So much of what people learn today is off the radar of traditional assessments and absent from official transcripts. People do some of their most meaningful work and demonstrate some of their most valuable skills in contexts that have been out of reach of official forms of recognition. Digital badges offer a mechanism to help unlock evidence of achievement and put that to work for learners in search of new or better opportunities.
 
In this session, Jonathan Finkelstein, the creator of Credly and Open Credit, and director of the open source BadgeOS project, will look at how groups of all kinds -- both inside and outside higher education -- are adopting digital credentials. While evaluating the kinds of achievements worthy of recognition and how to authentically assess them, what new opportunities do we have to put evidence of real achievement to work for our learners? Finkelstein will draw on first-hand experience with groups like Yale University, the Smithsonian, YMCA, NYC Department of Education, and EDUCAUSE, and thousands of other organizations and educators using open tools and platforms to recognize what they value most.