Learning Machine Launches Support for Open Badges

NEW YORK, January 1, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Learning Machine Technologies announced today that organizations can now use the Learning Machine Issuing System to issue both Blockcerts and Open Badges. This allows education providers to consolidate issuing both micro-credentials and blockchain-secured official records from the same system.

Open Badges were launched in 2011 by the Mozilla Foundation and since have become a popular way to document individual achievements in both formal and non-formal education. Badges are designed to convey a singular achievement through a digital image and a set of data that describe the achievement. Badges enable creative ways of recognizing and documenting progress on the way toward larger educational or professional goals. In this way, badges are perfect for “micro-credentials,” lower-stakes credentials which don't need high levels of security but which may index a learning pathway toward a higher-stakes credential. High-stakes credentials, like transcripts, enrollment verification, and diplomas, must be verified with a very high level of certainty.

One of the things education and training providers keep telling us is that they want to simplify records management and keep all their credentials in one place. We also know that many providers don't just issue one type of credential; they want to issue tamper-proof, secure credentials, but also document progress along the way. With the launch of Open Badges, Learning Machine is saying: we heard you!

Natalie Smolenski, SVP Business Development, Learning Machine

The Learning Machine Issuing System now makes it easy to issue both micro-credentials and official records in one place. While micro-credentials can be issued as Open Badges, official records are issued as Blockcerts, an open standard developed with MIT for tamper-evident digital credentials. Blockcerts are digitally signed by the issuing institution and the recipient and registered on a blockchain for ongoing vendor-independent verification. Blockcerts is built specifically for summative and other kinds of high-stakes credentials.

Learning Machine SVP of Business Development Natalie Smolenski said, "One of the things education and training providers keep telling us is that they want to simplify records management and keep all their credentials in one place. We also know that many providers don't just issue one type of credential; they want to issue secure official records, but also document progress along the way. With the launch of Open Badges, Learning Machine is saying: we heard you!"

Traditionally, software providers have specialized either in digital badges or in blockchain-anchored records. Learning Machine has brought both together in a single Issuing System, making it easier for organizations to manage a spectrum of digital records in one place. Together, the Open Badges and Blockcerts standards complement one another and create a global ecosystem for open digital credentials.

For the latest news from Learning Machine, please visit the website https://www.learningmachine.com or on Twitter @LearningMach1.

For the latest news from Blockcerts, please visit the website https://www.blockcerts.org or on Twitter @Blockcerts.

For further inquiries, please contact: Natalie Smolenski / [email protected]

Source: Learning Machine