To create a new badge within Milestone, you will first navigate to the Badge Library within your issuing organization, and then you will select the Create New Badge option that is provided. A pop-up window will then appear wherein you will have to provide a name and description for the new badge.
Badge Details: After entering a name and description for your badge, you will be brought into the Details page for your badge, where you can modify attributes associated with your badge such as; the skills that are reflected in the badge, and programs that will be using the new badge. The badge creator can also set an expiry date for the badge.
Badge Image: Once you have entered the details for your newly created badge, then the next step in the badge creation process is to create the image that will be associated with your badge. This process can be done in two separate ways depending on whether you already have an image created for your new badge.
If you already have an image created for your badge, then you will click on the select my .png or .svg image option that is provided. You will then be brought into a window where you can select an image file from your own computer to upload the image into Milestone. Once you have selected your image file, you will then click Upload and Save, to apply this image to your badge.
If you do not yet have an image created for your badge, then the Milestone system allows for you to design your own badge using the badge designer. The badge designer will allow you to select both a base shape as the badge's backdrop and a banner to display the name of the badge. In addition, the Graphics Library will allow you to add icons and images to your badge. Once the badge's image has been created then you will be able to add text to your badge, by entering the name of your badge into the Enter text section. After entering your text, you will click the Add button to the right to add the text to your badge's image. Lastly, the badge designer does allow you to move, scale, rotate, or change the color of any element that makes up the badge so that you can fully customize the badge that you have created.
Badge Criteria: The Milestone system allows users to set specific criteria, that when met, will indicate that a user is eligible to receive the connected badge. These criteria can be created manually through the Add Text option that is provided, which will allow the creator to set a name/description for the criterion. In addition, the Milestone system will also allow other badges to be used as criteria for a badge when the Add Badge option is used. This would then make it so the newly created badge can only be awarded to users who have received the connected badge(s). Lastly, data from other Anthology products can be used as criteria to award a badge through the Anthology Data option that is provided. Integrations currently supported into the ability to automatically award badges to attendees at events hosted on Anthology Engage; students who complete individual Path Domains or entire Paths within Anthology Engage; or to learners who are marked as having met the requirements of achievements for student learning outcomes in Anthology Outcomes.
Alignments: The final and optional step in the credential creation process is to assign internal aligned outcomes or external custom outcomes to the badge. By adding this information to a badge, you are both creating the potential for a badge recipient to better understand the value of what they achieved, as well as to contextualize that achievement within whatever broader framework may be represented by your alignments. Please see the Introduction to Outcomes for more information on their purpose.
In order to add internal Aligned Outcomes to your badge, you must first have created an Outcome Set and added Outcomes to it. First select the desired Set Name to populate the list of available outcomes (note that only outcomes with the status of Published will appear in the drop-down menu). Next, select the outcome you want to align to the badge and then click Add Outcome Alignment. The outcome will be added to the list on the right side of the screen, and may be deleted (and later re-added) if desired.
A second type of outcome that may be optionally placed on a badge is a Custom Alignment. The purpose of custom alignments is to allow you to link your badge to reference material that lives outside the badge itself. Examples might be linking to an outcome or skill development framework published on a website somewhere, whether owned by your organization or an external entity. The difference between Custom Alignments and Aligned Outcome are the former only exist on the single badge you are editing, while the later exist independently inside an Outcome Set. Custom Alignments have to be individually entered on any badge you wish them to appear on, while Aligned Outcomes may be re-used over and over again across multiple badges by using the Align from Outcome Set option described above. Updating a outcome from an Outcome Set will update it across all badges that outcome is aligned with, while updates to given custom alignment only apply to the badge where you are updating it.
To add a Custom Alignment, enter a URL that viewers of an awarded badge will be able to click in order to visit the online location where further information on the custom alignment may be found. You must also provide a name for the alignment / reference you are adding to the badge. Optionally, you may specify a Framework Name (e.g., National ABC Standards, XYZ Association Framework for Skill Development, etc.), Code (e.g., 1.1, XYZ3.7, etc.), or Description (e.g., "The National ABC Standards represent the abilities that learners should demonstrate in order to...").