Embracing the Future: Purdue Global's Journey in Digital Credentialing

Jacob Askeroth, Director of Digital Credentialing at Purdue Global

Jacob Askeroth, Director of Digital Credentialing at Purdue Global

There is a great deal of conversation happening right now regarding the implementation and effective leveraging of digital credentials--digital badges, micro-credentials, e-diplomas, etc.--and the reality of this new and emerging space can make it difficult and daunting for universities, educators, and practitioners to know how to implement and scale digital credentials. For starters, the fact that digital credentials are new makes it hard to know what questions to ask, and there are a host of new terms and related technologies that need to be navigated. It can also be a challenge to garner sufficient internal support to secure the needed resources to launch the issuance of digital credentials to earners. Once you do begin, what strategies and processes will yield positive outcomes? And what should the digital credentials or badge even look like? The list can go on.

At Purdue University Global, we just decided to dive in and go for it, trying out a variety of strategies based on both research of best practices and common sense. Not everything that we have tried has worked out as we would have hoped, but as we have learned along the way, we have incrementally improved and seen positive results. Our efforts to streamline processes, monitor data, and build internal support have allowed us to increase the number of digital credentials we issue. Simultaneously, we have implemented targeted marketing campaigns to educate users about what digital credentials are, why they can be of value to them, and how they can leverage them to their benefit. As a result, we have seen the level of engagement with digital credentials have grown over time. We also have taken special care regarding the visual design of our digital badges and e-Diplomas, ensuring that they are aligned with Purdue Globals branding and have a high-quality visual aesthetic to the extent that someone would be proud enough to share on their LinkedIn profile.

"Our efforts to streamline processes, monitor data, and build internal support have allowed us to increase the number of digital credentials we issue"

Today, we issue on average 3,500 digital badges a month, along with 13,000 e-diplomas a year. We continue to test out new initiatives and learn as we go and are now setting our sights on maximizing the value of digital credentials to the user by implementing a digital wallet or learning and employment record. Through all of this, we have found that doing something with digital credential initiatives, even if starting small, is better than waiting until all questions can be answered. Positive outcomes can come as a result.