2026 Badge Summit

In this 45-minute, hands-on design workshop, participants will collaboratively design, issue, and experience a digital badge from the institutional perspective. Guided by Tomás Mindlin (Founder & CEO, Proof of Knowledge) and Jim Vernon (Aims Community College), attendees will walk through the practical steps required to build a credible, employer-relevant digital credential—from defining learning outcomes and evidence, to designing badge visuals and crafting institution-branded learner communications.


Rather than focusing on technology alone, the workshop emphasizes credential credibility, institutional ownership, and learner trust. Participants will explore how fully white-label, standards-aligned digital credentials can be issued under an institution’s own brand and domain, reinforcing trust with learners and employers while maintaining interoperability through Open Badges 3.0 and the European Learning Model (ELM).


By the end of the session, attendees will have created a complete badge prototype and gained a practical framework they can apply to credit programs, workforce and CTE initiatives, co-curricular learning, continuing education, or employee professional development—regardless of their institution’s technical maturity.