Student’s Guide to Digital Badging
Welcome! At the end of the semester, students enrolled in degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs began receiving digital badges after the successful completion of a course. These badges serve as a secure and verifiable transcript of the skills, knowledge, and competencies that are embedded within each credit-based course that is offered at your institution. Badging is an exciting new way to share your academic success and your qualifications as a job candidate on your digital resumé.
What is a Badge?
How do I claim a Badge?
Canvas Credentials is the platform that issues and stores your badges. Follow the steps below to claim your badges:
- After grades close at the end of each semester, you’ll receive an email from the Technical College System of Georgia for each badge that you’ve earned. Go ahead and open the email, read the short summary about the badge, and scroll down to “Go To Account.”
- You will need to create an account the first time you access Canvas Credentials. Click the button at the top of the screen.
- All badges will be linked to your school email address. Enter your school email address in the appropriate field.
- The system will prompt you to return to your email for a verification code. Enter the code, and then fill out your personal details.
- You’re now signed into your permanent “backpack,” or Canvas Credential account. The account is yours for life, and… it’s also free! No renewal or subscription needed! Pro-Tip: keep a record of your log-in and password.
- On the top left, click “Canvas Badges Personal” from the drop down menu. This will give you full access to your backpack. If you receive a badge or micro-credential from another issuer, you can import it on this screen by clicking “Add Badge.” You can also sort your badges into collections, view your “learning pathways,” and manage your account details.
- Click on the “Account Settings” button at the top right of the screen.
- Link your Canvas Credentials account to existing email and social media accounts. Adding your personal email is an especially important step! Adding your personal email address will sync badges that you receive even after you graduate.
Make sure to spend a few minutes setting up your account for future access. Adding a personal email, social media profiles, and fully customizing your backpack will mean that you’ll have access to all your badges (and, indeed, future badges!) even after you’ve graduated.
Adding your social media profiles to Canvas Credentials means that sharing your achievements is as easy as clicking a button!
What is Professional Networking and why is it important?
As recently as twenty years ago, professional networking tended to occur in person. From company-wide social events to professional conferences, career networking used to happen through handshakes and targeted conversations. The internet, of course, has changed the scope of professional networking, which is occurring more frequently in virtual environments and with people across the globe.
Please watch the video below to learn more about networking in the digital age and why it is so important.
How do I build a Professional LinkedIn Profile?
If you don’t already have a LinkedIn(opens in a new tab) profile, you should create one. Since LinkedIn is geared toward a professional audience, your profile should more closely reflect your professional resumé by highlighting your education, employment history, and job-related skills. If you’re searching for some inspiration for your own profile, start by checking out the video below:
Once you’ve established a profile, begin by taking a look around. Type the name of your field into the search bar at the top left of the page; this should reveal recent posts, open job opportunities, and individuals and companies which specialize in your industry. And don’t be shy: join relevant groups, comment on posts, and reach out to connect with new acquaintances.
Even if you’re not an avid user of social media, sharing your Canvas Credential badges is a great way to begin networking. By sharing, you’ll be able to show off your accomplishments while drawing the attention of others in your field. It may even invite some conversation from those who have seen your post—the perfect way to develop professional relationships!
How do I share a Badge on LinkedIn and other Social Media Sites?
- Head to Your Digital Badge Backpack. Your Canvas Credential backpack contains each of your badges.
- Click “Share” on the Badge. The “share” button is at the bottom right of each badge.
- Choose How You’d Like to Share:
- Canvas Credentials offers multiple ways to share your badge. The first option is simply to copy and paste a link into a new post on LinkedIn, or your preferred social media site. This is helpful if you want to customize the message that you post.
- Or, clicking over to “social” on the top tab of the new window will allow you to add the badge to your LinkedIn profile. You can also generate a basic post highlighting your badge on various social media platforms.
Important: if you would like to add your badges as permanent, verifiable components of your LinkedIn profile, it’s important to share by clicking the circled “Add to Profile” shown in the image above. If you do not take this step, your badges will not appear on your digital resumé.
How do I create a Digital Resumé?
Digital resumés make it easier than ever to create an impactful summary of your accomplishments—one that surely grabs the attention of a prospective employer.
As you might already imagine, the digital badges that you receive from your institution should play a central role in your digital resumé. Why? Digital badges offer streamlined proof of your knowledge, skills, and competencies. Hiring managers no longer have to trust that the information you’ve provided is accurate; badges are immediately verifiable and will help you stand out as a job-ready candidate.
Please watch this short guide below on badging with an overview of how to prepare a digital resumé.
Once your digital resume is created, you can edit it directly—in case you need to fix a typo or update a section. You’ll be able to use it to apply for jobs that you find on LinkedIn, as well as jobs you find from other sources. Simply download the resumé as a PDF, save it to your computer, and then upload it to the job application that you’re working on.
LinkedIn is more than just social media for the working professional. In the “Jobs” tab at the top navigation bar (where you accessed the digital resumé builder), you’ll find lots of resources that will help you prepare for the job market.
With this information in hand, you’re now a badging expert. You’ve learned what these digital badges represent, how to add them to your LinkedIn profile, and how to use LinkedIn to create a compelling and verifiable digital resumé. You’re ready to conquer the job market!