ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the need for digital badges in both formal and informal educational settings, the roles digital badges can play, and how digital badging can integrate the credentials produced in formal and informal settings to provide a comprehensive picture of what people know and can do. We also discuss how badging in formal and informal environments can be used to encourage communication between providers of learning experiences and employers, can provide comprehensive information that can inform hiring decisions, and how the “endorsement layer” of digital badges can be used to convey external support for serious badges.
