In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the bridge between academia and the workforce has always been a pivotal point of discussion. How do we ensure that what students learn aligns seamlessly with the demands of the job market? Enter artificial intelligence (AI), a game-changer in this arena, promising to revolutionize the creation and validation of micro-credentials and digital badges.

The “cold start” problem

The concept of digital badging holds immense potential for recognizing and validating students' skills and achievements beyond traditional degrees. However, launching a digital badging program comes with its set of challenges, particularly for institutions lacking the necessary expertise or resources.

One significant challenge is the "cold start problem", wherein institutions may struggle to begin their digital badging initiatives due to a lack of understanding of the technology, its implementation, and its potential benefits. Without dedicated personnel with expertise in digital badging, institutions may find themselves at a loss regarding where to begin, what criteria to use for badge creation, and how to integrate badges into existing educational frameworks. This lack of expertise can lead to hesitation and delay in adopting digital badging, despite its potential to enhance student learning experiences and better align educational outcomes with workforce demands.

Moreover, resource constraints pose another obstacle for institutions venturing into digital badging. Developing a robust badging infrastructure requires not only technological investments but also human resources for content creation, badge design, assessment, and maintenance. Without sufficient funding or staffing, institutions may struggle to allocate resources towards developing and sustaining a digital badging program. This can hinder innovation and limit opportunities for students to showcase their skills and competencies in a digital format that resonates with employers and industry stakeholders.

Anthology’s AI Badge Design Assistant

Developed by our team of experts, the AI Badge Design Assistant aims to address the "cold start problem" often faced by institutions lacking resources or expertise in digital badging. This tool—currently in prototype stage—empowers users, particularly program chairs and faculty members, to effortlessly create badges with minimal experience required. By tapping into data from student information systems, the tool generates the foundation of a badge based on course information and skill tags. Users can then refine and customize badges to their liking, with AI providing recommendations for edits and improvements.

While still in its early stages, the prototype represents a significant step towards democratizing the badge creation process. With features such as version history and seamless integration with other data sources on the horizon, the tool promises to streamline badge creation and validation, ultimately benefiting both students and institutions.

Join us at the summit: Unveiling the future of education

We're proud to showcase our latest AI-driven innovation at the upcoming 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit on March 4-6, where we'll delve deeper into the potential of AI in the area of career readiness. In our session "Harnessing AI to Bridge the Academic-Workforce Gap", we'll explore how AI-powered insights can guide students towards market-aligned educational trajectories. Discover firsthand how Anthology is reshaping the landscape of digital badging, offering a glimpse into the future of education.

Not attending the conference? Register for an exclusive preview of Anthology’s AI Badge Design Assistant.

Reimagining higher education with AI

Anthology is unlocking AI-led innovation right across the learner lifecycle. Last July at Anthology Together, we announced Blackboard® Learn’s AI Design Assistant and made a commitment to bring AI into other Anthology solutions. The launch of the AI Design Assistant in September made Blackboard® Learn the first major learning management system (LMS) to empower instructors with AI-generated inspiration for course structure, tests, and rubrics, and made a commitment to bring AI into other Anthology solutions. The launch of the AI Design Assistant in September made Blackboard Learn Ultra the first major learning management system (LMS) to empower instructors with AI-generated inspiration for course structure, tests, and rubrics.

In December, we introduced Microsoft Copilot in Anthology® Reach—our student success and lifecycle engagement solution built on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365—to help higher education practitioners in admissions and student advising save time and reduce manual work in everyday tasks like content creation and database exploration, allowing them to focus on better engaging and supporting learners.

The AI Badge Design Assistant represents a new opportunity for our clients to leverage leading AI technology seamlessly within their Anthology solutions in order to unlock new ways of working across the institution, always in alignment with Anthology’s Trustworthy AI Framework.

Connect with an Anthologist today to learn more about how Anthology’s AI-powered solutions can help your institution improve the student experience and achieve operational excellence.

Register for early access to the AI Badge Design Assistant preview