in Open Badges and facilitate creating, issuing and displaying them.
The Open Badges Displayer is a script displayers can use to present baked badges in a Web page. The displayer script extracts the metadata from baked PNGs in the page, presenting certain data items in an interactive component. Displayers can use the script to implement badge display using only client-side code.
A public badge is a badge an earner has placed in a collection that they have designated as public. If a displayer has access to the earner email address, they can retrieve the earner's public badges from the Mozilla Backpack.
A badge issuer can decide to revoke a badge they issued. Badge displayers are required not to display badges that have been revoked. Badge revocation is different for signed and hosted badges.
See also Revoking Issued Badges
A tool used to assess badge criteria in a standardized way
- Aids consistency in review
- Can also be used to check evidence to see if it meets badge criteria (if the badge requires evidence).
A signed badge is a badge awarded to an earner, which the issuer represents using a JSON Web Signature. In a hosted badge, the assertion, badge class and issuer organization are each stored in a hosted JSON file. With a signed badge, the badge class and issuer organization are still stored in hosted files, but the assertion itself is represented by a JWS.
See also Creating Signed Assertions
The specification repo defines the structures and some of the practices involved in implementing OBI-compliant badging systems.
Issuers and displayers can use the validator to check badge assertions for structural validity. The validator is available via:
- a Web interface at: http://validator.openbadges.org/
- programmatically via: https://github.com/mozilla/openbadges-validator/
Confirmation that a specific badge was awarded by the issuer to a specific person. Badge displayers are responsible for verifying issued badges using badge assertion data. Badge verification can involve a series of steps tailored to whether the badge is hosted or signed - guidance is available in the specification.
See also Verifying Badges for Display