Sharing Achievement Through Digital Credentials: Are Universities Ready for the Transparency Afforded by a Digital World?

Abstract

Social and professional platforms have changed the ways in which we connect and share, but most universities still evidence and communicate achievement in the same ways as they have for decades. Digital credentials have emerged as a way of sharing more detailed achievement than is possible through a grade or academic transcript including the circumstances of achievement (standards and criteria) and the evidence that justified it (student work). Achievement can also easily shared through social and professional platforms. Where digital credentials are associated with meaningful assessment they can be used to provide graduates with rich evidence of achievement that might help them to gain opportunities. However, public sharing also means that the content and quality of student work, and the consistency of judgements made, are open to scrutiny by a much broader audience. This has implications beyond the assessment task: for students (whose work and achievement is shared); for teachers (who design assessment and make judgements); and for institutions (who are held accountable for quality and consistency). This chapter will consider the transparency associated with current assessment practices, the benefits and risks associated with use of digital credentials to denote student achievement, and the readiness of universities for transparent assessment.