The concept of the 60-year curriculum, developed by Gary Matkin, Dean of the Division of Continuing Education and Vice Provost of the Division of Career Pathways at the University of California at Irvine, is meant to illustrate that learning doesn’t and shouldn’t stop with the completion of a four-year degree, but takes place over the span of one’s projected time spent in the workforce.
This lifelong learning movement grew out of response to the fact that employees are now changing jobs or careers several times over the course of their lives, and rapidly changing technologies and industries require them to gain and demonstrate new skills—skills they likely never learned in college.
Over the next six years, the number of adults over 35 enrolled in higher education is projected to increase by 20%, with many choosing to enhance their careers and skillsets via professional development courses and programs offered through colleges and universities. In the past, those new skills could be roughly articulated into bullet points on a resume, but now, communicating credentials in an ever-expanding online marketplace has never been easier than with the advent of digital badges.
To help our students highlight their newly acquired skills—and the work that went into them—UVM Continuing and Distance Education is pleased to announce our new Digital Badge Credentialing system, offered through Credly’s Acclaim Platform.
Move Over Resume. Welcome to the 21st Century with Digital Badges.
A digital badge is a web-enabled acknowledgement of a certificate, course completion, or learning outcome. The skills acquired to obtain a digital badge from UVM can be verified in real-time, online, allowing students to quickly demonstrate and validate their accomplishments to current or future employers or clients. UVM Continuing and Distance Education’s digital badge credentialing system is completely voluntary and free to users.
Credly’s Acclaim Platform helps users to easily manage, share, and authenticate their learning. It also offers labor market insights, based on their skills, which allows users to search and apply for job opportunities in their field right through the Acclaim Platform.
UVM’s digital badges enable users to:
- Easily manage, share, and verify their learning achievements at UVM with digital badges containing metadata that describes their qualifications and the process required to earn them
- Quickly and efficiently post their credentials on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as over email and embedded in their personal website/portfolio
- Add credibility to their achievement with secure, real-time verification
- Connect their skills with active job opportunities with Credly’s labor market insights
- Access promotional offers and learning pathways available only to badge earners
How Do UVM’s Digital Badges Work?
- Successfully complete your course or certificate program at Continuing and Distance Education
- You will receive an email notification from the Acclaim Platform with instructions for setting up your account and claiming your badge
- If you choose to do so, claim your badge and share directly from the Acclaim Platform to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and over email, and/or embed within your website or email signature
Digital Badges are now available for the following courses and programs and we will continue to add to this list as new badges are issued:
Business of Craft Beer Certificate
UVM Craft Beer School courses
Cannabis Science and Medicine Professional Certificate
Professional Certificate in Cannabis Plant Biology
Digital Marketing Fundamentals Professional Certificate
Digital Marketing School courses
End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate
Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate
Learn more about UVM’s Digital Badge Credentialing System.
