Building Collective Belief in Badges: Designing Trust Networks

Abstract

Open digital badges are statements of trust used to vouch that people are who they say they are, and have the qualities they claim to have. Proponents argue that the full potential of badges will be realized when they circulate as credentials. Research on badges suggests that open badges need to be valued by college admissions and employers if they are to be valued by earners. Yet, while the technical standards exist in the open badge infrastructure (OBI) to support badges as a medium of exchange, only a small percentage of badge earners are displaying and sharing them. This chapter explores the complex design challenge of building collective belief to increase their perceived value, focusing on two approaches: credential markets and reputation economy. The first section discusses the limited research on the circulation and acceptance (i.e. perceived value) of badges. The second section examines alternative currencies and how they scale. The third section discusses credentials and credential markets. The fourth section explores ways to build collective belief in badges. The final section discusses how badges can be scaled as reputation and the importance of metadata to this task.